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Using Chroma Key

Livestream Studio includes chroma key, giving users the ability to remove a color from the video source, typically a background color to replace with an image such as a virtual set.

Chroma key is done through the graphics module. Start by adding a new layer to any graphics overlay channel.

Click the paintbrush icon to enter the GFX Designer.

Next, click on the camera icon to add an input source to your graphics layer.

Click the gearwheel to select which input source you want to use for chroma key; this can be any video input in Studio including a remote guest or a media source.

You can adjust how your input source looks inside the GFX Designer as necessary, such as scaling it to fit the whole screen.

Click the person icon to turn on chroma key.

You may be prompted to click the Auto button. By doing so, Livestream Studio will automatically detect the most prominent color (green in this example) and key it out.

Next, close out of the GFX Designer and put either a camera, media source, or graphics source into Program from your multi-view. The example below has a white background video from Media 2.

Now push your graphics overlay layer into Program by clicking the corresponding PUSH button.

You should now see your chroma keyed input source overlaying your Program source.

Please note that other images or assets in the same graphics layer will also be visible. This is useful for picture-in-picture use-cases, but use caution with this type of workflow, as it may increase your CPU usage.

To make further adjustments to your chroma key graphic, go back to the GFX Designer. When you select your input source in the graphics overlay while chroma key is turned on, you will see other options in the upper right corner. 

To erase all chroma keying on your input source, click the X icon. Note that the green background has returned to the picture.

To apply automatic chroma keying (i.e., key out the most prominent color), click the icon of the eyedropper with an A.

The eyedropper-circle icon will allow you to do rough keying by hand. Select this option, then hover your mouse to the area you want to key (e.g. the back of the chair).

Click and drag your mouse to start real-time keying. You can increase or decrease the keying color range, which will be indicated by a circle around the area.

The end result should be similar to the image above, where the colors within the range that was selected are now on the chroma key palette and thus not visible.

The eyedropper with a plus sign either initializes the chroma key or adds color hues to the chroma key palette. This is helpful if there are shadows in your background that did not key out fully.

The eyedropper with a minus sign will exclude colors from your chroma key palette. This is helpful if a color on your set is similar to the color you keyed out and is faded. In this example, the orange chair is keyed out and the red sweater is also largely keyed out.

After using the eyedropper minus tool on the red sweater, you can now see the sweater; orange is still on the chroma key palette.

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