DVMatte PRo versus PriMatte (or buy an old copy of Shake) for chroma key project

Hello all.

I've done some basic green screen /chroma key work in the past. Using just the FCP and Motion tools. All been good enough for internet only projects. I am now embarking on a project that will be theatrically projected.

Everyone raves about Shake (but of course it's discontinued) but you can still buy old copies on Amazon.

Does anyone have any thoughts on DVMatte Pro, PriMatte or using an older version of Shake for simple actor against green screen work?

We shall presume that the video is perfectly lit (with good separation and detail to flyaway hair, etc.)

Editing in FCP 7 on a Mac Pro 12 Core

Apologies if this seems an oft asked question.

Cheers.

Thanks for providing the comparison video, Phil. Nice work.

It's pretty easy to pull a good key in DVMatte Pro, even with a less than perfect screen, especially compared to the included tools in FCP7/Motion 4.

I like the way the plugin can preserve and match grain in the footage and it is very capable of keying individual hairs, even without a lot of tweaking. There are also other plugins included with it like DVWrap which can really help "sell" the effect.

That being said, there are some annoying as hell bugs in DVMatte that the company refuses to respond to. There are workarounds but it is disappointing that the company doesn't respond to inquiries on a product they are still selling.

What camera are you using? Anything not 4:2:2 or better will benefit from the de-blocking technology in DVMatte.

Food for thought on Shake
If you don't have any other use for a compositing program except for a CK, Shake is going to be complete overkill.
The last version of Shake for mac was meant to run on Leopard. It may, or may not run well on your system. Snow Leopard is doable, and some have even reported getting it to run on Lion. The farther you get from Leopard, the better the chance it won't run, or that an OS update might break it. To have the best odds of a successful Shake installation, you should do a clean install and Shake should be loaded before FCS. If you are at a point of freezing your system at a particular level, it might be something to consider. But if you need to keep your OS up to date to support other apps, it might not be that great for you.
Also the UI, and workflow is quite different. Similar to Color with a node based UI. Even just doing a simple CK might prove to be a challenge for some new users. I'm not saying it can't be done. Just that it's a lot more work than installing a FCP plugin.
On the plus side, it can be had for bargain prices.
Another option is to farm out the shots that are giving you trouble to someone that has Shake or other compositing software.

Scott Sheriff
Director
http://www.sstdigitalmedia.com


"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." ---Red Adair

Where were you on 6/21?