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How to Edit Your Video by Adding a Different Background

Since the beginning of filmmaking, scouting for interesting locales has been as important as finding the right actors. The background plays as much a part as an actor or prop. Unlike conventional stories with real world settings, fantasy or science fiction stories benefit from locales which mostly don't exist. Recently, in films such as "300," "Sin City" and "Inception," actors have been placed within non-existent environments through the use of green screen. Changing the background of a video can allow a filmmaker to save on scouting locales, and even allow the film to have style.

Things You'll Need

  • Green screen
  • Video Editing program (After Effects, iMovie, or Final Cut)
  • Camera
  • Lighting rig
  • tripod
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Instructions

  1. Creating Green Screen Video

    • 1

      Situate the actor six feet away from the green screen. Light the actor separate from the green screen. The actor should have at least two lights in front of him or her. Place one light about forty-five degrees in relation to the actor, and place the other one on the opposite side of the actor. This should fill any dark areas. Place a backlight behind the actor to create some depth. Now light the green screen with at least two separate lights to get an even, bright green screen.

    • 2

      Place the camera upon a tripod and begin to film. The tripod allows the film to be steady without the need to stabilize it later in post-production.

    • 3

      Digitize the film into a form the software editor can read.

    Adding a Different Background--Three Different Program Options

    • 4

      Double click on iMovie 09. Go to "File" and then "New Project." Name the Project "Test." Leave the setting as is, and press "OK." Go to "File" and select "Import." Import the green-screened footage. Go to "Window", choose "Maps and Backgrounds." Add a background from those selected. Drag the green-screened image onto the background image that appears in the project window. Select green screen from the pop up menu.

    • 5

      Open up After Effects CS3. Go to "File" selection "Import Multiple Files." Import the green-screened footage and a picture to serve as background. Drag the green screen footage and the background picture onto the "Film Strip" icon at the bottom of the project panel where imported objects sit to create a new composition to work within.

      Select the green screen footage. Drag it on top of the background picture. With the footage selected, go to "Effect" select "Keying" and select "Keylight." Use the color picker next to "Screen Color" to select the green screen within the footage. The background should come through.

    • 6

      Select Final Cut and open it. Go to "File" choose "Import Files," and import the green screen footage and background. Place the Background first into the "Time Line" then the green screen footage. Go to "Effects" select "Video Filters" click on "Key" finally choose "Chroma Keyer." Under key on chroma, adjust width to 42 and softness to 27. Under key on saturation, change the minimum to 33, the width to 42, and softness to 22. Under edge control, change thin-spread to 29.

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