Green screens are often seen on movie sets or on news stations as anchors report the weather, but these screens are often used for photographers as well. The use of green screen serves many purposes for a photographer, and as long as proper lighting and a high quality camera is used, the green will work well. While initial pictures with the green screen may look unusual, the post production process shows how effective the screen really is.
Function
A green screen is used so that photographers can eliminate a background all together. Green screens are used along with blue screens, but blue screens may interfere with a person's eyes or clothes more than a green screen would. The green screen is always the object furthest in the background and serves as a temporary backdrop.
Post Production
When a green screen is used, it is most likely eliminated during post production. This seems like a waste of time and money, but the green screen actually makes the process a lot easier for photographers to eliminate and remove elements in a photo. For example, a photographer taking portraits can switch backgrounds to feature different colors and designs right over the green screen. This way, the photographer just needs to purchase one background screen instead of several.
Features
The use of green screen is typically reserved for professionals. The use is popular for photo shoots in magazines, newspapers and on the Internet. If a photographer wants to mix the cast of a television show together, he can take pictures of the complete cast separately and then mix them together easily by removing the green screen background.
Home Use
The use of green screens can be applied and used during home photography as well. Even if you do not want to purchase a green screen, you can use a solid colored sheet in order to achieve the same effect. Hang up a solid colored sheet and make it as flat as possible. Dress the figures in the photo in opposite colors of the sheet so they are not removed from the photo when the green screen is. Take the pictures and use an advanced photo program like Adobe Photoshop in order to eliminate the background of the photo and replace it with another.
Considerations
Green screen can only serve a helpful purpose if there is proper lighting. Improper lighting can cause undesired shadows and different shades on the green screen. This will make the green screen useless and the overall pictures will not be as a good as they could have been with proper lighting. A lighting kit should always be used instead of a flash that could reflect off of the green screen.
Tags: green screen, proper lighting, blue screens, colored sheet, eliminate background, green screen This, green screen used
