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Chris Meyer/PVC Editorial Director

The Green Screen Handbook Brings Reality and Fantasy Together with Cinematic Results

Press Release

Ventura, CA (PRWEB) March 17, 2010—If you want to make movies with green screen compositing technology, The Green Screen Handbook, written by author, producer and motion graphics specialist Jeff Foster, is just for you. Published by Sybex (Wiley)  this unique guide is a comprehensive how-to of professional production techniques, step-by-step instruction, and tips that can save you time and money. Learn when to use green screens instead of blue, find out how the pros operate in professional studios and get amazing results—even on a shoestring budget.

Topics include matting and keying basics; setups using fabric, portable background panels, or paint; lighting and digital camera essentials; broadcast TV hardware switchers; professional HD and major motion picture compositing; multiple-colored screen composites (background, foregrounds, and objects); directing storyboards and talent; working with virtual sets; motion tracking; and much more. A DVD accompanies the book that includes sample footage and all project files for each chapter.

According to Foster, “No one yet has provided this kind of extensive information that combines historical research, practical application, accurate lighting, shooting and set up in one book. My passion for this subject combined with twenty years experience hopefully has resulted in a project that will raise the level of green screen production from the novice to the professional.”

The Green Screen Handbook retails for $49.99 US and is available at TheGreenScreenHandbook.com (for a 30% discount) and distributed through book retailers worldwide and Amazon.com.

ISBN: 978-0-470-52107-6
Publisher: Sybex (Wiley) March 15, 2010
Paperback: 384 pages

Watch this short video trailer to get a preview of the major topics covered in this book:

PRESS QUOTES:

“No author today knows as much about professional green screen use than Jeff Foster — and his book is a treasure-trove of techniques for real-world production.”
- Jay Nelson, Editor/Publisher, Design Tools Monthly

“The Green Screen Handbook book has it all: interesting historical notes, edifying technical background, practical pre-production tips, and honest comparisons of various hardware and software tools that can help you in your compositing work. Anyone who is about to tackle a compositing job that involves keying should spend a few hours with Jeff’s book first. It’ll be time well spent.”
- Todd Kopriva, Adobe

“Jeff Foster has written the ultimate Green Screen Handbook . . . a must-have educational resource for anyone wanting to learn and master this highly demanded video technique.”
- Rod Harlan, Layers Magazine

“What a great find! I was looking for resources for our live video productions on motion.tv, and came across this book. It’s loaded with valuable reference information – but more importantly, it’s enjoyable to read! Definitely not your typical ‘handbook’.”
- Elaine Montoya {motion.tv}

“This is THE handbook for anyone working with green screen. Everything you need to know is covered in detail.”
- Colin Smith, PhotoshopCAFE

About Jeff Foster

Jeff has been producing and training for traditional and digital images, photography, illustration, motion graphics, and special effects for DV and film for over 20 years. His clients include Tribune Broadcasting, Motorola, Nestle, McDonnell Douglas, FOX Television, Spike TV, Discovery/TLC, Universal Studios, and Disney. His best-selling book title, “After Effects and Photoshop - Animation and Production Effects for DV and Film,” provides tips and tricks for creating believable animations and reveals special effects secrets the professionals have been using for years. Jeff has written or contributed to several After Effects and Photoshop books and has been a featured speaker at Macworld, Photoshop World, Adobe MAX and NAB conferences. Besides corporate and private training Jeff is part of a team of Adobe application instructors at onlineinstruct.com. Jeff can be contacted through his company at: www.PixelPainter.com

Past Issue: November 2009

The articles below were included in the November 2009 edition of the PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter. If you haven’t already subscribed for the PVC newsletters, we suggest you do so now to ensure that you are notified as soon as they are available.

The articles in the fourth PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter included:

Preview: Sony PMW-350 2/3” 3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder

by Adam Wilt

Sony has announced the PMW-350, the first 2/3” camcorder in the EX series of solid-state memory-based MPEG2 camcorders. It’ll ship in January 2010. Sony kindly lent me a pre-production prototype for a week, and this preview is the result: not an all-out review, because the PMW-350 isn’t finished yet, but a good “first look” that’s probably 90% accurate regarding the final product.

AJA KiPro: More Than Just a Field Recorder

by Steve Hullfish

The AJA KiPro (pronounced “kee-PRO”) is a very nicely designed unit that I believe will become more and more useful over time. As it is currently released, several of the features that I really am interested in are still not implemented, but the potential is definitely there.

My overall impression is that it’s a great little box that is very well engineered, but I have some reservations and an extensive wish list for making the device a “must have.” Before I get in to that, let me tell you a little about the device.

DSLR Shootout

by Richard Harrington

I am truly excited by the convergence of technology that is occurring with DSLR cameras and video recording. The format allows for the recording of some truly amazing images due to sensor size and lens selection. But like all technologies, it suffers from some constraints that need to be overcome.

Past Issue: August 2009

The articles below were included in the August 2009 edition of the PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter. If you haven’t already subscribed for the PVC newsletters, we suggest you do so now to ensure that you are notified as soon as they are available.

The articles in the third PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter included:

Past Issue: May 2009

The articles below were included in the May 2009 edition of the PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter. If you haven’t already subscribed for the PVC newsletters, we suggest you do so now to ensure that you are notified as soon as they are available.

The articles in the second PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter included:

Past Issue: February 2009

The articles below were included in the February 2009 edition of the PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter. If you haven’t already subscribed for the PVC newsletters, we suggest you do so now to ensure that you are notified as soon as they are available.

The articles in the first PVC Pipeline | Production newsletter included:

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