<p>Here's what I used for my setup.</p>
<h2>Fabric/Material</h2>
<p>The main thing is to find a material that is very green. Walmart sells (at least in Maine) a very green cotton fabric that works well ($9 for 3 yards).</p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/e9MXy.png" alt="enter image description here" /></p>
<p>I've tried materials that are a lighter green, but without success. One thing you have to watch out for is large wrinkles, which will quickly ruin the key. Also, since this fabric is typically not very wide, you don't have a lot of room to move around unless you figure out a way to combine multiple pieces. Finally, you'll probably want to hem the edges so they don't unravel.</p>
<h2>Lighting</h2>
<p>You want to light the screen evenly, which probably means some sort of defused light. I used a desk lamp with some sheer fabric in front of it, and tried to center the screen underneath the overhead light that was in the room. You want to be far enough away from the screen so you're not casting a shadow (unless you're compositing it in a way that you want a shadow, if you were adding a nearby wall for example).</p>
<h2>Encoding</h2>
<p>Most places around the internet will discourage using DSLR, or anything with a highly compressed encoding format for chromakey. That's because they often use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling#Types_of_subsampling" rel="noreferrer">4:2:0 encoding</a>, which means there's less color information to pull your <em>chroma</em>key from.</p>
<p>While it's less than ideal, however, it is <em>possible</em>. I was surprised how usable the footage from my Canon t3i DSLR (h.264 encoding) was. There are some very good tips on <a href="http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/280/5092" rel="noreferrer">this thread on Creative Cow</a> on what settings to use when you have a less than ideal encoding situation (low ISO, etc).</p>
<h2>Software</h2>
<p><strong>Mac</strong> - I've used both <a href="http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/" rel="noreferrer">Final Cut Pro X</a> ($299) and <a href="http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/motion/" rel="noreferrer">Motion 5</a> ($49) for pulling the key, but I'd recommend Motion. The chroma key filter has more advanced options for tweaking the key (spill suppression, etc) as well as a &quot;light wrap&quot; feature that seems to help with color correction on the actor after compositing.</p>
<p><strong>Linux or Windows</strong> - I recommend the <a href="http://www.blender.org/" rel="noreferrer">Blender</a> (free) node based <a href="http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Tutorials/Composite_Nodes/Types/Matte/ChromaKeying" rel="noreferrer">compositing features</a>. Although I haven't used them with my latest green screen, they were the best solution I could find before I got Motion. They are more complicated, however, as Blender isn't primarily a compositing tool, and you have to wait for rendering.</p>
<p>Here's a <a href="http://vimeo.com/25904523" rel="noreferrer">test I did using this setup</a> (cotton screen, defused lamp, DSLR, and Motion) over about 4 hours. Hopefully I'll be able to get even better results with more practice and some lighting improvements.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T00:45:49.983Z
2011-07-07T00:09:06.633Z
2020-06-17T09:53:03.607Z
Alex King
<p>Me and my friend made one for a video project. </p>

<p>What we did is took a white bed sheet and just painted it with basic green paint. It becomes a stiff starched fabric texture, which works well for hanging it on a wall. To light it, We used just work lights (3 100watt bulbs + unknown wattage) to light it. The lights we used were like this:
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7fBfQ.jpg" alt="A Light"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/v7dQo.jpg" alt="enter image description here">
We just had to play around with the positioning until there were no dark shadows (omni- directional light)</p>

<p>We used two DSLRs (Nikon d90 and 3100), we encoded the footage into uncompressed h.264 and went right into final cut. With a little tweaking, we were able to almost completely key out the green screen. We used Final Cut Pro 7, but all major softwares have Chroma key. You just have to play around with it. The same green screen worked well in Premier Pro CS5 as well</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T01:13:51.457Z
BTW, total cost was $30. And that was for the paint.
Colum
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T14:38:08.390Z
"uncompressed h.264" ;)
Dave
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T00:28:40.997Z
2011-07-06T00:28:40.997Z
Colum
<p>There are a zillion greenscreen tutorials on YouTube. The basics are simple.</p>

