How to add Chroma key (green screen effects) to a movie for FREE!

UPDATE NOTE: A new intructable that shows how to use a free, bigger and better program to add Green Screen effects to your movie has been made

Wanna make a movie like the pros? Using green screen editing? It's all free (besides the actual green screen itself) with this awsome program. Debug Mode's WAX is a video/picture/music editor. It has a drag and drop time line like in Windows Movie maker, so you can add pictures and music to your video.

I made this video with this awsome program. (Part's of the bluescreen still is shown because I did not have an even lighting)

This demonstrates how you can make an invisability cloak with chroma key. Just replace the bluescreen image with a picture of your video's background.

Thanks to laferty

Step 1 Download the software

To dowload WAX version 2.0, click Here

Comments

[chromakey]

Great ! Get Chroma key Green Screen Software from here www.photostudiosupplies.com

[beefbonger]

 Hello, the program seems to be what I need however I cannot open any of my .avi files into it. It says "Unable to Open File"

[cclementi6]

 wheres the updated version?  and when i drag the video onto the timeline, it doesnt play on the preview window. any suggestions?

[scott!]

My green screen just isn't working for me, if I want to key out the background, I always get mostly keyed out too! I think it is because I can't get the lighting to work well, can some please help me?

[amakerguy]

dude you should really check out this Video!!! http://www.indymogul.com/backyardfx/episode/BFX_20081215

[inept]

Lighting's usually the problem. Make sure you don't have any wrinkles/shadows on your green screen. It should all look like one uniform sheet of green/blue, with no variation in tone.

[lardinfatbuddies]

my greenscreen doesnt really work, it has patches that wax wont remove. how do i stop this?

[sora]

it might be your lighting is your green screen lit all the way or is it dark in some areas, also it might be the shadow from standing in front of it you must me at least 4 feet away with the proper lighting

[mishmosh509]

i really dont know how to work this! I am gettin a green screen but i need help trying to get the video or picture on the green screen! Help me someone! THXX

[A.C.E.]

did you pay attention at all to the instructable??? everything on how to use the program is included.

[freaking123]

so do i stand in front of a green screen and make the video and then later on i can fix up the background so its different. cuz thats what i need.

[A.C.E.]

yes, that is exactly what happens. you can also put selective greenscreens up, like for windows or something.

[flash1322]

thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much it worked really well for me

[theburgnewsboy]

WAX is awesome!!! It totally works for me. Check out some of my vids at The O News

[tmg4eva]

When I converted my video to wmv. file format and it didn't work and i used the converters given. Then i tried every other format and none worked. Which file format works???

[BluryBlue]

You mean to get the video to work with WAX? Convert it to AVI. If that doesn't work, look at my other Instructable showing how to use a another free Greenscreen program. That one actually works. WAX is a very crappy and glitchy program, in fact I'm just about to want to delete this instructable.

[rc jedi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9p4VxxIZBA
YouTube - Weird Al, Osmond Pro Bro style!

here is 1 i did from a u tube green screen
i stole and used

[gobengals]

I did the video on my camera and added it to my computer but it wont let me open it on wax

[gobengals]

PLease help me I made 20 videos and it still would not work

[BluryBlue]

I really would encourage you to use my new tutorial (click link in the Update Note) It shows how to use a way better program than WAX. WAX has so many errors that I can't even explain.

[halballew]

Hey, I would like to do transparent videos (alpha channel) but I need some help. I have several video programs but no instructions. Any ideas? Let me know, Hal

[BluryBlue]

Well, the instructable is about Chroma Key, not Alpha Channel, and I didn't really learn how to do that... Sorry, can't help you there. :'(

[bennor3]

how do you find the video???

[BluryBlue]

What? The video I used? I didn't put it on the web for download, make your own green/blue screen video.

[42993]

Help! I took my video and selected a background film but no matter what I try it won't work! It won't let me use any file format but AVI and when I do use AVI I don't get anything where the video is supposed to show up so I can't green screen it. The project I'm doing this for is due in 3 days Help!

[BluryBlue]

I'm so sorry I made you wait till last minute! But the tutorial is complete! Get to it by click on the UPDATE NOTE on the top of this instructable. I hope the tutorial is useful, and I hope your project was a success!

[BluryBlue]

Oh...!
3 days...?
I sure hope you can wait until later tomorrow (I typed this on the day you posted). Because I'm currently under construction of a new Instructable that shows how to add green screen with a better, higher quality, and has a lot more input/output format compatibility program. I'll even have a video tutorial on the page. So please hang in there...

Yes, jimtran93, I am talking about T@B ZS4.

[BluryBlue]

Oh, and FlyingMonkieBoy, this is also available for Macs. Linux too!

[halballew]

Hey, the instructions for green screening were great, easy to use...BUT...how do I convert the saved file into a windows movie format? I can't figure it out...thanks, Hal

[BluryBlue]

Use the one of the free video converters listed on step 2, and convert the exported video file to Windows Media Video (.wmv)

[jimtran93]

This is soo kool.

The only problem is that the color picker only lets you pick one color. This could be a problem if you don't have perfect lighting. I've seen other programs that can let you choose a spectrum of colors from the video, making it look better. The only don't side to the program is that it is almost imposible to use. It take some one with an IQ of 1 billion to understand the program. :O

Click HERE for the program.

[BluryBlue]

I've tried this program before! It is pretty much impossible, lol!

[miketwalker]

This is awesome, I didn't realize there was free software to do this. Great find and great instructable. Has anyone had any luck finding, or maybe somehow using this software, a way to do real time chroma keying (i.e. 2 video inputs to a computer with video capture cards and doing the keying)?

[BluryBlue]

Thanks! That would be good idea, but I don't think you can do it with WAX.

[FlyingMonkieBoy]

Do they have Wax for Mac computers? or is there a free program like it?

[TheOneEyedHobo]

I'm downloading the following programs; I'll repost once I've had a good look.

[TheOneEyedHobo]

Okay, it looks like MediaEdit 3 (www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/33144) is the best one. iVideo is in French (and just a bad program) and QuickMix is extremely basic. To add Chroma Key in MediaEdit, select your clip, then go to the Effects and select Composition > Chroma Key.

[FlyingMonkieBoy]

THANK YOU!!!

[TheOneEyedHobo]

iVideo, MediaEdit, and QuickMix

[BluryBlue]

I'm sorry. I searched Google for hours looking for one for you (and other "mac-ers". I don't know what to tell ya buddy.