The one obstacle I hear more than any other about doing greenscreen is that there’s no room to set it up. I once did a quick tutorial about this. And I’m happy to say it’s changed the lives of 36,000 people! (According to YouTube. Oh, well.) This one fills in the blanks. In fact, you can click here to get a floor plan and complete resource guide for all the stuff you see going on in the video below.

If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll also get that status. If you are a subscriber, it’s an instant download. (the benefits of membership, eh what?)

    13 replies to "The Ultimate Small-Room Greenscreen Tutorial"

    • Tammy Kabell

      Steve – this paint-by-number instruction is VIDEO GOLD!!! Now every single one of us can implement this, and I’ve always – I mean ALWAYS – wanted to do green screen, and now you have made it a reality for me! Thank you so much for all of these resources… I’m going to put this into action this weekend!!

      • Steven Washer

        Thanks, Tammy! I’m glad it connected for you!

    • Stuart Bazga

      Hi Steve,

      Love your short littoral videos and have learnt a lot from them.

      I am trying to get into green screen but can not afford all the items listed in the handout. I do have a a small set up consisting of a stand and backdrops (white, black and green) as well as three soft boxes (two main and one with a boom arm).

      What is the best way to utilize what I have in regards to how to set up the lights for the best optimal effect etc.?

      • Steven Washer

        You could try using 2 of those lights just for the background, then load up your third softbox with double the wattage of the other two boxes and set that light directly in front right over the camera, pointing directly down at you. It might work without a top light. I know this because several of the experiments I ran for this training proved that a top light was not always necessary if you were very careful with the other lighting placements and intensities. Good luck!

    • jeff harrison

      Steve,
      I would say the one that will help, is the way I saw you place the center light(greenscreen) right behind you. I shot a series of 12 last Saturday, and they turned out great…and could have been better with that center light.
      One additional note…adding the hair light too will benefit the quality.
      Steve you’re amazing, thanks so much

      • Steven Washer

        Good confirmation for everyone. Thanks, Jeff!

    • J Larry Bloodworth

      I’m pleasantly surprised that you listed the very Sony FDR AX-100 camera I purchased in 2015 as a suggested camera. It far exceeded my expectations. I’m very close on the rest of the equipment except the teleprompter. I’m finding the delivery of the message is a lot tougher than the technical aspect. The more I practice, the more I feel I need a spokesperson to deliver the message. Perhaps I’ll eventually get it. Thanks for all that you do!

      • Steven Washer

        A pleasure, Larry. It’s a better idea to be yourself, so it might also be a good idea to not try to get everything perfect for the teleprompter, even though the technology beckons you to try. 🙂

    • John

      Hi Steve,
      Thank you very much for your thorough guide to greenscreen. I’ve heard horror stories about how hard it is to achieve good quality, and was afraid to try. I’ve shot a lot of video – mostly action sports type video – but I have not done much with interviews. So lighting and sound are areas where I need improvement anyway. You give great explanations, and I feel confident to jump in and start making high quality videos.

      For my company, we are implementing a video content rich FB and social media initiative, and as the founder, it’s up to me to create the content. This is way out of my comfort zone, but I’ve made progress doing some videos outside. Progress in my content and delivery, but horrible lighting, sound, and background issues. I am excited to set up a green screen studio in my house so I can film anytime with perfect conditions and just focus on the words and smiling. 🙂

      Since you seem to have all the answers, I was hoping you could give some input on areas I didn’t see in the guide and the video – sound. So my two questions: 1) do you think I can get my camera to perform as needed? I am using a Sony HDR-PJ540. Any tips with this camera? 2) What is my best mic option. A shotgun mic or a lav? Do I need to record into a separate sound recorder? Can I just use the Sony hotshoe? note: I will be shooting in a room about 10×12. Any other pointers you have?

      Thank you very much for your great help and support. I’ve watched a half dozen of your videos and appreciate you expertise, enthusiasm, and energy to help people. Kind regards. John

      • Steven Washer

        John,
        You’ve asked a lot of process questions that this tutorial was not designed to answer. However, I do have others that ARE designed to explain audio in just as thorough a manner. And like this one, it’s free: https://visibleauthority.com/vpmb/
        Enjoy!

        • John

          Fantastic. Thank you Steve. You are very generous with your expertise. From what I can tell many people are grateful for your help. As I progress I will look to utilize more of your great material and perhaps in the future become a client. Thank you!

    • Dan Smith

      Thank you Steve. This explanation is amazing. I am using an iSight Camera from a Led Cinema
      Display. Do yo think that would be enough if I comply with all the lighting requirements?

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