Datavideo SE-1200MU Quick Start Manual page 38

It is best to avoid trying using standard definition SDI green or blue screen footage with an HD background
because the keying edges in the SD image will become fuzzy during the SD to HD up-scaling process. If you have a
full HD background, then for best results, please work with a full HD camera for the foreground too.
White Balance the Camera
White Balance is extremely important when setting up a chroma key studio. The camera must be correctly white
balanced to minimize the subject picking up any color cast from the background. Of course the white
balance settings will vary according to the type of lighting you are using, but neutral whites and good skin tone
color are the all-important targets.
To set the white balance you will need a white reference card (or a sheet of white paper). Focus the camera on the
reference card and light it evenly using the main light. Set the camera's iris / aperture so that the card is correctly
exposed. Use the Auto White Balance (AWB) function, or set the white balance manually so that the card appears
white. If you are in any doubt about how to white balance your camera, please refer to your Camera's
instruction manual for more details.
Lighting
Lighting of your chosen green or blue backdrop is extremely important; the more even the lighting on the backdrop
the better the finished result. Lighting setups for the foreground subject will vary according to the effect that you
want. For chroma keying backdrops, even lighting with no hotspots or shadow areas is the aim. This is easiest to
achieve with a setup that looks like this:
In the diagram, you will see that we recommend a minimum of 1m between subject and backdrop. It is always
easier to get more even lighting if the subject is farther away from the backdrop. The foreground lighting
on the subject will obviously vary according to the effect that you are looking for and as long as the backdrop is
evenly lit, this should not be a problem.
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