Overview Read through the Green Screen best practices and WeVideo overview to learn the basic understandings of using these tools.
Vocabulary Below are terms around green screen and video editing you might find helpful:
Green screen - noun: a generic term for any backdrop painted a bright color (usually blue or green) used to create a matte in video.
Choma key - noun: a method of removing a particular color (usually blue or green) from video.
Matte - noun: an element in a video that prevents another element (usually a blue or green screen) from being visible in the image, allowing a background element to be seen in its place.
Color keyer - noun: a device or software that removes a selected color from a video signal using a selected light and color value.
Video editing - verb: assembling video footage, audio, images, and graphics using video editing software to produce a video clip.
Timeline - noun: the element of video editing software on which video clips, audio, images, and graphics are assembled.
Clip - noun: any video footage, audio, graphic, or image that can be inserted onto a video editing timeline.
Stock footage - noun: pre-recorded video clips, audio, graphics, and images of various subjects produced by a third party that are made available for purchase or lease.
Render - noun: a computer-driven process of creating a video clip from a video edit timeline.
Setting Up and Using a Green Screen
Evaluate the need for a green screen.
Is a green screen needed to communicate the story of instruction?
If yes, is the action in the scene a still or moving image?
If you are using a still image, consider capturing the image without a green screen, then remove the background with a digital image editing tool.
Assign at least two people to set up the green screen.
Find a location in which the green screen can be set up.
Ensure that the green screen can be adequately lit.
If the camera framing is a wide-shot, make sure that some green screen material can be laid out on a clean floor.
Tie down the screen to the stands, and secure the stands, so they don't tip over.
Sandbags are good weights to use.
If shooting indoors, set lights to evenly illuminate the green screen.
Anything seen along the edges of the screen - background, stands, etc. - will need to be masked out.
Shoot and check the footage.
Remove camera equipment, lights, and other materials before disassembling the green screen.
Be careful not to let the screen fall to the ground to prevent getting dirty or damaged.
Roll up the screen and return to its carrying case.
Using the WeVideo online editing tool This first video will walk you through editing a video using a storyboard layout. It will help you become familiar with the WeVideo interface and workflow before diving into this next one.
This video demonstrates how to use the WeVideo advanced Timeline layout. Timeline layout provides total control of your edit.
Resources WeVideo provides a support page that provides insights, tips, and solutions for the WeVideo tool.