Keying Out Green Screen Footage with Keylight in After Effects
After Effects Cs5 Plugin Keylight 12 Download: Everything You Need to Know
If you are looking for a powerful and easy-to-use plugin for keying out backgrounds in After Effects, you might want to check out Keylight. Keylight is a built-in plugin that comes with After Effects Cs5 and later versions. It allows you to remove green or blue screens from your footage and create realistic composites with other elements. In this article, we will show you how to download and install Keylight for After Effects Cs5, and how to use it to achieve professional results.
After Effects Cs5 Plugin Keylight 12 Download
How to Download and Install Keylight for After Effects Cs5
Keylight is included in After Effects Cs5 Professional edition, so if you have that version, you don't need to download anything. You can just apply the effect from the Effects & Presets panel, under the Keying subfolder. However, if you have After Effects Cs5 Standard edition, or an older version of After Effects, you will need to download and install Keylight separately. You can do that by visiting the website of The Foundry, the company that developed Keylight. Here are the steps:
Go to http://www.thefoundry.co.uk and click on Downloads.
Select for After Effects from the drop-down menu.
Find Keylight in the list of plugins and click on it.
Choose the version that matches your operating system and your After Effects version.
Download the file and unzip it.
Copy the Keylight folder and paste it into the Plug-ins folder of your After Effects installation directory.
Restart After Effects and you should see Keylight in the Effects & Presets panel.
Note that there are different versions of Keylight available for download. The latest one is Keylight v1.2, which has some improvements and bug fixes over the previous versions. You can read more about them in the release notes on The Foundry's website.
How to Use Keylight for After Effects Cs5
Once you have Keylight installed, you can start using it to key out backgrounds from your footage. Here are some tips on how to do it:
Import your footage into After Effects and create a new composition.
Drag and drop the Keylight effect onto your footage layer.
In the Effect Controls panel, use the Eyedropper tool to select the background color you want to remove. This will be the Screen Color setting in Keylight.
Adjust the Screen Gain and Screen Balance settings to fine-tune the keying process. Screen Gain controls how much of the background color is removed, while Screen Balance controls how much of the foreground color is preserved.
Use the View menu in Keylight to switch between different modes of viewing your keyed footage. You can choose from Final Result, Screen Matte, Status, or Combined Matte.
In Screen Matte mode, you can see how well your keying is working by looking at the white and black areas. White areas are transparent, black areas are opaque, and gray areas are semi-transparent. You want to have a clean white background and a solid black foreground.
If you see any noise or spill in your keyed footage, you can use the Screen Pre-blur, Clip Black, Clip White, Despill Bias, Replace Method, and Edge Color Correction settings to fix them. These settings allow you to smooth out the edges of your key, remove unwanted colors from your foreground, and blend your foreground with your background.
Once you are happy with your keying result, you can add other elements to your composition, such as backgrounds, effects, or text. You can also use masks or rotoscoping tools to refine your key further if needed.
Keylight is a versatile and powerful plugin that can help you create realistic composites in After Effects. By following these steps, you can download and install Keylight for After Effects Cs5, and use it to key out backgrounds from your footage. We hope this article was helpful and informative for you.
Why Use Keylight for After Effects Cs5
Keylight is one of the most popular and widely used plugins for keying in After Effects. It has many advantages over other keying plugins or effects, such as:
It is fast and efficient, as it uses a single color channel to key out the background, instead of multiple channels.
It is accurate and flexible, as it allows you to adjust various parameters to fine-tune the keying result and handle different lighting conditions and background colors.
It is versatile and compatible, as it works with any type of footage, whether it is SD, HD, or 4K, and with any color space, whether it is 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit.
It is integrated and convenient, as it comes with After Effects Cs5 Professional edition, and can be easily applied and modified within the program.
With Keylight, you can create realistic and seamless composites in After Effects Cs5, without having to spend a lot of time and effort on keying. Whether you are working on a film, a TV show, a commercial, or a web video, Keylight can help you achieve your creative vision.
Where to Find More Resources on Keylight for After Effects Cs5
If you want to learn more about Keylight and how to use it effectively in After Effects Cs5, there are plenty of resources available online. Here are some of them:
The Foundry's website: This is the official website of the company that developed Keylight. Here you can find the latest updates, downloads, documentation, tutorials, and support for Keylight. You can also contact them if you have any questions or feedback.
The Creative COW forum: This is a popular online community for creative professionals who use After Effects and other software. Here you can find discussions, tips, tricks, and solutions related to Keylight and keying in general. You can also ask questions and get answers from other users and experts.
The YouTube channel: This is a video-sharing platform where you can find many tutorials, demos, and examples of using Keylight in After Effects. You can also subscribe to channels that offer regular content on keying and compositing.
With these resources, you can expand your knowledge and skills on Keylight and After Effects Cs5. You can also discover new ways and techniques to use Keylight for your projects.
