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John Godwin · November 5th, 2009, 01:12 PM

A client has sent me footage with folks shot on greenscreen, and she says they all went to the same hairstylist, as they all have spikey hair. Last year's show, this was was problem with the internal FCP keys, lots of breakup and feathering around the hair.

So, not breaking the bank, I'd appreciate comments on the best keyer plugin for the most reasonable cost, and thanks.

Devin Termini · November 5th, 2009, 08:35 PM

First - "reasonable cost" is highly relative, especially in this industry.

I've tried to pull keys in Motion, but in my experience it uses the same chroma key plugin that final cut uses. A very bad one.

Boris makes a plugin that can be used directly within final cut for $300 I think. I haven't used it, so I can't speak for it's quality.

I've resorted to using After Effects for all my keys and it works especially well. However, the workflow isn't entirely simple.

Dean Sensui · November 5th, 2009, 09:07 PM

Try the Primatte keyer in Motion. At least I think it has Primatte. I rarely use Motion so I don't know what's in the latest version but I recall seeing it available.

It's what I use in After Effects and it can readily pull a key with flyaway hair. Not sure if the version in Motion has the same feature set as the AE plugin.

Cole McDonald · November 5th, 2009, 10:50 PM

Here's a sweet and simple "vector" keyer for cheap: Oak Street Software, Inc. Does a nice job too - and simple to use.

John Godwin · November 6th, 2009, 08:33 AM

Thanks for the replies ... I'll try Primatte in motion first, since it's at hand. I haven't used Motion much at all, so it's always a bit of an adventure.

I don't think $300 for Boris is too much, as long as it actually works. I'll see if there's a trial version.

The V2Key is also worth a look, prior Boris.

November 5th, 2009, 01:12 PM	#1
John Godwin Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 190	Can of worms - best greenscreen? A client has sent me footage with folks shot on greenscreen, and she says they all went to the same hairstylist, as they all have spikey hair. Last year's show, this was was problem with the internal FCP keys, lots of breakup and feathering around the hair. So, not breaking the bank, I'd appreciate comments on the best keyer plugin for the most reasonable cost, and thanks. Last edited by John Godwin; November 5th, 2009 at 07:03 PM. Reason: baaaad title

November 5th, 2009, 09:07 PM	#3
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Try the Primatte keyer in Motion. At least I think it has Primatte. I rarely use Motion so I don't know what's in the latest version but I recall seeing it available. It's what I use in After Effects and it can readily pull a key with flyaway hair. Not sure if the version in Motion has the same feature set as the AE plugin. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

November 5th, 2009, 10:50 PM	#4
Cole McDonald Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sauk Rapids, MN, USA Posts: 1,675	Here's a sweet and simple "vector" keyer for cheap: Oak Street Software, Inc. Does a nice job too - and simple to use. __________________ Web Youtube Facebook

November 5th, 2009, 08:35 PM	#2
Devin Termini Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mount Pleasant, MI Posts: 177	First - "reasonable cost" is highly relative, especially in this industry. I've tried to pull keys in Motion, but in my experience it uses the same chroma key plugin that final cut uses. A very bad one. Boris makes a plugin that can be used directly within final cut for $300 I think. I haven't used it, so I can't speak for it's quality. I've resorted to using After Effects for all my keys and it works especially well. However, the workflow isn't entirely simple.

November 6th, 2009, 08:33 AM	#5
John Godwin Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 190	Thanks for the replies ... I'll try Primatte in motion first, since it's at hand. I haven't used Motion much at all, so it's always a bit of an adventure. I don't think $300 for Boris is too much, as long as it actually works. I'll see if there's a trial version. The V2Key is also worth a look, prior Boris.