Now, click on the Output tab on the bottom half of the interface and make sure Output is set to 16:9. Click on the Keyer tab, and you will see all the keyer controls. Make sure the clean plate (just greenscreen, no subject) is displayed in the input window, and click on the Set Key button. This will automatically set the key parameters.
Now, scroll through the video to see the results, looking carefully for any problem areas. In most cases, the Auto Set function will do a pretty good job if you have a good clean plate and the backing is evenly lit. You may need to watch out for areas with green spill that still needs removal. If you have some, increase the Spill Suppression control until it is mostly eliminated.
Now, make sure that the Input file fills the Comp window, or output screen, because what you see here will be what you get. Widescreen files will often show by default with blank space above and below. If the source video does not properly fill the comp window, click on the Input tab and click Scale To Fit. Or for more control, you can click on the Scene tab and use the Size in Scene control.
In the Output tab, set the desired compression and output file name. Choose the Flicker Fixer if the file has tiny lines that may cause flicker (interlace twitter). Click on Save Output. The file will render and save to your selected location.
Now, that was pretty easy; and that’s the part that’s advertised as being foolproof simple. However, what if your footage does not have a nice clean plate? And what if you want to use a nifty virtual set with a bit of a camera dolly and zoom? It’s still not terribly hard, but it’s not as easy as the point-and-click Auto Set function. So let’s try a file that not only has no clean plate but has garbage around the edges. Since ULTRA CS3 can work with HDV files, we’ll use a 720p file shot on a Panasonic HD100.
Start a new 16:9 project and open ORNG_BLU.mov as the input source. Now go to the Virtual Sets tab and open “Studio 7>CAM1 Screen On (WIDE)” as virtual set.
(This is available as a sample under “MSL1 samples.” It will render with a watermark but you’ll be able to try it out.) You’ll probably find that the output window will reset to 4:3, so go to the Output tab and reset it to 16:9.
This virtual set has a Video B window, a screen visible on the set. Open a video file (anything you want) for Video B and it will appear on the screen in the set.
Now, we need to eliminate the garbage from the sides of the input clip. Under the Input Clip window, select the Mask Out An Area tool, and paint out what you don’t want. If you make a mistake, use the Undo Key Masking tool. You can also create a basic crop by going to the Input tab and use the Input Cropping controls to crop out everything that’s not clean bluescreen.
Initially, the virtual set will not fill the comp window properly. Click on the Pan & Zoom tab. Here you will find the controls to set motion keyframes for the file. Set at least two points, one at the beginning and one at the end of the file. With the first point (keyframe) selected, set the Pan & Zoom controls for the starting point. The Pan & Zoom controls affect all files in the comp window. With the end point (keyframe) selected, set the end of the zoom for the scene.
Next, we have to properly position the girl in the frame. To set the initial position and size of the foreground footage in the comp window, go to the Scene tab and use the Size in Scene and the Position in Scene controls. Scroll through the scene and adjust foreground Position & Zoom until you’re happy. It’s entirely up to your eye and judgment to create a realistic-appearing relationship between the foreground subject and the room.
