Another related query

Matt,

thanks for all the info. I'll certainly try these options. Actually, it would be nice to have a brush which keys keeping hair, transparency etc. like the Knockout version you mention. I remember from your training tapes that when you were extracting a giraffe's neck & head, you first used keying to get the furry edges right and only then used roto to complete the mask. So, however automatic, splines will remain problematic for complex subjects. I was recently extracting a Christmas tree from a busy background in order to insert an object behind it (which could be partially seen thru the furry tree.....the camera was not static....but I could successfully track several points on the tree as the camera moved....if only I could apply the trackers to Knockout/Mask Pro brush strokes.....

Anyway, moving on, 2 slight digressions which could be relevant here:

1) Is it necessary, when using high-end keyers such as Keylight, Primatte or Advantedge, to do the routine preprocessing that is advisable with more basic keyers, e.g. look for the right high-contrast channel, apply levels appropriately etc etc.? Or, am I correct in assuming that the sophisticated keyers just do these internally anyway and there would be no benefit from checking the key applied to various channels or pre-processed in various ways every time something has to be keyed?

2) Anyone use DVMatte from DVgarage? Many have posted positive comments on this implying that this is now there only keyer and so on. It gets quoted as "best of the bunch out there" and so on. I'd have ignored these if the creator wasn't from ILM. What is never clear from the reviews is whether the "bunch out there" comprises only built-in keyers or what. Basically, my question is - as an owner of Primatte (thru Commotion) & Keylight (thru AE 6.0 Pro) is there anything I could gain from DVMatte?

Cheers