Setting the Matte Density
If the matte needs some refinement, the first step is to adjust the matte density. This improves
the black areas of the matte so it is opaque. Any gray areas inside the black matte will cause
the background to show through the foreground in those areas.
To adjust the matte density:
1
Select the 'matte' menu button to open the matte settings.
2
Rotate the matte density control knob counterclockwise to decrease the matte density
until you start seeing the gray areas inside the black silhouette.
3
Now increase the matte density setting until the gray areas are no longer visible.
Be sure to stop adjusting as soon as the gray areas disappear. This is because the least
amount of adjustment will result in a more convincing composite. This is true for most
controls when refining your composite.
You should now see a near perfect composite on the program output. Now you can use the
additional matte settings, foreground, background, and layer settings to refine your composite.
Perfecting your Composite
After your initial key is generated, you may want to add further refinements to make your
composite even more convincing. Ultimatte's advanced keyer has powerful tools to let
you enhance the composite, perfect the matte edges, color correct each layer, plus blend
backgrounds, foregrounds and layers together in very realistic ways. The tools are there for
you to use and we encourage you to investigate them and experiment so you can make the
most of your Ultimatte and achieve extremely realistic composites.
This section includes a brief outline of the prominent keying and compositing tools available
and the order in which they are often used. It's worth mentioning that when adjusting some
controls, the smallest change can make best results and you may need to make minor
readjustments to some settings as you change others. Achieving the perfect key can be an
art form using finesse and dexterity.
1
Matte Adjustments - Further perfect the internal matte using the black gloss settings
for eliminating highlights that are keying in the darker areas of the foreground.
As you adjust the matte controls, you may notice a fine white haze over your composite.
This is the result of tiny changes to the environment, such as dust accumulating over
time, or scuff marks occurring as crew make changes on set. Use the 'veil' settings to
help remove the white haze, if the details are too prominent you may also need to clean
the set or repaint patches of the blue or green screen.
2
Clean Up Adjustments - Use the the clean up settings to remove imperfections in
your blue or green screen such as scuff marks, seams, unwanted shadows, electronic
noise and screen residue. Adjusting the clean up settings will electronically clean your
screen, we recommend using these controls sparingly as they can produce a hard
edged, cutout look to the final composited image if used broadly.
3
Flare - Ultimatte performs spill suppression automatically when keying the foreground.
Spill is when the green screen reflects onto the foreground elements, causing them
to shift their color in unpleasant ways. The flare controls can help refine the spill
suppression to further restore the foreground items' original color.
4
Ambiance - Adjust the ambiance controls to add subtle color influences from the
background to the foreground layer, helping the foreground subject realistically blend
into its environment.
Quick Guide to Building a Composite
36