Make Your Own Movie This Summer!

It’s easier than you think. You will need:

A computer.

A camcorder or digital camera that can record movement and sound.

A copy of Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3. Download the free beta version at You will be able to use this version for free until August 31, 2007, so get creative this summer!

This handout has basic instructions for making a movie using the Wizard in Visual Communicator and how to use a green screen to replace the background with a movie clip. If you want to learn how to make more sophisticated movies, the library has many books that can help you make your own film. For royalty-free stock footage for your movie, try:

Create a show

Use the show wizard to create a show.

  1. Start Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3. By default, Visual Communicator opens the wizard. If you have deselected this option, click Wizard on the Project tab.
  2. On the first screen of the wizard, for this tutorial, select Create Show Based On A Style, and then click Next.
  1. Select the style template named Contemporary. When you select a style template, a description of the style and an example showing the background and lower-third caption appear in the right side of the window. Click Next.
  2. Select the style for your opening title slates and the lower third graphics, and then enter text for these title graphics.
  3. Select one of the three background images for your opening title slate.
  4. Enter the name of your video in the Line 1 box and, if necessary, continue it in the Line 2 field. You can change this content later.
  5. Select from the three styles for the lower third graphics. The panel on the lower right shows how the graphic looks.
  6. Enter your name (or the name of the person who will be on-camera), and then enter your title, company, or location. Click Next.
  1. On the fourth screen, do the following:
  2. If you will be using the VScreen feature to key out the background of the live video, try the VScreen Background options, and then select the desired one.
  3. Choose the theme music for your video. To preview the currently selected track, click Play.
  4. Select a background for your closing title slate.
  5. Enter the text for the closing slate of your show. You can have one or two lines.
  6. Choose your theme music. You can preview the music with the on-screen audio controls.

Click Finish to create your customized titles and graphics, and build your new show. When the show is built the main window appears with the show in the My Projects folder.

Save the project (show) file

When you create and save your show, the file is given a default name. You can keep the name or change it. Or, if you prefer, you can create your own folder for your project. When you save a project to a new folder, Visual Communicator remembers the location and makes it your new default directory.

  1. Click the Project tab.
  2. Edit the name in the Project Name box.
  3. Click Save.

For information about finding the folder where your project is saved, see Change the default path for project files.

Rehearse and record a show

You can rehearse your show before recording it, and you can review it when you’re finished recording.

  1. Click Rehearse under the Output Monitor.
  2. When you appear on camera, start reading your script as it scrolls in the Teleprompter.
  3. (Optional) Click Stop to jump back to the point where you started rehearsing and begin again. You can record as many times as you like. If you want to change where scrolling begins, scrub with the scroll bar on the right side of the window until the Teleprompter line is in the action bar.

NOTE / To help keep your eyes as close to the camera as possible, focus on the words in the pink action bar, reading your script as it moves through it.
  1. When you’re happy with your delivery, click Record and perform your show again. The camera output and audio are recorded, and added to the show.
  2. Click Review to see the entire sequence played back, including your performance.
  3. (Optional) If you don’t like your show, press Record to try again.

The flex-recording feature lets you rerecord only a segment of a show instead of reshooting the whole show.

Publish a show

After you record a show, you’re ready to publish it.

  1. Click Publish and select the publishing method.
  2. For this tutorial, click Save Video To Hard Drive Or Network, and then click Next.
  3. Select Publish a Windows Media Video (.wmv) as the video file format, and then save the show to the default folder with the default filename: My_First_Show_.WMV. Click Next.
  4. Select Medium File Size/Good Quality as the quality of the video file. Choosing this option affects such factors as the data rate and the number of video frames per second. Click next.
  5. On the Summary screen, click Back to change any of the publish settings or click Finish to compress the show and save it according to the publishing settings you selected.

Congratulations! You have created and saved your first show.

Digitally replacing the background

Use V-Screen to electronically replace the backdrop--typically a blue or green screen--with a digital picture or video clip. Greenscreen effects typically require some adjustments during setup to achieve the best results.

Manually set a webcam or camcorder for V-Screen

Whether you are using a webcam or a camcorder, turn off its automatic settings and manually fine tune for V-Screen®.

  1. Access the camera properties:
  2. On a camcorder, use the buttons or menus on the camera to make adjustments. To find the location of the automatic gain, white balance, exposure, and iris controls, see the camera manual. Some camcorders allow you to lock or hold all automatic settings with one switch.
  3. On a webcam:
  4. In Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3, click the Setup tab, and then select Video.
  5. Select Properties to open the camera control panel.
  1. Turn off all auto settings, including white balance, gain, iris, exposure, and focus.
  2. Manually adjust the camera’s gain, saturation, frames per second (fps) or shutter speed settings for V-Screen, keeping the following tips in mind:
  3. If the webcam or camera has gain controls, set them as low as possible while still having a bright enough picture. If the picture is too dark with gain at a low setting, the camera might need more light.
  4. For optimal results, the saturation should be similar to the digital background you are using. If you have a brightly colored background, set saturation higher; for a muted background, lower the saturation.
  5. If possible, adjust the camera’s frame rate to 30 or 15 fps.
  6. If the camera has a shutter speed or exposure adjustment, set it to 1/50th of a second to start.
  1. Click OK.

