Have you ever wanted to be involved in film making? Maybe you want to work your magic in the effects department. This green screen how-to gives you detailed steps in creating your very own movie effects on the cheap.
Step One (Materials):
You’ll need the following materials: Green or blue poster board, clear tape, lighting, effects software, your computer, your bedroom or basement, and a ruler.
Step Two:
Using your rule make the proper markings on your wall in your room the align the poster board. Then take your clear tape and secure the green or blue poster board on the wall around the room until the wall is completely covered. Now it’s time to move to the software portion of the project. You can use different software like Wax, which is free full software or you can use something else. You also need Adobe After Effects which can be downloaded the Adobe website.
In order to properly erase the green screen so that only your effects are present in your videos first create a new project in your software program. It will ask you to name your project so you can save your effects layout under that name. You can call it whatever you want as long as you have it all saved. They will also ask you for your preferred frame width. If you want HD then 1080p or 720p would both work fine. I would suggest 1080p for the best possible resolution and clarity for your effects but 720p works just fine.
Step Three:
After that you can add pictures or movie clips and a background to your project. Depending on what software you’re using you should have an “Add Media” option. Click on that and it will let you add pictures and whatever else you want. If you want to do a science fiction theme you can upload pictures of the universe, space aliens, whatever you want it’s entirely up to you. Just make sure the photos and or clips are the appropriate file size and format. The program should outline the required format when you add your media so it shouldn’t be a problem. In order to remove the green screen itself from your effects clip use the eye dropper tool to remove the green screen so that your added background is present in place of the screen.
Step Four:
Next using Adobe After Effects you can tweak your project further. Just upload your saved effects project you created in Wax and use After Effects to add different presentations to your project. After making the final adjustments to your project save the final cut on After Effects and there you go. You have now created your first green screen with movie effects and background. This project is great for people who are genuinely interested in movie magic, film production, or just want to experiment with what they can create with their computers and their imagination. I hope you enjoyed this how-to and I hope you enjoy your movie magic green screen.
Additional Suggestions:
Feel free to use blue screen as well. While green screen is the most common among big time movie effects companies blue screen works just as well. If you want to beef up your effects software and production it’s always a good idea to look into different programs available online. Be aware however that the more advanced software programs will cost money, so if you want use free trials for 30 days or just stick with the more limited freeware programs then that’s fine. The more expansive you want to go with your production the more money and work is required. Have fun and see you next time.
