Miete Greenscreens

What is a greenscreen and how to use it in my video?

What's in a name? A green screen is a green backdrop or a green cloth that you can use to display your own images in the background of a video, done in the step of post-processing of your video. It works like this: first a video is recorded of a subject or a person standing before a green background. Then video editing software such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut will change the green background to an image of your choice. This function is called 'Chroma Key'. This way you can magically 'position' the person in the recording on a tropical island, the Eiffel Tower or anywhere else. Less fancy purposes, but more practical, are showing a video or images such as a graph or table are shown while the presenter explains this; also called an explainer video.

Chroma key as technique

If you take photos or recordings and you want to change or remove the background, you need a green screen. How does such a screen work? This special screen (sometimes it's not green but another color such as a blue screen) uses the chroma key which is the color value key. Chroma key is a technique that was initially used in the movie industry. How do you apply this technique in your project? You first have to photograph or film an object or person against a green or blue background. You can then make the background transparent in digital post-processing with color filters and software. This allows you to add a new background or omit it entirely, depending on what suits your specific video production best.

Please note: to properly apply chromakey, the color of your green screen should not appear in the rest of your frame (e.g. clothing or else). Otherwise those parts of your frame will also be replaced when applying chroma key. In addition, you must also ensure that the shadows are as minimal as possible. These conditions are exactly why greenscreens as the name suggests are bright green of colour. Typically, this color is very rare in clothing, hair, or skin tones. As mentioned, there are also blue screens on the market that you can use for chroma key.

Choose from various greenscreens

Since you can use chroma key for various purposes, there are also various greenscreens available on the market. What's the best option for your project? First, you can look at the material of the screen. If you want a background roll for chroma key, you can choose from paper, fabric and vinyl as material. Each variant has its own pros and cons. With a paper background roll you can always tear off a part, for example if it has become dirty and unusable. A green screen made of fabric can be washed, but it gets wrinkled faster, which may result in unwanted shadow spots that make the chroma key work less well. Finally, there are vinyl background rolls that are virtually wrinkle-free and you can wash them off with a wet cloth.

In addition to the material of your green screen, also bear in mind what you intend to use it for. Do you shoot on location a lot and do you need to set up your green screen quickly and easily? Then a collapsible variant is the best option. You usually rent these portable screens including the accompanying tripods and mounts. A final aspect to pay attention to is the size. Keep in mind the width and height of the green screen and plan in advance what the ideal format is for your creative project or job. This will prevent you from discovering on location that the size of the rented screen is not so right.

Rent green screens on Gearbooker

Would you like to work with chroma key, but don't feel like buying your own greenscreen? Then rent it! Are you going to rent your green screen via Gearbooker? You will be renting from other creative people. Gearbooker is a platform for creators where everyone can offer their own gear for rent. Getting enthusiastic and do you want to rent a green screen on Gearbooker? Take a quick look at our current offer and select a rental provider nearby to rent from.