About backgrounds

You can use any image as a background. Visual Communicator comes with a set of background images in the V-Screen Extras and Animated Backgrounds folders in the Graphics library. Also, check out the Virtual Sets folder in the Video Effects library. You can also adjust the color of the background or use different backgrounds in the same show.

The icon in the upper-left corner of the V-Screen tab shows the image assigned as the V-Screen background.

Adjust the background color or change images

  1. Click the V-Screen tab and select Adjust Color.
  2. Use the RGB offset sliders to add the associated colors across the board and the basic RGB sliders to affect only pixels that contain some of the given color.

These adjustments affect only the initial background image. If you change backgrounds during the show, you might want to adjust the color of the new background as well.

Select the new background in its action tray and click Adjust Colors on the Actions tab.

Change backgrounds in a show

  1. Find the V-Screen Bkgd effect in the top level of the Video Effects library and drag it to the Action window.
  2. Drag the new image onto the tray.

Because animated backgrounds use more processing power than still backgrounds and increase the size of the video file, consider using still backgrounds.

You can change the background image in a show as many times as you like.

NOTE / If you’re setting the camera key for the video from two or three cameras, assign a different background to each camera by using the Input field on the V-Screen tab to switch among the cameras and then drag the desired file to the Background thumbnail.

Setting the key to calibrate the background image

Create a key

  1. Click the V-Screen tab and then select Active. A message box instructs you to move away from the camera. Be sure that not even your shadow is in the camera’s frame.
  2. Click OK.

Visual Communicator instantly creates a key. When you set the camera key, consider the following suggestions.

Setting up more than one camera for V-ScreenIf you are keying the video from two or three cameras, set the key for each of them separately by first switching among the cameras from the Input field and then repeating steps 1 and 2.

Lock it downWhen the key is set, keep the camera position, lighting, and any shadows falling on the backdrop the same. If any of these things change too much, you’ll start to see holes in the virtual background. If this happens, click Auto-Set Key to recalibrate. You might also need to readjust the camera settings.

Another way to conserve resourcesThe keying process is resource intensive, so it can slow down the computer’s responsiveness. If the system seems to be slowing down while rehearsing or recording, free up resources by enabling the Don’t Show V-Screen During Rehearse/Record option on the V-Screen tab. This affects only what’s displayed in the Output Monitor; the video is keyed in the published videos.

While the automatic calibration can produce good results, you might want to manually adjust the key.

  1. Position yourself in front of the camera.
  2. Click Adjust Key.
  3. Adjust the Transparency until the foreground subject is not transparent.
  4. If you see noise--static or sparkles in the background--drag the Level slider to the left or right until all noise disappears.
  5. Use the Color slider to adjust the saturation to return the foreground color to the correct levels.

You don’t usually need to adjust the Red, Green, and Blue sliders, but in some situations it can be helpful. Adjusting Blue can decrease noise in the background; Green helps clean up the edges of the foreground subject; Red can correct some noise in the background and fine tune the edges of the subject.

Setting up a keying background

Consider the following items for setting up the backdrop for a background.

Hanging the backdropVisual Communicator includes a green, reinforced polyethylene sheet. Hang the sheet on a wall or from the ceiling with the smooth, matte surface facing the camera.

Backdrop colorYou can use various colors for the background, but some colors are better than others. For the best results, use a saturated green background, such as Kelly green, or Pantone color number 354. You can also use blue, such as a royal blue, or Pantone Proc C. The surface of the green or blue backdrop should be evenly colored and not shiny.

Backdrop alternativesConsider the following options for creating a backdrop:

  • A green or blue bed sheet or piece of fabric attached to a wall
  • Several sheets of large poster board attached to the wall
  • Wrapping paper in a solid green shade. Wrapping paper can be shiny, so be careful about hot spots that reflect light back to the camera.

Backdrop sizeThe size of the backdrop depends on whether the subject will be shown standing or seated, the camera’s distance from the backdrop, and the camera’s field of view. The backdrop should be large enough to fill the camera’s frame; for a head-and-shoulders shot with the camera six feet from the backdrop, the backdrop should be at least 5 feet wide by 4 feet high; for each additional foot of distance, increase the size of the backdrop by approximately one foot in both dimensions.

Lighting the backdropFor good results with V-Screen, ensure that the backdrop is lit brightly and evenly. With the V-Screen feature deselected, look at the image in the Output Monitor. If any spots are near black (not enough light) or any parts are near white (too much light), adjust the lighting for more even results. V-Screen doesn’t work well if the backdrop color is too close to colors in the foreground subject. To eliminate these problems, try bouncing light off the ceiling or a nearby wall.