FXHOME PRO-EDU, PRO User manual
PhotoKey 7 Pro user guide
Table of Contents
1 Learning PhotoKey 7 Pro 4
2 New in PhotoKey 7 Pro 5
3 Installation & activation 6
4 Getting started & workflow 7
8About green screen photography
11Finding your way around
12Quick start guide
23Navigation bar
25Options
28Saving & loading projects
29Keyboard shortcuts
32Photoshop plugin
5 Features in detail 33
34Canvas
36Canvas view options
37Import
38Key
41Auto chroma key
48Spill suppression
55Masks
58Filters
63Position
65Layers
68Effects
72Overlay
74Text
77Export
79Email export
83FTP upload
85Batch processing
86Batch import
87Working with multiple images
90Hot folders
91Batch Export
1 Learning PhotoKey 7 Pro
PhotoKey 7 Pro is the world's most popular green screen photo software. There are many resources
available for learning how to use the software.
The user guide
This user guide contains information on all of PhotoKey's features and settings.
Free video tutorials
Photographer Erin Patel has created a series of tutorials to get you started with PhotoKey 7 Pro as
quickly as possible. Check them out at http://fxhome.com/photokey/learn.
Ask us questions
If you have a technical problem you can contact our support team by clicking here. We aim to respond
to all queries within 48 hours during office hours.
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2 New in PhotoKey 7 Pro
PhotoKey 7 Pro introduces several new features. If you're familiar with an earlier version of
PhotoKey, here's an overview of what's changed:
NEW Spill simulation pro: A new level of realism, replacing green spill light with ambient lighting
from your new background
IMPROVED chroma key: PhotoKey now identifies the best color for high quality results by
analyzing the source image based on common photographic setups
NEW client preview: display the PhotoKey canvas in a separate window with all interface removed,
so that you can showcase your work to clients
NEW RAW support: no need to convert your RAW images, as you can import them directly into
PhotoKey from your camera
IMPROVED hot folder: the latest image in your hot folder can be set to automatically load onto the
canvas - great for previewing your final image while you shoot
NEW FTP export: upload images directly to your own server via FTP, opening up new automation
possibilities
NEW Retina interface: PhotoKey's interface is sharper than ever, with Retina support on Mac OS X
NEW interface design: PhotoKey's new look makes it easier and faster to find the tools you need
IMPROVED color management
IMPROVED file and folder name handling
IMPROVED printer settings handling
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3 Installation & activation
The latest version of PhotoKey can always be downloaded from fxhome.com. If you're trying the
demo, you can find it here. If you've already purchased, you can download from your account.
Demo mode
After installation PhotoKey will start in demo mode. You can try out all the features but exports will
include a watermark.
Activating
If you have purchased PhotoKey you can activate it immediately to use all of its features.
When you start the software choose Activate from the welcome screen.
Follow the on-screen instructions to activate your software. If it's the first time you have activated the
software your serial code will be registered to your account at fxhome.com.
You can also activate by going to the File menu, choosing Options and using the Activation settings.
Installing on another computer
The PhotoKey 7 Pro license allows up to 3 concurrent activations.
If you exceed your number of activations your earliest activation will be deactivated and return to
demo mode.
You can transfer to a new machine and reinstall as many times as you want, so there's no need to
worry about losing your purchased software.
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4 Getting started & workflow
PhotoKey is very easy to use and it won't take you long to learn how to get great results.
This section takes you on a quick tour around all the major features so that you can get up and running
as fast as possible.
If you wa nt to know more informa tion a bout any fea ture, take a look at the other sections in this
manua l.
In this section you'll find information on how to find your way around the interface, how best to shoot
green screen photographs and how to get started with PhotoKey's main features.
It normally takes less than an hour for a new user to understand how to use PhotoKey. We do
recommend reading through the following chapters before using the software in the field.
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4.1 About green screen photography
Green screens and blue screens have been used for decades for filmmaking and photography and have
become an invaluable part of a photographer's toolkit. By photographing subjects against a green
screen or a blue screen, they can be easily isolated and placed onto a new background.
Here is an example of a model photographed against a green screen:
PhotoKey instantly removes the green screen background from the photo, leaving a cleanly isolated
version of the woman:
PhotoKey can then be used to add in a new background and make other adjustments to positioning and
appearance:
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Automatically removing the green screen or blue screen from the original image is known as 'keying', a
process designed to remove or reduce the amount of manual work required. PhotoKey 7 Pro is the
fastest and easiest green screen photographic software and is designed for both individual portrait
work and mass processing at major live events.
Green screen or blue screen?
The most important aspect of keying is to ensure that the background screen can be easily separated
from the foreground subject. You want your screen to be as different to your subject in color as
possible.
This is why red screens are not commonly used - due to the amount of red in human skin, it's
impossible to get good results with a red screen. Green and blue are both far less prominent in skin
tones and therefore work as successful keying colors. Take careful note of clothing, hair and other
objects in the shot and make sure that you choose an appropriate backdrop.
If you a bsolutely can't avoid some color clashes, take a look at the Masks cha pter.
Some digital cameras also have a tendency to retain more green data than blue, so if you are in a
position to freely use either green or blue it is generally advisable to choose green.
