Are the chromakey abilites the same in both Movie Studio HD and the professional version of Vegas? I'm tring to determine if the chroma key abilites are more robust and offer more options then the Movie Studio version.

I believe they are the same. Many prefer using a more powerful keyer, though, such as those found in NewBlueFX or Boris.

Ed, I just looked at the New Blue fx site. The Chroma key is 99.00 and comes with other features. The price seems low, do you think that the results will be much better than what Vegas can do?

The price seems low, do you think that the results will be much better than what Vegas can do?

Don't let the low price fool you.
I have read only good things about the NewBlue keyer and yes, it is much better than the one in Vegas.

almost all my work involves CK and I've used New Blue extensively. I much prefer it to the native Vegas capabilities.

However, I just recently purchased Boris CC7, and it is so superior that I'll never use New Blue again. Pricey, but you won't regret it if you want good quality keys.

You can see a sample that I recently put on the web at physics (http://www.torealize.net/2physics.html). The CK is the talking head shot that begins at 1-min. 16 seconds into the video.

The New Blue CK was used for the waist-up shots. It's not bad; but because of a dark halo to the left, I put a semi-dark background behind the New Blue CK.

In order to assess the CK quality, be sure to click the Full Screen button.

Just wanted to throw out a plug for the keyer in Boris. It puts the Vegas keyer to shame and functions from within Vegas. Great tool.

fwiw, here's a comparison of the Sony Chroma Keyer vs. the NewBlueFX Chroma Keyer.

...Jerry

fwiw, here's a comparison of the Sony Chroma Keyer vs. the NewBlueFX Chroma Keyer.

...Jerry

Big improvement Jerry! I think NewBlue is more affordable than Boris. But still, anyone seeking to supercharge their Vegas, consider Boris.

One more endorsement for Boris.

There is a complicated workflow in Vegas, stringing together a bunch of FX to key with the built-in tools. I wasted a few hours doing that. Then wound up buying BCC and accomplished even better results in a few minutes. The price is steep, but keep an eye for deals, especially during big events. NAB sale was almost half price.

Boy do I have to fight to get a good key no matter which software I use.

Here's my assessment of the three options that I know about: Vegas, New Blue and BCC7

Vegas keyer: solid key in the middle, but a nasty dark halo around the edges that you can't get rid of.

New Blue: Nice around the edges for the most part, but it isn't precise enough for things like feathered hair, and by the time you really tune in the edges, bits of the middle are disappearing.

BCC7- Gorgeous around the edges (including feathered hair), but when you view it moving the edges look like they are crawling with motion. I was initially so exited, then disappointed with this keyer.

I'm sure that in a studio with a larger green screen area and bigger lights I would have better luck, but for what I do, the only thing that is practical is a little pop out chromakey screen and small luggable lights.

Anyway, the way i get around these limitations is to do it in two passes. I use the stock Vegas and put the action against a generated pure green background. This gives me an image with a black halo around it against a solid green. At least there are no holes in the middle.

I take that image and run it through the New Blue keyer using the choke function to get rid of the halo and put that image over the new background. It looks great.

Here is a bit of a promo for a faith healer that I did this way. In this case it would have destroyed the effect if the dubbed in background was obvious.

Resurrection Weekend Miracle Services in Tampa Bay (http://billyburke.org/HealingPrayerRoom/April2011Message.html)

I could only get that good a key from my two pass approach.

Ouch that is disappointing! I've only done a little testing so far with Boris.
There is a lengthy Boris tutorial out there, I'll try and link it, it demonstrates keying using a variety of the tools in Boris -- not just the chroma key tool.

In a thread I started about Vegas and what needs to be added to it, some one turned me on to Lightworks. Definitely a bit of a throwback in terms of workflow, and I was not liking it too much until I tried the keyer. If only for that purposed it may be a good find and worth learning about. Check it out here, and don't forget to download instruction manuals and even look in Vimeo or Youtube for tutorials.

Lightworks (http://www.lightworksbeta.com/)

some one turned me on to Lightworks.

Well, I just checked your link and it says it requires a codec (Matrox VFX) which does not exist. Apparently it used to exist, but the link to download it does not work. And a quick web search shows it has not worked for at least four months!

Download the program, and I believe it provides a link for what you need during download. I just download it all about 3 weeks ago.

Correction: link is provided during installation, if I recall right.

Download the program

Thanks, but I’ll pass for now. Their web site is very vague on what the software does and you have to register to get the download. That always raises my antennae. I already get tons of spam every day, so I refuse to give out my email address unless I’m convinced it’s worth it.

As for chroma keyers, there is no such thing as the best. Anyone who wants to do chroma keying owes it himself to read Digital Compositing for Film and Video by Steve Wright. It is much more involved than using a keyer.

[head down]

chromakey is simple IF you start off with good footage!!! i've gotten great keying in vegas alone from a cheap and nasty handycam - shot by a pro who knew about lighting etc.,

Adam:

Lightworks is an opensource project that has been progressing over a year.

I am not even saying it is a solution to keying. But it is a serious project, which you would discover if you would just do some independent online research. To avoid checking out something promising because you don't want to get spam is very short sighted and a pitiful excuse. Have you ever heard of a spam filter. Your response demonstrates to me that you aren't serious about knowing the possibilities. (By the way, I haven't seen any spam from it.)

chromakey is simple IF you start off with good footage!!!

That is the most important factor, indeed.

[head down]

chromakey is simple IF you start off with good footage!!! i've gotten great keying in vegas alone from a cheap and nasty handycam - shot by a pro who knew about lighting etc.,

It is indeed simple. The keying control Vegas offers is limited and easy to work with. But truly there are much better, more sophisticated softwares to key from than Vegas. That point isn't arguable.

Proper lighting, good software, and a great cam with big color space, that's the holy trinity for keying.

Hi Guys

I have done a fair amount of green screen in Vegas and although it works you are better off with a professional package if you do a lot or need perfect results!!

Serious Magic is top class (I think Corel bought them out so I'm not sure if they still market it)

My favorite is FXHome Visual Studio...the best control I ever saw and a one click solution to the dreaded green halo!! It's an awesome package but I went on their website and it's not listed anymore...if you can get a copy it's well worth the trouble!!!

Chris

It's an awesome package but I went on their website and it's not listed anymore...if you can get a copy it's well worth the trouble!!!

Could the software from HitFilm.com (http://hitfilm.com/) this be the same product under a new name? It looks similar, and it is listed on FXHome web site as their latest product.

...Serious Magic is top class (I think Corel bought them out so I'm not sure if they still market it)...
Serious Magic and their "Ultra" keying product were purchased by Adobe, and included in CS3, dropped in CS4, and Ultra is finally back in CS5. Adobe also got OnLocation (nee DVRack) in the same deal which is also part of CS3, 4, and 5.

Ultra is a great product. In addition to fancy tricks with shadows and virtual sets, there's a built-in function that allows you to specify several key colors. Once you've tried that, you'll like it very much! Great results, and very fast.