DSLR Remote Pro + Green screen

[Chris Breeze]

DSLR Remote Pro for Windows v2.0 beta 1 is now available for download.

This beta release add support for green screen shooting. In fullscreen photobooth mode the live view images replace the green screen with the background image so that users see what the final image will look like. DSLR Remote Pro for Windows v2.0 beta 1 will also replace the green background with the background image when printing out the photobooth images. This is fine for small photobooth strips, but for larger photos it's probably better to use specialised green screen software such as Green Screen Wizard Pro Batch. This can be setup to monitor the folder where DSLR Remote Pro saves the images, replace the background and save the resulting image in another folder. Another app such as Hotfolder Prints (http://www.breezesys.com/Hotfolder/index.htm) (released today) can then monitor folder where the green screened images are saved and format and print them.

Please see the news page (http://www.breezesys.com/news.htm) for details.

Please note: this is a time limited beta which won't run after the end of August 2010.

[alexsiskahn]

Many green screen photos have 3 layers, an overlay layer, the cut out person layer, and a background layer.

The overlay often cements the person into the background and makes them look like they are in the "environment"

If would be great if this overlay was also present on the live view. That way people could interact with it. for example the overlay could be a soccer ball and the background could be a soccer goal. The subject could act like they were catching the ball as the goalie.
I supposed a cut out ball taped to the monitor could be used as a substitute, but it limits the session to one background.

[alexsiskahn]

the most jaggies seem to be with people's hair. Does back lighting help that much? I guess I should try it for myself.

[Chris Breeze]

Many green screen photos have 3 layers, an overlay layer, the cut out person layer, and a background layer.

The overlay often cements the person into the background and makes them look like they are in the "environment"

If would be great if this overlay was also present on the live view. That way people could interact with it. for example the overlay could be a soccer ball and the background could be a soccer goal. The subject could act like they were catching the ball as the goalie.
I supposed a cut out ball taped to the monitor could be used as a substitute, but it limits the session to one background.

You can do this with DSLR Remote Pro for Windows v2.0 beta 1. The live view in fullscreen photobooth mode supports an overlay using a PNG file with transparency information in the alpha channel and this can be used in conjunction with the live view green screen replacement. This means you can have a foreground defined using the overlay with opaque, transparent or semi-transparent areas and behind that a layer with the people in front of a background generated by replacing the green background with a background image.
Please see the section on live view overlay in the photobooth shooting section of the help file for more details.

[TonyF]

Please, please, can we have the same for NKRemote!

Cheers

Tony

[alexsiskahn]

Is it possible to use a touch screen device and have 4 different green screen backgrounds and then when a user chooses one background it will automatically present that background via the live view.

It doesn't seem possible to me now, but maybe I am not thinking of how to do it. Seems like the green screen window would need to be somehow linked to the xml data so the background could be changed when new xml data is chosen via the touch screen?

[anastassis]

Excellent news!!! will give it a try asap. Thanx!

[PhotoJames]

It would be really great to have this functionality on PSRemote. Any chance of this happening anytime soon?

[rikiboy]

NKRemote version please please please :)

[Chris Breeze]

Please, please, can we have the same for NKRemote!

Cheers

Tony

I'm in the final stages of testing green screen on NKRemote and should have a beta available next week.

[Chris Breeze]

It would be really great to have this functionality on PSRemote. Any chance of this happening anytime soon?

I'm not planning a green screen version of PSRemote at the moment. This is partly to keep the cost of PSRemote down and partly because the live view images from PowerShot cameras are much lower resolution than for Canon and Nikon DSLRs:
PowerShot live view: 320x240 pixels
Nikon DSLR live view: 640x426 pixels
Canon DSLR live view: 768x512 to 1056x704 pixels depending on the model

[Chris Breeze]

Is it possible to use a touch screen device and have 4 different green screen backgrounds and then when a user chooses one background it will automatically present that background via the live view.

It doesn't seem possible to me now, but maybe I am not thinking of how to do it. Seems like the green screen window would need to be somehow linked to the xml data so the background could be changed when new xml data is chosen via the touch screen?

Yes, you can do this. The green screen background and whether green screen is enabled is saved in the XML settings file. If you create different settings files with different green screen backgrounds these can be assigned to different profiles which can then be selected by the user using the touchscreen.

