Dec 19, 2017 Improving your Video Meetings on Skype with Green Screens. About 1-2-spare hours to get this all set up and working. A bunch of kits on Amazon with a green screen, backdrop support frame, and studio lights. I went this route and picked up the green screen and lights in an inexpensive package. How to set up a green screen for videos I recently started exploring using green screen for videos. I’m not the greatest by any means and I still have a lot to learn, but I love how it transforms the quality of my videos and makes them more personal.
Microsoft does offer a web-based version of Skype, so you can chat with your friends on your Chromebook. There’s no official voice or video support yet, but there are ways around that.
If you depend on Skype for voice-and-video chatting, you may want to try Google Hangouts instead. Hangouts works well across Chromebooks, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
![Screen Screen](/uploads/1/2/3/9/123906530/500232084.jpg)
Use Skype for Web (Instant Messaging Only)
Microsoft now provides a version of Skype that works directly in a browser, and even works for Chromebooks. This is a beta, so the video and voice calling doesn’t work yet in some browsers, including Chromebooks. They might open this up in the future, however.
You can head to web.skype.com in your browser, login, and start using instant messenger.
Text Chat on Outlook.com
RELATED:The Best Ways to Video Chat from Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android
Skype is often considered a voice-and-video-calling application, but it’s more than that. Many people just use Skype for text chatting, especially after it absorbed the old Windows Live Messenger (aka MSN Messenger.)
You can connect to Skype and send text messages with your contacts from Outlook.com. Just log in to your account and use the built-in chat feature in Outlook.com, which connects to Skype. This hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves — Outlook.com’s chat feature is basically just a web version of Skype.
On Windows and Mac, users can install a Skype plug-in to have video and voice calls from Outlook.com, as well. In the future, Microsoft will hopefully switch to WebRTC for plug-in-free Skype calling on Outlook.com, and Skype will then be available on your Chromebook and every other device. For now, the lack of Skype helps Microsoft slam Chromebooks with their “Scroogled” ads.
To use this feature, head to Outlook.com, sign in, and click the messaging icon at the top-right corner of your inbox. Click the “Sign in or join” link next to Skype if you haven’t already set up Skype on Outlook.com.
Install the Skype Android App
Google is working on an Android runtime for Chrome. Ultimately, this is a compatibility layer designed to let you run any Android app directly on Chrome OS, giving Chromebooks access to all the Android apps that exist. It doesn’t work perfectly just yet and requires some fiddling, but it’s an option.
Skype has an Android app, and you can now install that Android app on Chrome OS. If you have an Android device, you can install Skype for Android and the ARChon Packager app. The packager app can then package up the Skype Android app into a Chrome app. You can then share the generated app using Android’s share feature and upload it to Google Drive, where it will be available on your Chromebook’s Files app.
First, install the Archon runtime on your Chromebook. Next, extract the Skype app and install it by opening the Extensions page in Chrome, activating “Developer mode,” and using the “Load unpacked extension” button. This is probably the easiest option.
![C920 C920](/uploads/1/2/3/9/123906530/295804682.jpg)
If you just have a Chromebook, you can use the twerk Chrome app for this. You’ll just have to get an official Skype APK file to package it with. (Note that the “Developer mode” option here just activates some additional features on the Extensions page. It’s different from the “Developer Mode” feature below that allows you to install Linux.)
Use Skype for Linux in Developer Mode
RELATED:How to Install Ubuntu Linux on Your Chromebook with Crouton
This is probably the most complicated option here, but it will certainly work. Microsoft still provides an officially supported version of Skype for the Linux desktop. This application can’t be installed directly in Chrome OS. However, you could put your Chromebook into Developer Mode and install a standard Linux environment alongside Chrome OS. You’d then have a Linux system and you could switch back and forth between your Linux desktop with a keyboard shortcut.
With Linux installed, you could install the Skype package from Microsoft. You’d then have a Skype desktop application running on your Chromebook. This will only work on Intel-based Chromebooks, not ARM-based ones — Skype is only available for Intel-based Linux systems.
This is a fairly extreme option, and the average Chromebook user who just wants Skype won’t want to go through this process. However, if you desperately need Skype — or if you also want to use other desktop Linux applications like Minecraft, Steam, and whatever else — the full Linux system is an option available to you.
The average Chromebook user will probably want to text-chat with their Skype contacts via Outlook.com and pick up their smartphone when it’s time to make a Skype voice or video call. That’s the easiest, most well-supported option here.
But, if you’re willing to be adventurous, the Skype Android app may work fairly well for you. Better yet, people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty with desktop Linux in a Chromebook’s developer mode have a full, officially supported Linux version of Skype waiting for them. However, you should be warned that the Skype client for Linux isn’t as nice as the ones for Windows and Mac — it’s a little neglected. But, to be fair to Microsoft, Skype for Linux was neglected even before Microsoft purchased Skype.
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I’ve already showed you the basics of green screen videography with pre-recorded footage in iMovie or PremiereHow to Do Green Screen Video in iMovie and Adobe PremiereHow to Do Green Screen Video in iMovie and Adobe PremiereTechnically known as chroma-keying, green screening is the process of masking a video using color - removing specific parts so you can overlay one video on top of another. An obvious example is the weather,...Read More, so you could superimpose yourself onto any video or background. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could use this green screen effect for a live broadcast – like on Google Hangouts, or Skype?
“Yes indeed it would be, James” – is the answer you’re looking for there, and you’re in luck because I’ve been having a go at doing that very same thing. Read on to join the cool kids club as we play with live green screen broadcasting on Mac or Windows.
