Backdrops are the first step.....

You may remember the fact that I decided to start doing photography as a "well paying hobby" instead of just a hobby. I figure that I'll only get better with practice, so I built a backdrop out of pvc pipe and $1 fabric from walmart.

Here is a test shot of boy in said backdrop. I can't wait to do some more work with this. Unfortunately, he was tucking his toes under the fabric so this will have to stay in the "test shot" category unless I crop it.

1/100s@f/3.5

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Photoshoppers don’t need no stinking backdrop. Actually a green backdrop stretched tight so the color stays uniform can make creating an alpha channel mask much easier. With black, you see how the shorts blend in; it would just be guesswork to separate them.

Once you have a mask you can drop them into any backdrop you want, even add shadows and change hue to match their new surroundings.

With the green screen you can just choose any selection tool, right click on the image choose color range, then click on the green backdrop to create an alpha channel.

Dixie here has been everywhere, she’s even ridden a hoarse, an alligator and been miniaturized.

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I thought about getting a greenscreen but it didn't occur to me to make one. I know a few people who have them and they bought the heavy stiff backgrounds. Any chance you might post a picture of your setup? I'd like to see how you pull it tight and cover the floor....Did you use two pieces?

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KarmaGirl

Join Date 03/2001

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Green screens are a pain in the butt. The problem is lighting. Everything has to be so flat (no shadows) to come out right. Then, when placing the subject on a new background, the new background and subject need to have the same lighting, or it's obvious that it's a green screen capture.

You are on the right path. I started out the same way. This was my homemade background and "test" shot:

This is my first purchased backdrop:

This is the backdrop that I use more than any other one:

I would suggest concentrating on photography skills before photoshop. The "tricks" should come after you have a firm grasp on how to take a perfect picture without needing post editing in photoshop.

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I don’t have one now, the one I used to have I made using sheets of green foamcore.

If you’re going to artistically manipulate the image similar to what you did with your daughter in your other post (Those are some big beautiful peeps there by the way) then a green screen is the easiest way. If you’re just doing strait portraits, then more traditional backgrounds are the way to go.

If you know the background your going to use before you take the picture you can adjust the lighting to somewhat match, and then fine tune in photoshop.

I use masking mostly to improve a bad backdrop, and with a little work, even without a green screen, it can be completely convincing, it’s just a lot more work.

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