How can I use a navy background for chroma key?

Question

here's a clip from the video. i want to put a pic in the background, but i'm having difficulty with the navy color. is it possible? any help please??
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/squints999/chroma.jpg

Answer 1

Yes, it's possible - you can select any color background for chroma key (usually green so as not to conflict with wardrobe, eye color, etc.) Here's a link to a helpful tutorial.
http://www.lafcpug.org/chroma_key_part_2.html

Answer 2

Keys to getting great chroma keys:

1. Smooth background
2. Even lighting
3. Color that stands out from foreground

In your case, unfortunately, you have none, no offense. The background is wrinkled. The lighting, while it looks even to the average viewer, isn't great for chroma keying. And probably the color is the main culprit here. Although the two most common key colors are green and blue, navy doesnt work well because it is too close to black, and in many places in the picture, it is. So the computer would take out your background AND your subject's eyes, mouth, and shadows around neck.

If you have a chance, reshoot the video following the above guidelines. This website has pictures of blue and green screens:

http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/chromkeyfab.html

but they don't have to look exactly like that. Just remember, any color that doesnt occur in your subject is fine, although colors do look different on video. However, try to stick with blue or green, as they still work better than anything else most of the time.

If you can't reshoot your video, then try applying several chroma keys. However, this may take parts of your subject as well. If nothing else works, make an animated mask. However, these are extremely tedious to make, and although might save you time over frame by frame in the long run, youll probably be better off making a filmstrip or image sequence and going into photoshop and doing your background frame by frame, in the worst case scenario. However, this also depends on how long your clip is.

So the bottom line is, if you messed up and cant reshoot, theres really no easy fix. I think the easiest way you could do it is apply the key and adjust it, and then if edges are showing, maybe apply a garbage matte to cover it up. I dunno. I hope this helped in some way.