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[trig009]

I am thinking of trying a green screen, using the frame from a camping tent to make it compact and transportable.

1: What material works for the best results? I figured something matte with no shine.

2: Do you think that green one side and blue the other would be better in case a costume had a majority of green in it?

3: Is there a program that would be better than photoshop to insert the backgrounds?

4: Would you use the normal lighting from the con or use 2 side fixtures to overpower the con lighting and get the screen to a consistent level for the program to recognize the screen?

any other advice or reading material about this would be great.

[TykeJack]

I don't use a green screen so take these suggestions with a grain of salt.

1. You do want something matte. I'm not sure what material would be best but anything shiny reflects light, causing the areas that are hit most with light to reflect the color of that light source and not the green of the material. Matte absorbs light, therefore you get a background color with less highlights on it.

2. Green and chroma blue are the most popular I've seen. They are colors that don't clash with human flesh and can be easily removed in lightroom without altering skin tones. Sometimes a neutral grey may work too which has the benefit of easy white balance.

3. Not sure, photoshop is plenty good enough.

4. Well, this is all a matter of ease. Ideally, you'd want to control your light on the model and on the background as well, so using 2 side fixtures would give you the most control and the best results. What's the point in doing all of this if you didn't want to get it as close to perfect as possible? I remove cosplayers from backgrounds all the time without using any equipment, but it means I have to spend a lot more time in post. Personally, if you're taking the time to make and carry around a green screen, then it's worth carrying the additional lighting to make it work.

[digikoomi]

to have blue and green is better. Since when you have green stuff on, you may need to use the blue instead of green screen.

[kayhettin]

I don't recommend using green screen, but if you have to you can make it with pcb pipe and green cloth fabric. Stretch it out tight over you pcb frame and youre good to go. But ideally I would use a dark grey backdrop and overlay and the background with a mask. Its much easier to blend grey tones than bright green.

[digikoomi]

Originally Posted by kayhettin

Its much easier to blend grey tones than bright green.

I agree, I think green screen is using for video. When you edit AE is much easier when you're using the green screen.

[acezeldaz]

Make sure that the green doesn't reflect back onto the person when you're shooting. Not even color decontamination can get it out.

[FlashBlitzen]

The fabric is a cotton I believe. Nothing shiny. Get model away from it so the green doesn't "spill" onto the model. try at least 6 ft from green screen. Try to light scree separately from model. Should be even lighting across screen.
Youtube search of green screen tutorial should bring up what you need to know.

[Suuki]

Why not just take pictures against your solid color wall and cut out your models using the magnetic pen tool on photoshop?
probably not a good suggestion. xD But some people are actually really good at the pen tool.

[FlashBlitzen]

Originally Posted by Suuki

Why not just take pictures against your solid color wall and cut out your models using the magnetic pen tool on photoshop?
probably not a good suggestion. xD But some people are actually really good at the pen tool.

Not a bad suggestion, I guess it really just depends on what your finished product requirements are and how many shots you have to work with. Green / blue screen may have some advantages in some cases. The down side is it's something additional to lug around .

[cosplaycalamity]

Green screens are useful for video because you can just apply a colour key (which removes any of the selected range of green). For photos though, Any solid colour will work since you're going to have to go in manually and touch up the edges on whatever kind of mask you use. The 'magic select' tool is the devil. Don't use it, or if you have to, don't use it without modifying your selection to feather at least one or two pixels, otherwise you'll end up with a really sharp edge.

If you're absolutely set on using a screen though, Flash Blitzen has the right of it: the screen and the model need to be lit separately, (to avoid a nasty green glow that's a pain to deal with) and the model should be a fair bit ahead of the screen. If they model is wearing shiny things, like a polished plastic armor or metal bracer/crown, then the green is going to show up there too. The photog probably will as well.

All in all, Try white, black or grey for still photography, that way the reflections and 'glow' won't be so awful.