Many video creators encounter the problem of green screen cutout, especially the green circle at the edge that cannot be removed after cutout, making it look particularly fake. At this point, the Boris FX Primatte plugin can come in handy, especially its overflow suppression function, which can quickly solve these annoying green edge problems.
1、 Why are there edge residues after green screen cutout?
When shooting videos with a green screen, it is common to encounter a green circle around the edges of the character after cutout, which is called color overflow. No matter what cutout plugin you use, if the pre shooting and parameter settings are not in place, this problem will be particularly obvious.
Why are there green edges after cutting?
(1) Uneven lighting
When shooting, the background light on the green screen is not evenly distributed, with both brightness and darkness, especially in areas with shadows. The cutout is not clean, and the edge residue is obvious.
(2) There is an issue with the parameter settings
The transparency or threshold in the cutout plugin is not adjusted correctly, or too much cutout is done, which breaks through people; Either cut too little, the edges are green and shiny.
(3) The colors are too similar
If the subject is wearing green clothes or if the green screen light is reflected on the face, it is easy to remove these parts when taking pictures, resulting in the edges appearing green.
(4) Reflective and transparent objects
Details like glass, metal, or hair strands have strong reflectivity, and when the light from the green screen hits them, the edges will turn green.
How to deal with these edge residues?
Method 1: Manually adjust the image cutout parameters
Open the cutout software you are using, such as After Effects, and select the Keylight plugin.
Adjust Screen Gain and Screen Balance to find a balance point that can remove green without damaging the main body.
If the edge is still green, use Softness and Edge Thin to fine tune it and add some soft transitions.
Method 2: Secondary image extraction
Copy a cutout layer and first use a cutout setting to remove most of the green screen, specifically targeting the subject.
The other layer only focuses on details, such as hair strands or clothing edges.
When two layers are stacked together, the effect will be much more natural.
Method 3: Use overflow suppression
Open the Spill Suppression module in the Boris FX Primatte plugin.
Raising the Spill Amount slightly, usually between 50-70, can significantly reduce green residue.
If the color is a bit strange, you can adjust the Hue Offset to make the color more natural.
Method 4: Soften the edges
Find Edge Softness or Feather in the plugin and add a slight softening effect to the edges to make them look more natural.
If the edges are still a bit hard, you can use Matte Cleanup to clean them and remove any excess green.
2、 How can Boris FX Primatte quickly adjust overflow suppression?
Boris FX Primatte is indeed powerful in image cutout, especially its overflow suppression function, which can quickly remove the edge residue after green screen cutout. Here are the specific operational steps:
1. Open the Boris FX Primatte plugin
In After Effects, import green screen video footage.
Right click on the video, select Effects>Boris FX>Primatte Studio, and the plugin interface will appear.
2. Quickly adjust overflow suppression parameters
Step 1: First, extract the image
Open the Primatte plugin, click Auto Set up, and let it automatically recognize the green screen area.
If the effect is not good, you can manually click on the green area and select a new color.
Step 2: Remove the green edge
In the plugin interface, find the Spill Suppression module and first check Enable.
The Spill Amount is usually set to around 60, and if the green color is still prominent, continue to increase it.
If you find that the color is a bit blue or purple after removing the green, you can adjust it towards a warmer color in the Hue Offset.
Step 3: Make the edges look natural
Turn on Light Wrap to wrap the background color around the edges of the character, so that there is no sense of fragmentation.
Adjust Despill Bias to remove excess colors and ensure that the edges do not differentiate between blue or purple.
Step 4: Real time preview
Switch to View Matte and check if there is still green at the edge.
Zoom in to 200% to see the details, and continue fine-tuning if there are any issues.
3、 What should I do when encountering complex scenes?
Sometimes when encountering complex green screen scenes, such as objects with many strands of hair or reflections, it can be particularly difficult to pick them. At this point, you can try these methods:
Multi layer cutout: Use one layer to cutout large contours and another layer to cutout details, such as hair strands and transparent objects.
Tracking cutout: If the character is moving, motion tracking effect can be added to make the cutout follow the motion trajectory and not deviate.
Background color adjustment: If you feel that the color is unnatural after cropping, you can use a color correction tool to adjust it slightly to make the foreground and background colors more integrated.
Overall, the most crucial aspect of processing edge residue after green screen cutout is to adjust the overflow suppression parameters. Boris FX Primate is really awesome in this respect. If the settings are correct, the green edge problem can be basically solved. When shooting, light up well and pay attention to refining the edges in post production, so that the cutout effect will be more natural. If encountering complex scenes, try multi-layer image cutout or dynamic tracking, the effect will be better.
