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Make a Green Screen for Videos
for Professional Video Results!

I recently made a green screen for videos in my office, and I thought it would be beneficial for you all to see how easy it is to do. All you need is a blank wall, painter's tape, a roller and brush - and paint!

Taping off the area for the green wall paintTaping off the area for the green wall paint

I did think of running the green paint block all the way to the floor, but why? No one is going to see that, so I moved the bottom tape up!

Just about a week before doing this, I painted the whole room's dark grey a lighter shade of grey (not fifty shades, just five). The grey paint is an eggshell finish because that's what you generally use for 'regular' rooms and has a tiny bit of a 'light reflection-quality' to it AKA 'sheen.'

So what? Well, when painting a 'green screen,' you need to use flat/matte paint so you don't get any light reflection (or at least you minimize it substantially with flat/matte paint).

Fifty Shades of Green Paint?

If you're tired of using the old green cloth/sheet method and putting up with the horrible creases, then consider doing this to one of your "office" walls:

  • Get a small can of flat/matte green paint
  • Tape off the area
  • Paint it
  • Bingo
Rodda Paint CASCADIA ZERO flat paintRodda Paint CASCADIA ZERO flat paint (on Amazon)

* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase.

It's NOT green screen paint, per se, but it IS flat (matte).

32 fl oz (one quart), pack of 1.

Don't forget to get a brush, roller, and tray! This paint is available on Amazon here.

The Old Creased-Up Folding Screen Way...

Old creased-up folding screen method...Old creased-up folding screen method...

Do you see what I mean about the creases? I even used a steamer on it, so just imagine how bad it was prior to steaming! I did a YouTube search on how to "drop out" green screen creases but honestly?

The time and effort to do two or more separate video editing dropouts was far more costly (time and effort wise) than just forking out for a can of green paint and doing a bit of taping with painter's tape.

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Fresh Paint vs Old Sheet (No Contest)

There really is no contest between having a real flat/matte painted area and my old green sheet which I'd very carefully sewn to the back of a folding screen.

The creases in it cast shadows which were very hard to 'get rid of' in the video 'green screen' settings, no matter how much I fiddled with the settings.

Taping off the green screen areaTaping off the green screen area
Green screen edges cut inGreen screen edges cut in
First coat of green paintFirst coat of green paint
TIP: Brush, roller, and tray covered with plastic wrap between coats!TIP: Brush, roller, and tray covered with plastic wrap between coats!
Second coat of green paintSecond coat of green paint
Third coat of green paintThird coat of green paint

Painter's Tip for Zero Paint Skin:

Between coats, wrap up your roller and brush (tightly!) in plastic wrap. Also, cover the paint tray. Saves time and the hassle of washing out the brush and roller between coats.

Let the wrap "rest" on top of the actual top of the paint in the tray so a paint skin doesn't form.

Also, whenever I "cut in" with a brush, I always notice that it leaves a darker "band." Bear in mind that this is more noticeable with the first coat.

The second coat is showing the light reflection - the paint is still wet!

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Full Studio Setup - How Cool is This?

Green screen all DONE!Green screen all DONE!

The "thing" rolled up above the painted area is a "brick wall" drop down screen that I also like to use as a backdrop. This way, I don't need to edit the green-screen part of the video to add a background.

Camera, Lights, Action! Equipment needed
for Making a Green Screen for Videos...

Takstar Boom MicrophoneTakstar Boom Microphone on Amazon
Canon Digital EOS CameraCanon Digital EOS Camera on Amazon
Teleprompter with Black CoverTeleprompter with Black Cover, from Amazon
Clicking this image will show you the NEEWER version
Teleprompter with iPadTeleprompter with iPad

ZOMEi 14" Dimmable Ring Light with Accessories and Stand
Available on Amazon here.
I have a halo light on a tripod stand and I have to have it so high up so that the light ring doesn't reflect off my glasses! Annoying when that happens...

CAMERA + SHOTGUN MIC
Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera is available on Amazon here.
Takstar Shotgun Camera Microphone is available on Amazon here.
The camera is a standard Digital Canon EOS which works wonderfully. The shotgun mic is plugged into the camera as I'm not keen on lapel mics - they tend to mess up the neckline of my dress too much and drag it down. The shotgun mic is great (all I have to do is remember to turn it on!)

TELEPROMPTER
Teleprompter - NEEWER Teleprompter for Camera and Smartphone
(similar to mine but with solid sides instead of the black cloth)
and is available on Amazon here.
The teleprompter consists of a flat plastic base with a sheet of glass attached on a hinge that you put on an angle so it reflects/mirrors the iPad teleprompter script. It also came with the black cloth cover but the glue's effectiveness wore off, hence the big black clips you see there on the corners!

Please bear in mind that a simple cellphone attached to a stand (that has the free Teleprompter app on it) will achieve the same thing as my Canon and teleprompter setup. But you still need a green background if you want the green-screen effect so you're able to add whatever backdrop image (or video) you want your folks to see.

Using the iPhone as described above MAY limit the audio quality upon playback (instead of using a boom mic, or a lapel mic).

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FREE TELEPROMPTER APP for iPhone

Teleprompter Pro for iPhone

This Teleprompter app is free (but does have paid upgrades). I've used it sitting at my desk and is great because I can use my spacebar to pause it if I find I'm reading too slowly or too fast.

I have this app downloaded to my iPad, this iMac, and my iPhone. Not braggin', just sayin'. The app is synced to all three places. Nice. And did I mention it's free? Yep, it's FREE!

Thanks for stopping by to learn how easy it is to make a green screen for videos that make you look professional! Add a great image in place of the "green" and you're good to go!

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Susan Gast

Since 1980 Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to write "reviews" of apps and tools related to the publishing industry.

She realized it was time to explain how she published all her books and got them to market. To that end, she created this website to showcase her puzzle books and other fiction and non-fiction books she's written and produced since 2012. Read Susan's story here.

Susan has been featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It (SBI). Read her first SBI interview and her second SBI interview. This site is hosted by the amazing team at Solo Build It! along with her sister site, Easy Food Dehydrating.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!