Lighting chroma key tungsten or daylight?

V

VideoTim

Active member
I have an eefx green screen, I've always used tungsten lights and have been thinking of adding some cool lights daylight colored lights to my kit.

How does daylight colored bulbs work for chroma key set ups or should I just stick with tungsten to match my other lights?

Can I just gel my vlights to daylight to use to light the screen and use the coollights for the talent?

I shoot with a hpx170 fyi.
 
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You'd be better with daylight, as the orange of tungsten works against the green, but the best way to go is with green-tinted fluo. You're not trying to match the lighting on your subject, and in fact, you're trying to separate your subject from the greenscreen as much as possible.

Gelling tungstens will rob you of a lot of light, and you need good, even light on your greenscreen.
 
I was afraid that geling the tungstens would do that. I check some other options, thanks for the insight. I'm guessing that tungsten on the green screen and daylight on the subject maybe a train wreck. Has anyone tried it?
 
It will be, but it's not because you're using different lights on the greenscreen from what you're using on the subject. It'll be because of the lights you're choosing, you're putting the wrong ones in the wrong place.

It will be because the orange tungsten lights will neutralize some of the green of the screen, and the blue of the daylight light will neutralize some of the orange in the subject's skin -- thus bringing the color coming off both closer together, making it harder to key out the background without taking large chunks of your subject with it.

It's true you can white-balance on one light or the other, but that will only make the other worse. It'll make your greenscreen more orange, thereby defeating the purpose of the greenscreen, or it'll make your subject more blue.
 
That makes sense, I think I will just stick with all tungsten right now. I've had pretty good results with it in the past. Thanks, for the insight. plus my budget can't afford much these days
 
You will be fine sticking with tungsten. True, daylight is a little easier to work with, but if 3200 has worked in the past why change?
 
As Mr. Jimerson mentioned, likely the best light for the green screen (not the foreground people or objects!) is ordinary, cheap (and cool) fluorescent. The big green spike of the cheapest tubes isn't very good for shooting with (low CRI, green tinge, etc.), but it works FOR you when lighting the green background where you need broad, even light and you only care about green.
 
I did not realize you were talking about plain and cheap flour. fixtures. This is a portable set up so I may have to get creative for some cheap portable green screen lights. Thanks for the info!!

As far as why change, I'm always looking for ways to improve.
 
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