Hey Ken -
enjoyed your video - so how about showing us some of the results of all that hard work?

Hey it's as if, somebody asked! Sure thing, I shot this at the same time I filmed that step by step:

http://www.DaytradingUniversity.com/daytradingjuly2004.wmv

hot off the vegas/ultra this afternoon, 6 mins/20megs..

diffusers didn't come w/the lights I used, so it's just that they won't fit on, wont' snap, likely I'll tape em or something one o these days..

Ken

thanks for sharing your workspace and end results with us - very cool.

But....uh, Ken? Easy on the eyes? ....You may need to get out more....(psst - they're just mannequins...)

Just kidding!! thanks again.

That's a pretty clean key- the only thing that I found that was a bit off was the coloring. The blacks almost have a purple hue to them and aren't pure black. There's an area behind you (part of the keyed background) that shows a dark black- you should try and add a color corrector and/or color curves adjustment to better match your highlights and shadows to the background.

Thanks for the info- though I've never done any chroma keying has always been intriguing to me.

Ken,
looks pretty good setup.
Few comments, I hope you're using HF ballasts in the fluoro lights, didn't notice any flicker so I guess whatever you're using is workinkg OK for you. Also the tubes, I know you said they're daylight, if you can get something like the Osram Lumilux daylight tubes with a RI of >95 will give you better color rendition. They may be too good for video, you can also get Studioline tubes, slightly lower RI but more than adequate for video as the WB will take care of it, the really good ones give slightly less light output to achieve the better color rendition, really for still photography and art galleries.

If you want to get a little more light out of the fittings glue some Lee 273 Silver Reflector onto the reflectors, we use contact glue in a spary can to hold it on.

Bob.

Ken! Excellent .. my type of "fix" .. so easy with the green key .. loved the wall fittings . . . One thing I didn't totally grasped was, do you "aim" the side flouros to light the key? I understand that lighting the key .. is well the key to better CK-ing in general? I'd liked to have seen the, talent, one of your ladies in the postion to film .. yeah? Do you have the flouros pointing behind .. ? Or are they being split by the talent standing there and also falling back onto the key? . . Could this produce the "purple" edging?

Loved it . . thanks for sharing . . .

Grazie

Hey thanks all, superb ideas.... I'm new to video... well, I've made some (low quality) commercial vhs tapes before, but not familiar with all the professional tools & lighting how-to's... learning it...

-dmcnight - lol, agree I need to get out more... see that's what 4 straight years in front of the pcs does to one.. (and Yes I liked the movie "mannequin" too, very good!)

-thx GmElliot re coloring, will do w/color corrector .. .I'm getting the new DV Rack studio from seriousmagic.com when it's released in a couple of weeks, should help w/realtime color correction/monitoring..

-farss, right - using electronic ballasts and 5K spectrum flouros... thx for the tips re other tubes, will check them out too, eg osrams and studiolines, appreciate it.. will add re silver reflector, good idea..

-Grazie, yes the rearmost flouro is aimed to light the key, the 2nd standing flouro is to light me/the talent while speaking, so a double-layer (in addition to light from above).. good idea re mannequins may cause some color spill, I'll remember to move them further away from key next time..

A positive is, I'm getting "much improved" email feedback from my traders (I've got over 5,000 on my email list) about this latest video, already... so thanks to all (and especially, thanks again, to Spot, to Jodie at SM, and to Bill Myers at bmyers.com) for all the tips on making great video!

Appreciate your all's ideas, it's a big help!

Ken

Are your models high maintainance?

AJP

Fortunately, no (unlike my first 2 wives lol) ... and they're quiet . Silent in fact.

The single best quality about any female form. Completely argument-free & no-cost. (Don't tell that to my current 3rd www.kencalhoun.com/wife.jpg though or she'll fuss at me lol).

My first two wives, met in nightclubs... long legs... expensive, high maintenance and argued/talked too much. But hey they were fun though.

Ken

Er .. read carefully here .. ."Fortunately, no (unlike my first 2 wives lol) ... and they're quiet . Silent in fact. " . . Anybody NOTICE anything ..

How many mannequins?

How many wives?

Coincidnece ? I Think not?!?!?

Grazie

ps .. Anybody here seen those wives lately?

<wink>

Ken, it seems that we all been there! Very nice wedding picture! She's must really be special tobe willing to leave the big island to move inland! About the talking to much, that's we invented cell phones, ... I had my programmed to routed to computerized "Hazel", basicly, talking back, ie, " yes,dear", "you're still beautiful, you'll get the part..", etc... It worked great until my sec. disable the system!

AJP

Grazie, your right! I think we saw them in the video. Ken, share in the Magic, did ULTA have an extra effect feature?

AJP

Ken,

Thanks again for sharing the Ultra footage. Looks good. My comment from the last time you posted something still stands. You look a little hazy compared to the darker, richer higher contrast of the Ultra virtual set. It makes it look like a fake shot. I don't know if this is a color balance issue or is just the levels or curves. Or if you need to play with the Ultra settings to adjust your image to have a bit more contrast.

I blew my speakers so I didn't get to listen to either the Stepford Wives chromakey tour or your latest daytrading tips but at a glance you look much more poised on camera. Good job.

-Tom

rofl Grazie... actually my first 2 wives didn't look anything like the new dummies downstairs :p

I liked my 1984 Nissan 300zx because it talked w/female voice... I just bought a terrific "Xenon" pinball w/voice too..

True apit... she supported the move since bigger house here + better schools for our 4 yr old daughter..

Thx Tom, appreciate it... gaining practice here.... I don't know anything about color balancing, so hopefully I'll learn, I just pre-ordered SM's DV Rack, so that should help, plus I'll get a monitor/laptop down in the studio too..

Ken