<p>1.Pure green paint or fabric.</p>

<p>2.Even lighting on the green, good lighting technique on the subject. Avoid spills and shadows.</p>

<p>3.Use the highest quality camera, lenses and compression you have available -- but don't freak out unless you're using a lot of translucent objects like smoke or water.</p>

<p>4.You often need to try more than one keying product to find the best for your situation. I primarily use Spectramatte and Keylight. There are many others. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-05T04:46:12.337Z
2015-01-05T04:46:12.337Z
leaveswater02
<p>This won't be a full answer to your question, but <a href="http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/" rel="nofollow">LearningDSLRVideo</a> has a few clips about DIY greenscreen--more from a shooting/software standpoint, than the physical setup standpoint, though.</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/key-green-screen-premiere/" rel="nofollow">How to Key DSLR Green Screen</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/t2i-550d-green-screen/" rel="nofollow">DSLR Green Screen Test</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/dslr-video-green-screen/" rel="nofollow">DSLR Green Screen Test with Premiere CS5</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T00:40:26.870Z
2011-07-06T00:40:26.870Z
Flimzy
<p>I've reflecmedia chromakey with good results using a DSLR for both stills and video, producing great easy to key files.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.reflecmedia.com/video/products/chromaflex/index.htm" rel="nofollow">Reflecmedia Pop up screen</a></p>

<p>We plan to use this as part of our <a href="http://unitedbyphotography.com/ubp/209/dslr-video-green-screen-production-courses/" rel="nofollow">DSLR HD Video DIY Greenscreen Training course</a> at United By Photography.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-11T05:04:46.853Z
I've heard of them, that's really cool technology. have you been able to find any configuration of their products that are under the $1k mark? (it seems like you need both the lighting ring plus the fabric)
Alex King
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-10-07T16:02:46.347Z
I've used one of these (different company) on several occasions... truly the easiest and fastest way to get clean footage!
glenneroo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-10T20:27:07.463Z
2011-07-10T20:27:07.463Z
james
<p>I've heard green table clothes from a dollar store work very well. You can stack them to make them more opaque if you like, and the lighting is more important than the material anyway.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-07T16:24:12.397Z
I've edited your earlier comment into your answer. You can improve answers like this (actually, anyone with enough rep can!) using the "edit" link above. I've deleted our comments since they no longer are relevant, but please feel free to edit the answer if you have any improvements (more information, better wording, anything like that). Thanks!
Warrior Bob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T13:14:47.557Z
2011-07-07T15:54:11.393Z
2011-07-07T15:54:11.393Z
Dave
<p>For a green screen, you can use a green or blue polyurethane film, which is stretched on a frame of metal rods. The film can be found in the Home Depot.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-16T23:07:17.437Z
Welcome! The specular reflections from the plastic don't cause problems with getting a clean key? Or is the film matte enough that minor imperfections don't cause a problem?
Michael Liebman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-16T15:04:14.307Z
2020-03-16T15:04:14.307Z
Jordan Olex
<blockquote>
  <p>What sorts of fabric/material give good results? Both general tips and specific examples/links are helpful.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Great Resources for tips on lighting and materials:
<a href="http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/alindsay/story/greenscreen_primer_part_1/">http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/alindsay/story/greenscreen_primer_part_1/</a>
<a href="http://rebelsguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2432">http://rebelsguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2432</a></p>

<p>Underexposure (not lighting enough) is your biggest enemy, followed closely by uneven falloff across the screen.  Always keep your talent/target a good distance from the screen.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Is it possible to light it adequately without a full lighting kit?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Not easily, but don't dismay, it always takes a skilled hand to get greenscreen lit well, so in many cases, even <strong>with</strong> a full lighting kit, results will be sub-par.  It's a tough thing to get right, because lighting needs vary a lot depending on your shooting situation.  Your best bet for getting good, even light, is to have an on-set monitor setup (such as a computer with OnLocation), and test, test, test, before you start shooting.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What sort of encoding is recommended when filming it? (i.e. is it possible to use a DSLR with h.264?)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Great question.  This is showing that you've done enough research already to be aware of the issues.  "Possible" isn't the word I'd use to describe your capture options, because it's more of a spectrum from good idea, to difficult to work with, almost entirely because of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling">chroma subsampling</a></p>

