Learning Shake For Keying

[user_deleted]

Have to pull a key on greenscreen headshot footage, have never used shake. Currently reading the tut's and the manual.

1) How easy is it to learn? (I know afx 4, maya 4, fcp 4, very software savvy)
2) Will the shake demo run on iBook G4?
3) Can I learn what I need to in a weekend?

What do I need to learn to pull a key and get footage back into fcp?
What does the workflow look like?
1) import
2) working with nodes?
3)pulling the key
4) export

Can fcp 5 pull any kind of key worth using?

Should I just ask for a copy of afx?

Thanks.

[deke-kincaid]

1) How easy is it to learn? (I know afx 4, maya 4, fcp 4, very software savvy)
probably not that hard since you know atleast one other node based app(maya)

2) Will the shake demo run on iBook G4?
Yes, maybe a little slow since the hard drive is slow, but it will run. I would suggest an external firewire drive for your media.

3) Can I learn what I need to in a weekend?
Maybe, I would see if you could get someone experienced to help you out. By yourself you will probably run into stuff you just don't understand.

[user_deleted]

Cool beaker, thanks for the response.

I did the keylight tut in the apple store!

Although, when I got to the Vlut2 part, I could not find it, the drop down saying vlut off (near the image tab) said something like 'g/o/log'. and not Vlut2, that sure confused me! Still haven't figured that one out.

OK, I have a couple of questions, would you be so kind as to answer them for me?

1a) Shake only works on images and not video?
1b) so I have to import the video as a sequence of images?
1c) What file type is best for HD footage?

2a) What do I export to?? how do I get the files out again?, Is there quicktime support or do I export back to same image file type?

3) I presume I need to render the footage once composited?

4) I worked with one foreground image and one background image, if I have a sequence of foreground images sharing one background image, how does that work? what does that look like in the node window? Do I need to connect keylight to all the images in the image sequence?

5) working over time does the keylight I set up automatically work on the other images in the sequence? or do I have to specify I want this to happen?

Your answers will be so very much appreciated, thank you!!

[user_deleted]

QUOTE(goldenfireheart @ 09/08/06, 07:16 PM) [snapback]247153[/snapback]
Cool beaker, thanks for the response.

I did the keylight tut in the apple store!

Although, when I got to the Vlut2 part, I could not find it, the drop down saying vlut off (near the image tab) said something like 'g/o/log'. and not Vlut2, that sure confused me! Still haven't figured that one out.

OK, I have a couple of questions, would you be so kind as to answer them for me?

1a) Shake only works on images and not video?
ITWORKS WITH QUICKTIME (NOT PC *.AVI)
Load your videos in the File In Node or drag them to the Node view.

1b) so I have to import the video as a sequence of images?
You might. If you work with FCP keep it in one file since FCP deals pretty bad with image sequences.

1c) What file type is best for HD footage?
The same you captured it with... NO IDEA

2a) What do I export to?? how do I get the files out again?, Is there quicktime support or do I export back to same image file type?
At the end of your node tree (all the procedures you apply to the video/image) you must put a FILEOUT node.

3) I presume I need to render the footage once composited?
Sure. Render the FileOut node (it specifies a file, the one that it'll vcreate containing your finished video)

4) I worked with one foreground image and one background image, if I have a sequence of foreground images sharing one background image, how does that work? what does that look like in the node window? Do I need to connect keylight to all the images in the image sequence?
IF THE KEYLIGHT WILL BE THE SAME FOR ALL YOUR IMAGES GATHER THEM IN A MULTILAYER NODE. Tweak the Timing controls in each FileIn node so they don't overlap in time (you aorder them one after the other). Attach this to the keylight.
But i doubt the same Keylight will do good for all different images
If the thing is Shake is importing a series of images one by one remember taking them as an IMAGE SEQUENCE, not a series of isolated pictures...

5) working over time does the keylight I set up automatically work on the other images in the sequence? or do I have to specify I want this to happen?
Keylight works on whatever ou input to it