From the course: Producing Screencast Videos on a PC

Adding a backdrop to your screencasts

From the course: Producing Screencast Videos on a PC

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Adding a backdrop to your screencasts

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- There are many reasons why your backdrop may not be appealing. Perhaps you're in a work from home situation, and you've been relegated to the basement because you have multiple people now working from the same house. Or, maybe you work in an office environment where there's a lot of other folks in the background. It can be distracting if people or unwanted objects just keep walking through the middle of your video. Additionally, a backdrop can add a certain aesthetic. Now, there are a wide range of backdrops available. Behind me right now, we're using a paper screen. You can often find these available at different stores that sell furniture. Or available from many online retailers in a variety of styles. This is an easy way, and the translucent panels are great because you could shine different light sources through them to add a bit of color to your set. Additionally, you may go a very simple route, which has become very common, which is green-screen. Now green-screen does add extra post-production, and you'll likely need a lighter tube to fill it in so it's nice and bright, but software has gotten incredibly forgiving. Green-screen backdrops are very popular with people that do game casting that wants to share in-game videos or are doing webcasts. But they work great for screencasts as well. Gone are the needs for high end studios, because you could find simple pop-up green-screen backdrops. These can be easily placed behind you and then lifted into place, and they're free standing. This gives you the ability in post-production to swap out different types of backdrops. The ability of green screen is you could add different things back there. So, maybe you have corporate logos or a virtual environment that you need to show. Green screen's perfect for this. And of course, there are a variety of pop-up backdrops. These will usually come with stands or some sort of system so you could put the backdrop in place. Many of these are going to be stretchy, so you could pull them between the poles to have a nice, smooth backdrop behind you. They come in a variety of colors, or even textures and patterns. Now, having a great looking environment or a wonderful loft apartment makes an excellent backdrop. But these days, we don't always have infinite space or total control. In any case, just use what works for you, and with a small amount of spending, you could really up the production value and have a great-looking backdrop.

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