<p>Difficult: DSLR on-camera recording, consumer capture codecs (AVCHD, HDV, all of which probably will be 4:2:0)</p>

<p>Better: Output to an HDMI recorder at 4:2:2</p>

<p>Good idea: Uncompressed S-Log 4:4:4 (from something like an F3)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What software would you recommend for post processing the key? Does some work better with homebrewed screens than others? </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Some ordinary options are KeyLight (in Premiere and After Effects) and Primatte (which is a real pleasure to use).  Keying tools won't care <strong>how</strong> you created the screen, just how well it was exposed, and how much color separation there is between subject and background.</p>

<p>Finally, a more-radical-than-it-should-be thing to consider is using a neutral gray background instead of green or blue, and relying on a combination of luma keying and roto.  One bad example I've always remembered was about the keying in Forrest Gump. Stu Maschwitz once explained the effects artists had to roto every single frame to take care of green spill and edges.  Their lives would've been easier if they'd just gone with a neutral gray.  </p>

<p>Green does not equal magic movie effects, it's just one of many options.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-16T18:16:37.930Z
Note from the future: this answer hasn't aged well.  OnLocation no longer exists, compressed RAW is now more viable than it was in 2011, with .braw, R3D, and proRes RAW now being options (uncompressed 444 was at one time the only RAW available from Sony cameras.). Also, using a grey background to luma key was probably always bad advice.  A better idea is to first get the talent as far from the screen as you can to reduce spill.  After that, use magenta bounce on set to kill spill as much as possible, IRL.  Use vectorscopes and waveform monitors to evenly light screen and tune spill supression.
Jason Conrad
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-07T18:41:53.417Z
2011-07-07T22:04:52.507Z
2011-07-07T22:04:52.507Z
Clint Torres
<p>What are some good resources for people attempting to setup their own green/blue screen, light, record and pull a quality key from it? Particularly on a low budget, or with materials that aren't specifically designed for that purpose. Such as,   </p>

<ul>
<li>What sorts of fabric/material give good results? Both general tips and specific examples/links are helpful.</li>
<li>Is it possible to light it adequately without a full lighting kit?</li>
<li>What sort of encoding is recommended when filming it? (i.e. is it possible to use a DSLR with h.264?)</li>
<li>What software would you recommend for post processing the key? Does some work better with homebrewed screens than others? </li>
<li>If you have one, post an example of the results you were able to achieve with your suggestions. </li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T01:11:51.240Z
You should ask for examples - I've (helped) set up too many green screens with *huuuugely* varying levels of success. If I were you, I'd be curious to see how the keyed results look.
glenneroo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-06T11:21:34.750Z
I find this really interesting - but use linux. - so for all the people answering this question - what linux software could you use?
Andreas
<diy><shooting><greenscreen><chromakey>
Create a DIY Green Screen / Chroma Key
Alex King
# Create a DIY Green Screen / Chroma Key

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-07-06)

What are some good resources for people attempting to setup their own green/blue screen, light, record and pull a quality key from it? Particularly on a low budget, or with materials that aren't specifically designed for that purpose. Such as,

* What sorts of fabric/material give good results? Both general tips and specific examples/links are helpful.
* Is it possible to light it adequately without a full lighting kit?
* What sort of encoding is recommended when filming it? (i.e. is it possible to use a DSLR with h.264?)
* What software would you recommend for post processing the key? Does some work better with homebrewed screens than others?
* If you have one, post an example of the results you were able to achieve with your suggestions.

**Tags:** diy, shooting, greenscreen, chromakey

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You should ask for examples - I've (helped) set up too many green screens with *huuuugely* varying levels of success. If I were you, I'd be curious to see how the keyed results look.  
> **username_2**: I find this really interesting - but use linux. - so for all the people answering this question - what linux software could you use?  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_11 on 2011-07-07. Score: 19 | Accepted answer

> What sorts of fabric/material give good results? Both general tips and specific examples/links are helpful.

