Lighting Configuration

Lighting is one of the most critical factors in keying, as it directly influences the uniformity of the keying process. Proper lighting setup helps in achieving a clean and accurate key.

• Lighting Floor, Talent, and Cyclorama Separately: Different lighting levels should be used for the cyclorama, the talent, and the floor to minimize spill and shadows on the talent. Lighting the cyclorama separately ensures that it stays evenly lit without spilling green onto the subject.
• Even Lighting on Talent: The talent should be evenly lit to reduce spill, especially under the feet and on the downstage side. To further reduce spill, consider using magenta (minus-green) filters on the lights directed at the talent.
• Color Temperature Matching: The color temperature of the lighting should be chosen to minimize noise, particularly in the green and blue color channels. Depending on the camera settings, this adjustment can improve keying accuracy by reducing chromatic noise.
• Spill Killer Lighting: To prevent green spill on the subject from bouncing off the cyclorama and floor, specialized spill-killer lighting should be set up. These lights are designed to minimize reflected green spill that could interfere with the clean matte.