The technique is here for a long time, which gives you the opportunity to change your background or change some elements on your scene. You can reach this with a green screen or chroma key. The green color is can be filtered by a software solution, then anyone or anything in front of the green screen, is moveable and can be placed into a new world. The movie industry, started and invented this technique, but nowadays streamers, content creators, and the news industry use this too.
Let’s see how you can choose the best quality green screen, how you can apply it to your streams on Twitch, YouTube and we’ll go through the settings of OBS Studio, which is one of the best recording/streaming software.
The pick of the green screen, is clear, as the software solution. The knowledge, that you’ll pick up right now, you can use to other programs, or as the time of video editing. As said you should check the whole article.
Behind the Green Screen
Behind the green screen or chroma key, the blue box or green box technique is behind, which is firstly used in cinematography. There were two different science, the first one was the background, while the second one is everything that happened in front of the background, which was mostly played by characters. That could be a simple conversation or the well-known car scenes. Nowadays, they’re using it in many sailor scenes, while they are in a closed space with adjusted temperature.
After the two scenes are done, they put it together, deleting the blue or green screen, yes, because you are not limited to the green color. But for using this technique, you need a set of well-defined conditions, to get rid of the green screen in post-production (or in our case in OBS Studio), perfectly. For that, you need the following:
- Perfect light, which comes from different angles (softbox, or studio light),
- Undisturbed, green or blue background (the smallest crease can make a shadow, which only removable with hard post-production),
- You can’t wear the same color.
By default, that’s why the green color is mostly used, while you have many blue-colored clothes, just think about jeans.
For the lightning, mostly one-angle lights are not enough. However, streamers can afford that, because the green screen is far behind them, and only one angle is recorded. Besides, if you’re recording yourself too close to the green screen, you’re shadow will reflect on it, and again, it’s only removable with many adjustments, and the green or blue color will stay.
Chroma key
These days, regularly for this technique the Chroma Key will help. This technology is capable to remove any color from a picture. In the programs, you should find the predetermined colors, like green and blue, but it’s good if you know these colors’ HEX code, which is HTML-colour code (mostly used in web design).
- Green Screen Hex code: #00b140
- Blue Screen HEX code: #0047bb
Green Screen setup for streaming and video
The next step is, to get a green screen, which you can buy in the nearest textile store or you can make it by yourself.
Green Screen DIY – At your home
With the above HEX codes, you can choose the best canvas, in a textile store. The grass colored or the similar green, made of cotton canvas is worth a try, but it shouldn’t be too dark green, for the contrast and due to the separation of the elements.
If you bought the textile, the following is the setup. In the best-case scenario, you will put it on a stand, like in the above picture. But right now we would like to do it at home, then some clips and two or so hangers will solve your situation. For this solution too, you need to have two fixed long points, where you can string up the canvas. The first one is probably the floor, the second one can be a cornice or a curtain holder/rod.
With the help of the hangers and the clips, stabilize the textile. If you want a more stable solution, then sew one of the sides of the canvas, then slide into the curtain holder, or the wood rod. With the last solution, the crease is more avoidable.
As in the above picture, you can rivet the sides of the green canvas, you can place little holes, then later on with the help of a cord, you can stretch it. Probably, with a little talk and a request, they will do it for you in the textile shop.
Other solutions you may consider:
- Two hanger, with a center rod,
- Stretch it with two standing-lamp (please, switch off while you’re using for green screen),
- Paint a whole wall, into the above-mention HEX codes (This solution is for those, who want to use it daily),
- You can make a folding stand, by wood.
Green Screen Set
Of course, you can buy a green screen setup completely. The bought set, can be easily moveable, and most of the time is foldable and you can save many hours, with this solution (and probably a headache). If you thinking about streamer equipment, you should think in long term.
These products are not cheap, and more expensive than a DIY, made-at-home version, but it’s a more robust and safer solution, that we’re talking about. You have two options, the first one is a studio version, where you can have more colors, and it can be fixed into a whole wall, and it’s working with a winch.
- LimoStudio 10 x 20 ft. Green Screen set, with stand and lights
- EMART 6 x 9 ft. Green Screen, with clips
- GFCC 6FT x 10FT Royal Blue Screen, without stand or clip
The other solution is specifically made for streamers. Here are some of the best:
- Elgato Green Screen, collapsible
- BOYXCO Gen2 Collapsible Green Screen, which is attachable to the chair
- Yesker Green Screen set, collapsible, wrinkle-resistant
Green Screen Lighting
For the perfect effect of a blue or green screen, you need to think about lightning too. Fortunately, with the development of LEDs, you can get cheap studio lighting. As you may read in streaming equipment, you’ll need softbox, or again, lights that are for streaming.
- Elgato Key Light – Specifically for streaming
- Elgato Key Light Air – Cheaper solution for streamers
- UBeesize LED Video Light Kit, 2pcs
- Cyezcor Video Conference Lighting Kit – a simple, but effective o-ring light
- Neewer 700W Professional Softbox – 2pcs
For a great outcome, you should buy 2pcs, which you can place left and right-side. Then the shadows on your face will not appear. If you want to be more professional, then you can buy another one, for the green screen, which you can place underfoot.
But If you’re more into the DIY, then a home-standing lamp and an overlay, like a tracing paper or a piece of cotton fabric are going to help you. The behind solution is, that needs to have a little distance between the direct light, and the fabric, therefore it will saturate the light better, not coming from one direct angle.
How to remove Green Screen?
If your equipment is set, then the background removal is coming. As we talked about at the beginning of this article, if you can apply it in one stream software, or video editing program, then you can use it in others too.
In OBS Studio (Streamlabs OBS)
If you already added the webcam or the video capture device, then right-click on it, and add a new filter.
After that, a new window will show up, search for Chroma key and click on add.
The filter automatically adds the Green color, but you can define blue as well, or you can set it manually too. You can use the sliders for fine-tuning, to make sure the color is well-removed, and you should test the location of the light too. Do not overdo the tweaking of “Similarity”, because as the value is bigger, more of the colors will be removed. Therefore your face will be starting to disappear.
If you are ready, click on Close, and you’re ready to stream or record your content.
Vegas Pro
On the Video FX tab or search and click on the fx button, at the right corner of the video, that is placed on the timeline. After that search for the plugin of Chroma Keyer. In the first situation, just simply drag-and-drop the Green or Blue Screen to the video. While of the last, just click on OK.
The following windows will pop up.
After defining the thresholds, you don’t need anything to do, the software will work for you. If you are done, close the windows and place a new background behind the video.
The opportunities are endless
I hope you achieved your idea, and if you have any questions, drop them in the comment section. After all, the heading is true, you can do basically anything with a green screen. But for the more complex solutions, you will need software like blender or Adobe After Effects. The following video can give you some hints.