Great Resources for tips on lighting and materials:
<http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/alindsay/story/greenscreen_primer_part_1/>
<http://rebelsguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2432>

Underexposure (not lighting enough) is your biggest enemy, followed closely by uneven falloff across the screen. Always keep your talent/target a good distance from the screen.

> Is it possible to light it adequately without a full lighting kit?

Not easily, but don't dismay, it always takes a skilled hand to get greenscreen lit well, so in many cases, even **with** a full lighting kit, results will be sub-par. It's a tough thing to get right, because lighting needs vary a lot depending on your shooting situation. Your best bet for getting good, even light, is to have an on-set monitor setup (such as a computer with OnLocation), and test, test, test, before you start shooting.

> What sort of encoding is recommended when filming it? (i.e. is it possible to use a DSLR with h.264?)

Great question. This is showing that you've done enough research already to be aware of the issues. "Possible" isn't the word I'd use to describe your capture options, because it's more of a spectrum from good idea, to difficult to work with, almost entirely because of [chroma subsampling](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling)

Difficult: DSLR on-camera recording, consumer capture codecs (AVCHD, HDV, all of which probably will be 4:2:0)

Better: Output to an HDMI recorder at 4:2:2

Good idea: Uncompressed S-Log 4:4:4 (from something like an F3)

> What software would you recommend for post processing the key? Does some work better with homebrewed screens than others?

Some ordinary options are KeyLight (in Premiere and After Effects) and Primatte (which is a real pleasure to use). Keying tools won't care **how** you created the screen, just how well it was exposed, and how much color separation there is between subject and background.

Finally, a more-radical-than-it-should-be thing to consider is using a neutral gray background instead of green or blue, and relying on a combination of luma keying and roto. One bad example I've always remembered was about the keying in Forrest Gump. Stu Maschwitz once explained the effects artists had to roto every single frame to take care of green spill and edges. Their lives would've been easier if they'd just gone with a neutral gray.

Green does not equal magic movie effects, it's just one of many options.

> **Comments:**
> **username_12**: Note from the future: this answer hasn't aged well.  OnLocation no longer exists, compressed RAW is now more viable than it was in 2011, with .braw, R3D, and proRes RAW now being options (uncompressed 444 was at one time the only RAW available from Sony cameras.). Also, using a grey background to luma key was probably always bad advice.  A better idea is to first get the talent as far from the screen as you can to reduce spill.  After that, use magenta bounce on set to kill spill as much as possible, IRL.  Use vectorscopes and waveform monitors to evenly light screen and tune spill supression.  

---

### Answer by username_0 on 2011-07-06. Score: 15

Here's what I used for my setup.

## Fabric/Material

The main thing is to find a material that is very green. Walmart sells (at least in Maine) a very green cotton fabric that works well ($9 for 3 yards).

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/e9MXy.png)

I've tried materials that are a lighter green, but without success. One thing you have to watch out for is large wrinkles, which will quickly ruin the key. Also, since this fabric is typically not very wide, you don't have a lot of room to move around unless you figure out a way to combine multiple pieces. Finally, you'll probably want to hem the edges so they don't unravel.

## Lighting

You want to light the screen evenly, which probably means some sort of defused light. I used a desk lamp with some sheer fabric in front of it, and tried to center the screen underneath the overhead light that was in the room. You want to be far enough away from the screen so you're not casting a shadow (unless you're compositing it in a way that you want a shadow, if you were adding a nearby wall for example).

## Encoding

Most places around the internet will discourage using DSLR, or anything with a highly compressed encoding format for chromakey. That's because they often use [4:2:0 encoding](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling#Types_of_subsampling), which means there's less color information to pull your *chroma*key from.

While it's less than ideal, however, it is *possible*. I was surprised how usable the footage from my Canon t3i DSLR (h.264 encoding) was. There are some very good tips on [this thread on Creative Cow](http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/280/5092) on what settings to use when you have a less than ideal encoding situation (low ISO, etc).

