Not all Green Screen Software is Created Equal

Did you know the concept of taking photos of people standing in front of a green or blue background so you can replace the background has been around for over 70 years? Though the idea has been around for a long time, it takes a good combination of software smarts and decent lighting to get a result that your customers will buy. Many software programs offer background removal, also called Chroma Key or Chroma Keying, but not many programs do it well. Though Darkroom Software has been able to do green screen photos for many years (via their workflow products, Core, Pro, Assembly), Darkroom recently spent almost 2 years reformulating their drop out algorithm. Having met the high standards of Portrait, Corporate, and Event photographers, we were excited when they put this algorithm to work in Darkroom Booth. Though your photo booth images may never be printed life size and placed over a fireplace mantel, isn’t it nice knowing they could? Here are some comparisons of Darkroom Booth’s green screen results compared to several competitors. We’ll point out a few things to look out for when you decide to try your hand at green screen photos.

Competitor 1	Competitor 2
Competitor 3	Darkroom Booth

Take a look at the image details below. The quality of the algorithm improves the natural edge. Look how the different software programs handle the edge, see how the green spills into the background, notice the jagged edges and halo effect that some software produces. Darkroom Booth samples are on the right. Creating a good looking green screen composite that doesn’t look “fake” or “cheesy” also requires decent lighting (see this related post on green screen lighting). Though you can shoot against a green or blue background, the “standard” today is to use green because, among other reasons, today’s digital cameras are more sensitive to green and so provide a better, less noisy image. No green screen is absolutely perfect but we think Darkroom Booth has the best as far as photo booth software goes and many of our customers will testify to that. If you have any questions or if you would like to try out Darkroom Booth please contact us at 800-342-9294 or photobooth@imagingspectrum.com