How to Troubleshoot Keylight for After Effects Cs5
Sometimes, you may encounter some issues or errors when using Keylight in After Effects Cs5. Here are some common problems and how to fix them:
If you see a message saying "Keylight out of memory", it means that your system does not have enough RAM to process your footage. You can try to reduce the resolution of your footage, close other applications, or increase your RAM capacity.
If you see a message saying "Keylight license not found", it means that your plugin is not properly activated or registered. You can try to reinstall the plugin, enter your license key again, or contact The Foundry for support.
If you see a message saying "Keylight unsupported bit depth", it means that your footage has a color depth that is not compatible with Keylight. You can try to convert your footage to a supported format, such as 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit.
If you see a message saying "Keylight unsupported color space", it means that your footage has a color space that is not compatible with Keylight. You can try to convert your footage to a supported color space, such as RGB, YUV, or LAB.
If none of these solutions work, you can try to update your After Effects Cs5 and Keylight to the latest versions, or check the online forums and tutorials for more help.
How to Enhance Your Composites with Keylight for After Effects Cs5
Once you have keyed out your background with Keylight in After Effects Cs5, you can add some effects and adjustments to make your composites more realistic and appealing. Here are some tips on how to do that:
Add some motion blur to your foreground and background layers to create a sense of movement and depth. You can use the built-in motion blur effect in After Effects Cs5, or use a third-party plugin such as ReelSmart Motion Blur.
Add some color correction to your foreground and background layers to match their tones and contrast. You can use the built-in color correction effects in After Effects Cs5, such as Curves, Levels, or Hue/Saturation, or use a third-party plugin such as Magic Bullet Looks.
Add some light wrap to your foreground layer to simulate the light bouncing from the background onto the edges of your subject. You can use the built-in light wrap effect in After Effects Cs5, or use a third-party plugin such as Knoll Light Factory.
Add some shadows and reflections to your foreground layer to anchor it to the background and create a sense of realism. You can use the built-in drop shadow and CC Light Sweep effects in After Effects Cs5, or use a third-party plugin such as Red Giant Warp.
With these effects and adjustments, you can enhance your composites and make them look more convincing and professional.
How to Compare Keylight with Other Keying Plugins for After Effects Cs5
Keylight is not the only keying plugin available for After Effects Cs5. There are other plugins that offer different features and functions for keying out backgrounds. Here are some of them and how they compare with Keylight:
Primatte Keyer: This is a plugin developed by Red Giant that uses a hybrid algorithm to key out backgrounds. It combines chroma keying, matte extraction, and spill suppression in one effect. It also has a user-friendly interface and a powerful Auto Compute feature that automatically adjusts the keying settings based on the footage. Primatte Keyer is more expensive than Keylight, but it also offers more control and flexibility over the keying process.
Ultra Keyer: This is a plugin developed by Boris FX that uses a vector keying algorithm to key out backgrounds. It analyzes the color spectrum of the footage and creates a high-quality matte based on the selected color range. It also has a built-in spill remover and edge softener that improve the quality of the key. Ultra Keyer is cheaper than Keylight, but it also has fewer options and parameters to tweak the keying result.
Key Cleaner: This is a native effect in After Effects Cs5 that enhances the alpha channel of a keyed layer. It removes noise, artifacts, and holes from the matte, and smooths out the edges of the key. It also has a Reduce Chatter option that reduces flickering and jumping in the matte. Key Cleaner is not a standalone keying effect, but it can be used in combination with other keying effects or plugins to improve the quality of the key.
Depending on your budget, preferences, and needs, you can choose between these keying plugins or effects for After Effects Cs5. You can also try them out with trial versions or demos before buying them.
How to Learn More About After Effects Cs5 and Keylight
If you want to master After Effects Cs5 and Keylight, you need to practice and learn from different sources. Here are some ways to do that:
Watch online courses: There are many online courses that teach you how to use After Effects Cs5 and Keylight for various projects and purposes. You can find them on platforms such as Udemy, Skillshare, Lynda, or Coursera. You can learn from experienced instructors and follow along with their lessons.
Read books: There are also many books that cover After Effects Cs5 and Keylight in depth and detail. You can find them on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other bookstores. You can learn from expert authors and refer to their examples and exercises.
Join online communities: There are also many online communities that connect you with other users and enthusiasts of After Effects Cs5 and Keylight. You can find them on websites such as Reddit, Quora, or Stack Exchange. You can ask questions, share tips, get feedback, and learn from others.
With these resources, you can improve your skills and knowledge on After Effects Cs5 and Keylight. You can also discover new possibilities and opportunities to use them for your projects.
Conclusion
Keylight is a powerful and easy-to-use plugin for keying out backgrounds in After Effects Cs5. It allows you to remove green or blue screens from your footage and create realistic composites with other elements. In this article, we have shown you how to download and install Keylight for After Effects Cs5, and how to use it to achieve professional results. We have also compared Keylight with other keying plugins or effects, and provided you with some resources to learn more about After Effects Cs5 and Keylight. We hope this article was helpful and informative for you. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. ca3e7ad8fd