This video segment is from “Learning After Effects CS4″ and shows you the difference between simple “chroma keying” and a real matte extraction/creation tool. Keylight is a plug-in that ships with After Effects CS4 and is an industry standard for compositing/VFX work done with After Effects. The example shown can be found in its entirety along with all the source footage and project files so you can follow along with the DVD.

Click the image below to view the video hosted on Adobe TV:

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I first needed to line-up the green screen footage layer with the background layers used in this composite, so I set a guide on the edge of the door and moved/rotated the green screen footage to line up the edge of the blue panel with the guide. I then create a large feathered mask around the live action portion of the screen footage as a “garbage matte”.

I then use the Keylight keyer filter on the green background and fine-tune the settings to get the best possible key of the Santa character. (Oooh… he looks a little pissed here, doesn’t he?)

Next I use the Keylight filter on the blue foreground panel and adjust to accommodate for the shadows from his hands, so the door shows through.

Lastly, I use the Levels filter to adjust the color of the keyed character to attain the best color and lighting for the composited scene.

You can see the before/after video of this process in the movie link below:
NOTE: YouTube screws up the first few seconds by over-compressing the video, but it clears up – just let it keep running!

To see this tutorial in step-by-step detail, you can get my new training DVD here: “Learning After Effects CS4″ from PhotoshopCAFE.com