No idea what Google HangOuts is? Tina fills you in on how to use HangOuts to chat with friendsHow To Use Google+ Hangouts To Meet With FriendsHow To Use Google+ Hangouts To Meet With FriendsGoogle Hangouts is a key feature of Google+. If you are not using Hangouts already, you are missing out! Maybe you haven't yet joined Google+. Well, if you do have a Google account, then joining...Read More, and 5 reasons HangOuts are cooler than Skype5 Reasons Google Hangouts Are Cooler Than Skype For Video Chats5 Reasons Google Hangouts Are Cooler Than Skype For Video ChatsHangouts is Google's take on chat rooms. Like many times before, Google has turned a good idea into something incredibly useful, while preserving simplicity and ease of use and thus making it fantastic. In this...Read More; read those, then come back and wow them all with your green screen skills.
Mac OS X: CamTwist (Free)
CamTwist is remarkably useful considering it’s completely free. Unfortunately, it’s also about non-user-friendly as they come. Upon first launching the app, you’ll be greeted with this interface, which is only slightly less intimidating than a spreadsheet from the 80s.
First, hit CMD-P to open up the preview window.
First, hit CMD-P to open up the preview window.
The premise of CamTwist is that you add input sources, and effects, and end up with a composite video you can then feed into other applications – a DIY webcam, if you like.
Double-click on a video source – your webcam would be an easy place to start at – then double-click some effects to add them. Effects stack, though your results will vary of course depending on what you choose. I quite like this “dot screen” and “earthquake” effect.
Now, onto our green screen. For this we’ll need a background source – your desktop is probably the easiest for testing, but you could also use a pre-recorded video source (I could only get .MOV formats to work), another webcam, or just a slideshow of images. Double click to add your chosen source to the scene.
Next, highlight Webcam and select the PIP (picture in picture) button from the bottom of the list. This will overlay your webcam onto the scene. To setup the Chroma-key, select the PIP Webcam from the Step 3 column to open the settings screen.
Check the box next to Chroma key, and choose the colour. The easiest way to find the colour is using the magnifying glass in the top left of the colour popup. Adjust the threshold to tweak results – as you can see above, mine turned out pretty badly thanks to poor (uneven) lighting.
One caveat here: CamTwist won’t work with 64-bit applications, which the latest Flash player and most web browsers are – so if you’re unable to find the virtual CamTwist video source in Hangouts or otherwise, you’ll be stumbling up against this issue. To get around this, you should try running the app in 32-bit mode by right clicking on the application and checking the relevant box. If that doesn’t work, the CamTwist developers suggest installing an older version of Flash also – 10.3 should be fine – which also still runs in 32-bit.
Hopefully someone will deal with this 64-bit incompatibility at some point.
Windows: SparkoCam ($20)
I can’t find a free solution do to this on Windows, but SparkoCam is the cheapest and also lets you use a DSLR camera as a live video input source, which is fantastic and will give you far better quality than a webcam – this alone makes it worth the price, I think.
Start by selecting your video source on the initial screen. To use a DSLR, plug in the supplied USB cable and switch the camera to video mode. You might want to disable auto-focus, or you’ll end up with annoying scratching sounds as its tries to focus every 3 seconds.
To add the green screen, move over to the Effects tab (next one along). Select a background first or you won’t know when it’s working. By clicking on Detect the app was able to automatically add the right colour, and the quality of the screening was actually real good – no tweaking necessary this time. Unfortunately, it’s slightly limited in that you can only use a static background image – you can’t broadcast your desktop, or overlay on top of another video.
The Bottom Line
Green screen video is just great fun, live or pre-recorded. It can be a bit fiddly getting drivers to work correctly for CamTwist, especially considering that running an older version of Flash can be a serious security risk, but with enough tweaking you should get there in the end and the forums are full of users ready to help.
So… any ideas on how you’ll use green screen? Share your thoughts in the comments, below.
For more tips and advice on using Google Hangouts, Bakari gave some advice about using it for online meetingsTips On Planning & Holding Effective Meetings With Google HangoutsTips On Planning & Holding Effective Meetings With Google HangoutsWith today's Internet technology, holding online meetings can be both efficient and cost-effective especially if you pre-plan them and make use of time-saving tools. For the last couple of months I've participated in online meetings...Read More, and here are some creative ideas to get more out of HangOutsGet More Out Of Google+ Hangouts With These 5 Creative IdeasGet More Out Of Google+ Hangouts With These 5 Creative IdeasGoogle+ Hangouts are a pretty cool tool - one which we've put to good use here at MakeUseOf. Whether it's to hold editorial meetings or to host our own Podcast, Technophilia, we're big fans of...Read More.
Image credit: Lego Figure Chroma Key IMG_2494 (Lær IT)
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- Can these apps be used for other live web meeting platforms like Zoom or Skype? If not, is there a suggestion for an app that can do so?
- https://obsproject.com/ - Free and has a lot of addons created by a community.The Green Screen is the 'Chroma' option when adding a webcam to the broadcast.
- sparkocam keeps crashing or it black and white with big lines through it, when i try to put video in background ...i am using logitech hd pro webcam c920...
- Hi, I can't get this program to work with an actual green screen, I have messed around with the settings and the only way I have found close is to have a background image selected as a scene and with green screen selected, but that will only put a live image into one of the preloaded scenes in a designated area of that image or if it is an image I have loaded it will only put me in a small box like seen on skype, I can not get a live image in full screen with an active green screen background, ie background image/scene selected - green screen selected - live view. if anyone knows if this is possible then let me know. Thanks Dave
- Is Sparkocam compatible with google hangouts?
- Yes, it just makes a virtual webcam.
- Hello
is it possible to do this with a nikon d5100 camera?- You would need to check the specific software, but if it has a USB port my guess would be yes. Both have demoes to test, I believe.