[rsh78ph]

I hope when the final release is ready a corresponding tutorial/article will be posted also.

By the way is Hotfolder Prints work like the photo booth feature of DSLR Remote Pro but pictures can be manually taken (instead of the automatic) before its laid out for final print?

Thank you very much

[snapshot]

I'm not planning a green screen version of PSRemote at the moment. This is partly to keep the cost of PSRemote down and partly because the live view images from PowerShot cameras are much lower resolution than for Canon and Nikon DSLRs:
PowerShot live view: 320x240 pixels
Nikon DSLR live view: 640x426 pixels
Canon DSLR live view: 768x512 to 1056x704 pixels depending on the model


That is kind of disappointing, as the green screen is a pretty cool feature, even though I'm not sure how often I would use it.

[alexsiskahn]

He already said it's not feasible becasue of the low resolution of the powershot live view.
Also you can just buy the hot folder software and green screen batch software if you really want to use it with psremote.
Though by the time you add up all the money it is probably just a little bit more to get DSLR remote and a DSLR camera with better quality anyways.

I'd actually like to see the feature in psremote so we could have live view enabled , but use hotfolder pritner v1.0 to get the high resolution images we need.

[Sharpie]

I think judging by the sample images you've posted Chris, should you get bored of developing software, you could get a job as a CNN London correspondent:D

[solock]

Its not a price point issue, I have no problem with paying for the feature, and would pay accordingly, we have 3 booths and bough 3 copies, could have run 1 liscense, but I will pay what is due. The advantage of G9 and G10's is that the motorized zoom and never having to reach into the box... and DSLR's are larger and harder to get much angle change without a huge hole in the box.

[Chris Breeze]

By the way is Hotfolder Prints work like the photo booth feature of DSLR Remote Pro but pictures can be manually taken (instead of the automatic) before its laid out for final print?

Hotfolder Prints will monitor a folder for new images and when it has enough it will format them and print and/or save them. The print layout has the same options as DSLR Remote Pro's photobooth printing. Hotfolder Prints doesn't control the camera. You can use it with DSLR Remote Pro or any other camera control software and take photos normally and Hotfolder Prints will monitor the folder where the images are downloaded. Another use for Hotfolder Prints is event photography where you might take several photos and then review the images in BreezeBrowser Pro and copy the ones you want to print to the hot folder being monitored by Hotfolder Prints.

[partypros]

I downloaded the dslr 2.0 beta and cannot wait to try it out with the green screen option.

Not at all sure how to set it for green screen. Are there any help files posted anywhere for the green screen functions? Looking at it cannot see how to set it for green screen.

[warwickwater]

I'm kinda stuck too. I have edited in a file name in the settings file, and placed this file in both the same folder as the photobooth pics (eg the processing.jpg) and in the root folder for good luck.

The program still seems to be making no effort to greenscreen either the live view or the output. I cant see a switch in either the program UI, or in the xml file, beyond the one setting for 'greenscreenbackground'.

I'm sure its just me being stupid, but what am I doing wrong?

[warwickwater]

Worked it out! The help file in the program is updated, the ones online arent. You need to press CTRL+G, but ONLY when full screen photobooth mode is already active, NOT on the main screens or within the other setup dialogue.

Results so far... I have only done soft toys against a handy pair of green pants (no, really - do you have anything green in your house?) but the results are quite reasonable. We certainly arent talking TV broadcast quality, but with a well lit background (ie better than most booths I suspect!) this will look good at 2 inch by 3 inch for a 'fun' picture. In an online gallery I suspect the quality is such that you will see the limitations - but you could of course batch process through another program after the event if you wished.

Now does anyone know where I can buy a green sheet on a Sunday morning in rural England?...........

[Chris Breeze]

Worked it out! The help file in the program is updated, the ones online arent. You need to press CTRL+G, but ONLY when full screen photobooth mode is already active, NOT on the main screens or within the other setup dialogue.


I'm sorry for the confusion. The online help files are for the current release, DSLR Remote Pro for Windows v1.9.1, not the beta version with green screen. The help files that come with the beta version include information about green screen shooting.