Simon Edmondson Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 You know you are getting old when, instead of painting the town red at the weekend, you're painting the walls in the shed green instead ... Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largento Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I always wanted to get one of these ChromaPop portable green screens. Turns out they are on sale this weekend for only $80. If I weren't currently broke, I would be jumping on it. (It's normally $250.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Edmondson Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 I always wanted to get one of these ChromaPop portable green screens. Turns out they are on sale this weekend for only $80. If I weren't currently broke, I would be jumping on it. (It's normally $250.) Mark I'm not too flush myself, especially after christmas, but I went down to my local B&Q store ( the equivalent of your Home Depot I guess ? ) and bought a tub of paint that looked about right. I paid about $15 for it but got way too much. I'm now using it to paint a lot of flat surfaces for use with the stop motion models. They have a service whereby you can take a colour swab in and they will match it for you. I would be very surprised if Home Depot did not offer something similar. Might that be a useable option for you ? regards simon? Ps I just saw this. I'm sure there must be an equivalent in USA ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PhotoSEL-BK11CG-...=item27c4b86d50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildsided Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Hi lads, I've no experience with using paint as I use cloth based chroma screens but my research into the subject said that you needed special Chroma paint to make a green screen. The info I was reading said that standard paints don't work as well due to them looking like they're one flat color but actually containing lots of different shades. So when you try to key them out they don't key as one flat colour. I ended up buying the cloth screens because Chroma paint cost something like $70-$90 dollars a liter and there was no way I could afford that. Take some pics of the finished product though Simon and some screen grabs on the keying results if you can because I'd be interested in seeing how well standard paint works out. Anyway if you're interested I could tell you my experiences with Chroma keying, lighting etc although I'm sure there's a whole bunch of tutorials online and I'm by no means a pro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largento Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I haven't really ever made use of a green screen, but the temptation is there to have one that I can stow away and hide in a closet until the one day use it. A plus about the ChromaPop is that it looks like it doesn't wrinkle when it collapses, so the frame keeps it taut and line free. Of course, whatever route you go, you still have to buy lights and light it properly, which adds a whole other reason for me to stick to cgi. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted February 4, 2013 Hash Fellow Share Posted February 4, 2013 I went to home depot and brought back a bunch of blue green and red color chips to test out with the Color Difference keyer in After Effects. I'd put some little nick-nack on the chip and shoot it with the camera. There's quite a latitude that works although I was able to identify one of each that seemed to do best for its color. The kid's room palettes will have bright pure colors. Contrary to common practice, i found that blue got me cleaner mattes than green. One problem with our consumer cameras is that the color channels are highly compressed so sharp mattes are hard to get in any event. When i worked in a media studio we went to the trouble of getting official Chroma Key paint for our cyclorama but it is extraordinarily hard to light things indoors so that every square inch presents the exact same shade of color to the camera. It's impossible really. Outdoors where you can prop up a painted 4x8 foam panel gets a far more even result. Sunny or overcast both work well. Some original Star Wars color screen shots were done on sets built outdoors so they could illuminate the backdrops that way. Out doors would be impractical for stop motion work, however. If you do paint your backdrops, prime them with flat white first. The color paints are more of a dye than an opaque and they wont' cover up things like printing or logos on foam panels. Ace Hardware can match any color chip and mix a gallon of paint for under $20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Edmondson Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Hi lads, I've no experience with using paint as I use cloth based chroma screens but my research into the subject said that you needed special Chroma paint to make a green screen. The info I was reading said that standard paints don't work as well due to them looking like they're one flat color but actually containing lots of different shades. So when you try to key them out they don't key as one flat colour. I ended up buying the cloth screens because Chroma paint cost something like $70-$90 dollars a liter and there was no way I could afford that. Take some pics of the finished product though Simon and some screen grabs on the keying results if you can because I'd be interested in seeing how well standard paint works out. Anyway if you're interested I could tell you my experiences with Chroma keying, lighting etc although I'm sure there's a whole bunch of tutorials online and I'm by no means a pro Dan, Mark, Robert Thank you for your replies. I bought some fabric via Ebay last night (£5, about $8 ) in case the paint didn't work. I'm trying to anticipate the options needed for the stop frame set up, so any information is welcome. I only work on it at the weekends so progress is slow.I'm building a frame for the lights to hang above the space, and the idea presently, is to use reflective foil on small boards to bounce light back onto the set to try and get even, outdoor type, lighting. Don't know if it will work until a few weeks down the line. regards simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamikaze Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I'll chime in , I bought green screen cloth..suppose to be maid for GSing ..... , I made a PVC screen frame 6' by 9' I made it to where it folds up to 6x5 ... or can take it apart and roll up the cloth for stowage......Also , lighting is a major key for GS to work properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejobe Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 i have built my own green screen that's portable. would you guys like me to make a guide on how to make one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Edmondson Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 i have built my own green screen that's portable. would you guys like me to make a guide on how to make one? Jason Thank you very much for the offer. I'd be interested if you get the time and opportunity to do it. regards simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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