Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 6/9/2005, 11:46 AM
Well, here are the basics. The rest is up to you:

1) Shoot someone standing in front of a blue (or some other flat-colored) background. Put this clip on video layer 2.

2) Shoot background. Put this clip on layer 1.

3) Apply the chromakey effect to the clip on layer 2, click on the eyedropper in the effect control palette and then click the eyedropper on the blue background of the clip on layer 2. Everything that color will instantly become transparent, revealing layer 1. You can tweak the color range until you get the transparency where you want it.

Note, of course, that if the color you've selected as your "key" is anywhere in your foreground image on layer 2, that color will also become transparent. That's why background screens are usually a bright blue or green and your TV weatherman never wears a blue suit when he's standing in front of his blue screen.
Chienworks wrote on 6/9/2005, 1:39 PM
Just curious, but shouldn't the background be on a lower track than the foreground? In other words, put the background on the video track and the green-screened clip on the overlay track.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 6/9/2005, 2:37 PM
Isn't that what I recommended, Chien? Layer 2 is above layer 1, right?

Otherwise, what you said.
Chienworks wrote on 6/9/2005, 5:37 PM
Hmmmm. I wouldn't have thought so. Certainly in the full version of Vegas the tracks are numbered from the top down. In Vegas Movie Studio i would have named the video track #3 because it's on the bottom.

Usually the thinking goes that you look down on the stack from above. The top track is what you see first, with the 2nd track behind it, and the bottom track behind that.
gaga wrote on 6/9/2005, 7:08 PM
well thanks guys if one way does't work then the other way should so either way thanks a bunch i shall try to practice this technique over the weekend.
jsg
Steve Grisetti wrote on 6/16/2005, 11:10 AM
Apologies, Chienworks. You are absolutely right! Sony does number its tracks from top to bottom.

A strange convention though as most higher end programs would number from bottom to top since you would continue to add layers as needed to the top.

But no matter. The point is we were thinking on the same track, semantics be damned. ;)
Chienworks wrote on 6/16/2005, 12:44 PM
Exactly! :)