How to Use the Chroma Key in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3
Adobe Premiere CS3 is a powerful video editing software tool for professional production applications. Adobe Premiere is the choice of professional video editors who work on Windows-based computer workstations. Premiere has a wide variety of video effects, including effects that allow "keying" or removing a portion of video shot using a solid color background. These backgrounds are frequently specific shades of green or blue referred to as green or blue screen. This tutorial will show you how to achieve the proper use of Premiere CS3's chroma key effect.
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Instructions
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1
Prepare the video scene you plan to use with the Premiere CS3 chroma key effect. Make sure the backdrop to be keyed is evenly lit and not too close to the subject. Position the backdrop to avoid shadows from the subject, or light from the backdrop to reflect back onto subject. Make sure the key backdrop fills the entire video frame.
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Select "File," then "Import" from the menu to import the video you want keyed into Adobe Premiere CS3.
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Import the video that will replace the key background using the same procedure in the last step.
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Place the video clip that will serve as the new background into the Video 1 track on the "Timeline Sequence" tab.
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Place the video clip with the colored background in Video 2 of the Timeline Sequence.
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Select the "Effects" tab next to the Project tab where your imported video clips are located. Click on the arrow next to the "Video Effects" folder to expand your folder selection. Likewise click the arrow next to the "Keying" folder and drag the "Chroma Key" effect onto the video clip containing the key backdrop on the Timeline sequence.
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Using the "Effects Control" tab in the center of the Premiere CS3 desktop, expand the Chroma Key effect controls by clicking on the arrow next to the effect.
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From the Chroma Key controls, select the eyedropper icon and place the icon over the color backdrop as viewed in the sequence monitor window in the upper right side of the Premiere desktop.
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Expand the controls for "Similarity" found beneath the "Color" eyedropper control icon used in the previous step. Adjust the slider toward the right until the backdrop color is replaced by the video you placed on the Video 1 track.
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Use the additional "Blend," "Threshold" and "Cutoff" controls to fine-tune the key effect, removing trace artifacts of the original backdrop color from the edges of your subject.
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Tips & Warnings
If you were unable to fill the video frame with your color backdrop or green screen, use Premiere's "Crop" effect to key out the remaining video not covered by the backdrop.
