The Key toolset is where you control the green screen removal process. With some green screen photographs you may not need to make any adjustments, but if you need to fine tune the results this is where to do it.
There are numerous filters in the Key toolset. You can use as many or as few as you want by turning them on and off.
Simply click in the title bar of a filter to activate it.
Red eye
If a photo suffers from 'red eye', caused by an on-board flash, you can correct it using the red eye filter.
By default it is set to auto and will attempt to auto-detect any red eye present in the foreground image.
If the auto-detect is not fixing the red eye in your photo, uncheck the auto option to enable manual mode.
Clicking Select Eyes activates the manual selection mode. You can now click on each red eye in the image to apply the correction.
Once you have finished selecting the affected eyes click the Complete button in the toolbox.
If incorrect areas of the image are being affected by the red eye filter, click the Clear button to reset it.
UV blur
Some digital images lack the detail required for high quality keying, which can result in jagged edges to a key. The UV blur can help to enhance the digital information and avoid this problem.
If you notice 'stepping' at the edges of your foreground layer, like a pixellated staircase, then the UV blur should be turned on.
For high quality images the UV blur is not needed.
Type
A variety of different blur types are available. Which looks best will depend upon the image itself and the type of camera used. The gaussian blur is high quality and should suffice for most uses.
Blur
Adjust the amount of UV blur with this slider according to your own personal tastes.
Auto color difference
There are two methods for removing the green screen from your photos. The auto color difference is the simpler and less powerful option. See the for the Auto chroma key chapter for information on the advanced keying method.
Color
When set to automatic, PhotoKey will attempt to automatically detect whether you are using a green screen or a blue screen.
If your screen is not being removed at all, try specifying your backdrop color manually.
Removal
By default, PhotoKey attempts to remove as much of the green screen as possible. With reflective materials this can sometimes cause parts of your subject to disappear as well.
If parts of your foreground are disappearing try lowering the Removal setting.
Detail
The detail slider is useful if PhotoKey is not removing all of your green screen. This can be particularly noticeable if the green screen is not lit properly.
Ideally you want the detail set to 100%, which is designed for optimal green screens with correct lighting and high quality images.
Lowering the detail will help to remove more of an unevenly lit green screen but may also reduce edge detail on the subject.
Softness
The softness adjusts the edge of the removed area, as set by the detail slider.
A high softness setting will create a soft, subtle feathering around the edge.
A low softness will create a hard, solid line.
The softness setting only takes affect if the Removal setting is below 100%.
Auto chroma key
PhotoKey's advanced auto chroma key provides high quality, professional results. See Auto chroma key for full details.
Erode
Some cameras record to compressed formats which can introduce edge problems under some conditions. Often the easiest way to fix this is to erode the keyed image, removing a layer of pixels around the outer edge of the keyed subject matter.
Erode should be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.
If you are using the auto chroma key you can use the integrated Erode/Expand setting instead.
Alpha levels
Adjusting the contrast levels of the alpha channel allows you to fine tune your key. This can be particularly useful with hair or lace and provides an additional level of control over the key.
Alpha blur
If you want a softer edge to your key you can add some alpha blur. This can also be useful if you are working with low quality photographs and need to disguise a problematic edge.
Crop
The left, right, top and bottom sliders can be used to crop the edges of the foreground image. This can be useful if your green screen did not fill the entire frame.
Spill suppression
Automatically removes light spill from your green screen and replaces it with natural spill from your new background.
See Spill suppression for details.
Light wrap
This effect simulates the appearance of light from the background interacting with the foreground, as would happen with the normal photographic process.
Size
Alters the intensity of the light wrap. Adjust this to match the lighting in the foreground and background images.
Blend mode
There are several different light spill methods. Lighten tends to be the most realistic, while Soft Light can be effective for dark backgrounds.