Thursday, October 1, 2009

Do Proper Lighting In Green Screen Photography

Those shadows could become a problem later.


In photography and videography, it is occasionally desirable to be able to edit the background of the imagery. For example, you may have a space-themed shoot, but of course you can't photograph in outer space; however, you can replace an earthbound background with a photo of planets and nebulae. A green screen placed behind your subject simplifies the job by limiting the replaceable portion to one color. Light the screen properly to ensure the coloring of the green screen is consistent -- and thus remains easy to replace.








Instructions


1. Place your subject several feet in front of the green screen, but not so far that the screen fails to fill the background of your frame. The idea is to separate the subject's lighting from the screen's lighting; green light bouncing off the screen won't "spill" onto the subject, and the subject won't cast shadows on the screen. Experiment with distances until you find what works for you.








2. Place your diffusion gels -- basically a plastic wrap that filters light -- over the front of your lighting fixture. Diffusion gels soften the light from the bulbs to eliminate hard shadows. Set up your lights so that their cast -- but not necessarily the fixtures themselves -- are between the subject and the green screen; in other words, the lights are facing the screen, but the subject is out of their way.


3. Set up the lighting for your subject. Lighting methods for photography subjects vary, but keep in mind that the subject's lighting cannot interfere with the green screen's lighting. If the subject is lit from the front, the lighting should not be at such an angle and brightness that a shadow is cast on the screen behind it.

Tags: green screen, your subject, green screen, Place your, screen lighting