{"id":124255,"date":"2020-01-16T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=124255"},"modified":"2020-01-13T10:58:26","modified_gmt":"2020-01-13T16:58:26","slug":"blue-screen-vs-green-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/blue-screen-vs-green-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Screen Vs. Green Screen: Which One Do You Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re going to learn about the differences between utilizing a blue screen and a green screen for chroma key compositing.<\/h2>\n

Just as filmmaking and cameras have advanced over the years, so has the use of blue screens and green screens. But is there any real difference between using a blue screen vs. a green screen? The answer is yes, and you’ll find out why in this article. If you’re looking to implement a green screen (or a blue screen) in your next project, check out our guide to green screen<\/a> for every detail you need to know.<\/p>\n

Let’s start by defining chroma key compositing and looking at why we use blue or green in the first place. Then, we’ll look at factors to consider before you choose a screen color for your next project.<\/p>\n

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Defining Chroma Key<\/h3>\n

Chroma key compositing is the actual technique of layering two images together based on color hues. Every color has a chroma range, which is where the term chroma key comes from. The solid color background essentially acts like a matte for your footage. Later, in post-production, you can remove the solid color background to make it transparent, allowing for compositing.<\/p>\n

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Color Origins<\/h3>\n

Why do we use blue and green colored screens? Because they’re the colors furthest from human skin tones. If you look at a color wheel, notice that blue and green sit on the opposite side of where skin tones usually are.<\/p>\n

\"Color

Blue and green are furthest away from human skin tones, making them the most logical to use as background.<\/p><\/div>\n

With film, blue screens are used for a few reasons. First, the blue channel on film has the smallest grain, resulting in a cleaner matte along edges and a better quality image. Secondly, when the color blue is exposed onto black and white film using a blue light, the blue color shows up as bright white, which can be used with an optical printer to begin the compositing process. For more information about blue screens and the optical printing process, check out Mark Vargo’s fantastic article about working on the original Star Wars<\/em> films<\/a> and his Blue Screen 1980<\/a><\/em>\u00a0short film.<\/p>\n