## Software

**Mac** - I've used both [Final Cut Pro X](http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/) ($299) and [Motion 5](http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/motion/) ($49) for pulling the key, but I'd recommend Motion. The chroma key filter has more advanced options for tweaking the key (spill suppression, etc) as well as a "light wrap" feature that seems to help with color correction on the actor after compositing.

**Linux or Windows** - I recommend the [Blender](http://www.blender.org/) (free) node based [compositing features](http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Tutorials/Composite_Nodes/Types/Matte/ChromaKeying). Although I haven't used them with my latest green screen, they were the best solution I could find before I got Motion. They are more complicated, however, as Blender isn't primarily a compositing tool, and you have to wait for rendering.

Here's a [test I did using this setup](http://vimeo.com/25904523) (cotton screen, defused lamp, DSLR, and Motion) over about 4 hours. Hopefully I'll be able to get even better results with more practice and some lighting improvements.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2011-07-06. Score: 6

Me and my friend made one for a video project.

What we did is took a white bed sheet and just painted it with basic green paint. It becomes a stiff starched fabric texture, which works well for hanging it on a wall. To light it, We used just work lights (3 100watt bulbs + unknown wattage) to light it. The lights we used were like this:
![A Light](https://i.sstatic.net/7fBfQ.jpg)![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/v7dQo.jpg)
We just had to play around with the positioning until there were no dark shadows (omni- directional light)

We used two DSLRs (Nikon d90 and 3100), we encoded the footage into uncompressed h.264 and went right into final cut. With a little tweaking, we were able to almost completely key out the green screen. We used Final Cut Pro 7, but all major softwares have Chroma key. You just have to play around with it. The same green screen worked well in Premier Pro CS5 as well

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: BTW, total cost was $30. And that was for the paint.  
> **username_4**: "uncompressed h.264" ;)  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-01-05. Score: 5

There are a zillion greenscreen tutorials on YouTube. The basics are simple.

1.Pure green paint or fabric.

2.Even lighting on the green, good lighting technique on the subject. Avoid spills and shadows.

3.Use the highest quality camera, lenses and compression you have available -- but don't freak out unless you're using a lot of translucent objects like smoke or water.

4.You often need to try more than one keying product to find the best for your situation. I primarily use Spectramatte and Keylight. There are many others.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2011-07-06. Score: 4

This won't be a full answer to your question, but [LearningDSLRVideo](http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/) has a few clips about DIY greenscreen--more from a shooting/software standpoint, than the physical setup standpoint, though.

* [How to Key DSLR Green Screen](http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/key-green-screen-premiere/)
* [DSLR Green Screen Test](http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/t2i-550d-green-screen/)
* [DSLR Green Screen Test with Premiere CS5](http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/dslr-video-green-screen/)


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2011-07-10. Score: 4

I've reflecmedia chromakey with good results using a DSLR for both stills and video, producing great easy to key files.

[Reflecmedia Pop up screen](http://www.reflecmedia.com/video/products/chromaflex/index.htm)

We plan to use this as part of our [DSLR HD Video DIY Greenscreen Training course](http://unitedbyphotography.com/ubp/209/dslr-video-green-screen-production-courses/) at United By Photography.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I've heard of them, that's really cool technology. have you been able to find any configuration of their products that are under the $1k mark? (it seems like you need both the lighting ring plus the fabric)  
> **username_1**: I've used one of these (different company) on several occasions... truly the easiest and fastest way to get clean footage!  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2011-07-06. Score: 2

I've heard green table clothes from a dollar store work very well. You can stack them to make them more opaque if you like, and the lighting is more important than the material anyway.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: I've edited your earlier comment into your answer. You can improve answers like this (actually, anyone with enough rep can!) using the "edit" link above. I've deleted our comments since they no longer are relevant, but please feel free to edit the answer if you have any improvements (more information, better wording, anything like that). Thanks!  

---

### Answer by username_9 on 2020-03-16. Score: 0

For a green screen, you can use a green or blue polyurethane film, which is stretched on a frame of metal rods. The film can be found in the Home Depot.

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: Welcome! The specular reflections from the plastic don't cause problems with getting a clean key? Or is the film matte enough that minor imperfections don't cause a problem?  

---

