Join Mark Christiansen for an in-depth discussion in this video Improve detailed edges with Refine Soft Matte, part of After Effects Compositing: 4 Color Keying.
- After Effects includes a tool to refine detailed edges…called Refine Soft Matte.…For cases where you're forced to create…a crude matte that includes fine detail,…things like foliage or hair, it can be worth a look.…So let's take a look at it.…So where we left this is the edges are a little chunky.…We've softened them as much as possible with Extract,…maybe not as much as possible, but reasonably.…In another lesson we looked at Refine Hard Matte,…that one's designed for hard masks,…Refined Soft Matte is for fine detail.…
Now, you might have noticed it took a moment,…and that we now have a filled in area.…But the first thing to do is take a look at the edge region.…And, like all of these effects,…it's set pretty high to begin with.…So the first thing we're going to do…is come way back on that.…And we'll see it exit those gaps.…So we wanna be somewhere down in there,…it looks like it's covering all the edges.…Now when we go back,…we see actually a pretty pleasing result overall.…
At least it looks good on a still frame.…
Author
Mark Christiansen
Released
12/7/2014Beginning with a brief explanation of the keying process, Mark takes you through the steps involved in creating a perfect green-screen key: generating a rough matte, eliminating color spill and matte lines, and refining problematic edges. He shows how to work with Keylight and Primatte—two indispensable keying tools in After Effects—and explains when to use one over the other. And for times when green screen won't work, he shows how to generate high-contrast mattes, or luma keys, based on the luminance data in your footage. Last, learn about compression and how to prep a shot for keying.
- What is color keying?
- Using garbage mattes
- Getting started with Keylight
- Understanding the Screen Color, Clip Black, and Clip White adjustments
- Eliminating spill with Advanced Spill Suppressor
- Using Key Cleaner to refine edges automatically
- Dividing a matte with holdout mattes
- Breaking down a complex color key
- Creating a luma key with Extract
- Setting up sky replacement
- Using Refine Soft Matte to improve edge detail
- Feathering edges with Channel Blur
- Knowing when to avoid green screen
- Prepping a shot for keying
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
Views
Q: How do I locate the exercise files for chapter 5, 6, and 7 of this course?
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Introduction
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Welcome1m 46s
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Using the exercise files2m 23s
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1. Work with Keylight
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2. Manage Edges and Spill
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3. Divide a Matte for Best Results When Keying
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Add a holdout matte1m 38s
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4. Solve Problematic Edges
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5. Complex Color Keys and Primatte
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6. High-Contrast Mattes (When There Is No Green Screen)
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7. Prep for Success When Color Keying
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Prep a shot for keying3m 4s
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Video: Improve detailed edges with Refine Soft Matte