Tutorial: Greenscreen and Virtual Sets with the NewTek TriCaster Mini

Animating the Camera View

During the show, I can animate the camera view with the zoom and Demo Studio Center controls (Figure 16, below).

Figure 16. Animate the camera view with the zoom and Demo Studio Center controls. Click the image to see it at full size.

For example, I can start with a far back vie, zoom into a two-shot to start the video, zoom in tight for the serious look (Figure 17, below).

Figure 17. Zooming in when things get serious. Click the image to see it at full size.

If I want to make it look like I have multiple cameras, I can change my transition to a cut using the Transition pull-down shown in Figure 18 (below).

Figure 18. Switch to cuts here.

I can also customize the endpoint of the animation via the control shown in Figure 19 (below), which lets me totally customize the animations for the components in the video.

Figure 19. Customize camera animations here. Click the image to see it at full size.

If I have additional cameras, most virtual sets come with left and right views you can match to cameras placed on the side, all with the same animated motion (Figure 20, below). All this makes it simple to make it look like you have an expensive set, with multiple cameras and multiple camera operators.

Figure 20. Using left and right views when you have multiple cameras. Click the image to see it at full size.

Virtual Set Collections

The Mini comes with multiple virtual set collections, which you can see in Figure 21 (below).

Figure 21. Virtual set collections.

You can buy additional virtual sets on Videoguys.com.

Editing Existing Sets

If you want to edit your sets, you can buy the NewTek Virtual Set Editor, now in version 2.5. With the Set Editor, you can make simple adjustments to existing sets, like changing colors, removing production elements, adding logos, and swapping out background images (Figure 22, below). You can even insert video into the background.

Figure 22. Adjusting existing sets in the Virtual Set Editor. Click the image to see it at full size.

You can choose which video elements to add to a set, and where to place them, and how to animate them. You can create your own sets in Photoshop, or any program that can output layered PSD files (Figure 23, below), or work with libraries of professionally created virtual sets, from Virtual Set Works, which contain 20 sets, each with 16 different angles with multiple zoom levels.

Figure 23. Working with a layered PSD virtual set in Photoshop. Click the image to see it at full size.

Delivering Your Composited Video

Of course, in addition to this virtual set capability, the TriCaster Mini can stream your video live, output to projection systems, and record ISO streams of the program or source feeds.

What the Mini does best, though, is make it look like you spent a fortune on your production, while costing a fraction of what you’d spend if you built out a studio, bought multiple cameras, and hired operators to use them.