Blue screens and green screens can be purchased or rented, or you can build your own using
appropriate materials. For portability a fabric screen works well, as do pop-up screens (similar to popup reflectors). A pull-down paper screen which can be rolled up when not in use is ideal for a studio. If
you have a permanent studio space for green screen work you can also consider chroma green paint.
Setting up your green screen
Greenscreen and bluescreen photography has a few unique factors to bear in mind.
Taking a little more time during setup can save you a huge amount of time when you get on the
computer.
Make sure your material is matte, not shiny. Shiny backgrounds will reflect too much light and have
bright 'hotspots'.
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Avoid textured materials - go for smooth materials that won't cast any shadows. Textures can make
it difficult to separate the subject from the background.
Clear separation between screen and subject is the key to high quality results.
Avoid creases and wrinkles in the backdrop. These can cast shadows and cause imperfections in the
composite.
Always try to position your subject as far away from the backdrop as possible. This will reduce the
amount of green or blue that is reflected onto them and avoid casting shadows onto the screen. Aim
for a minimum of 6 feet when possible, although PhotoKey will still work in tighter setups.
Make sure your subject is not casting any unwanted shadows on the backdrop. Shadows will make
compositing much more difficult.
Light your backdrop independently from your subject. This enables you to light your background
smoothly while retaining a more dramatic setup for your subject.
If you are getting a lot of bounced green spill light on your subject try adding a very subtle magenta
light behind your subject. This can help to counter green spill light from the greenscreen and
increase separation.
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4.2 Finding your way around
When you start PhotoKey you are greeted with the Home screen. This provides quick access to your
project files, this user guide and tutorials.
Clicking the New button will create a new project and switch to the Edit screen. This is where you do
all your PhotoKey work:
The interface has four main areas.
Navigation bar - along the top of the interface, next to the PhotoKey 7 Pro logo, are a series of
quick access buttons.
Toolset list - the list on the left shows all the available toolsets. Clicking on a toolset displays it in the
toolbox on the right.
Toolbox - this displays the currently selected toolset on the right. This is how you make changes to
your image.
Canvas - the center area displays the image you are currently working on.
Read the Your first image section for an introduction to using PhotoKey, or go to the Edit chapters for
full details.
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4.3 Quick start guide
This chapter guides you through PhotoKey's essential features.
The toolsets
PhotoKey's features are organized into several toolsets. These are all listed on the left of the interface
and you can switch between any of them at any time while working on a project.
Selecting a toolset on the left displays it in the toolbox on the right.
The toolsets are listed in workflow order. You won't always use every single one, but you'll often start
by setting up your canvas, then switch to the import toolset to bring in your images, then go to the key
toolset to fine tune the results - and so on.
Setting up your Canvas
After starting PhotoKey, the first thing you'll notice is that there's a large rectangle in the middle of
the workspace that is filled with a checkerboard pattern. This area is your canvas and the pattern
represents transparent areas. As you have not yet imported any images, the entire canvas is
transparent.
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When saving to an image file or printing, the pattern will be not be visible. JPEG images a nd prints will
show tra nsparent areas as white, while PNG a nd TIF images will reta in the transpa rency.
The canvas settings allow you to choose from several common photographic and paper sizes,
landscape or portrait layouts and a range of DPI resolutions.
If you're not sure what to use, setting the Preset to As Foreground will create a canvas to match your
green screen photograph.
In this example an 8 x 10 inch landscape canvas at 300dpi will suffice.
Check out the Canvas chapter for more details.
Import your images
The next thing to do is bring in some images. This is done using the Import toolset.
You can manage your foreground and background images separately, using the foreground/
background tabs at the top of the toolbox.
Images can be imported by clicking the Import button, then locating them on your computer. They will
then be listed in the toolbox and you can preview each image by clicking on it:
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You can import multiple foreground and background images which is useful for batch processing. In
this tutorial we'll just be using a single image.
The image will also be displayed on the Canvas, with the green screen automatically removed.
By switching to the Background tab you can now import an image to place behind the keyed subject.
The foreground and background are automatically composited together:
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In many cases, this is all you need to do in PhotoKey to get a good result. It's a very fast way to work.
This particular image requires further customization, especially to remove the corner of the green
screen which is still visible in the top right of the canvas, which was not automatically removed.
See the Import chapter for more details.
Key out your green screen
The automatic removal of a green screen from an image is called keying. Although PhotoKey's default
settings create excellent results you will sometimes want to fine tune the settings.
There are multiple keying tools available but the three you will use most often are chroma key, spill
suppression and light wrap. When used together these three create very high quality results.
The chroma key tool is responsible for removing the green screen. The composite will sometimes look
good even when there are imperfections, so the View menu is used to create a more analytical display:
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Black areas represent fully transparent areas of the foreground.
White areas represent fully opaque areas of the foreground.
Gray areas represent semi-transparent areas of the foreground.
This makes it much easier to see at a glance where you need to make adjustments. In this case we
need to remove the studio area visible on the right, but there are also two patches of green screen
that need removing on the left.
Slightly increasing the Gain setting easily removes the patches on the left. The woman's belt has a
couple of transparent patches, and clipping the foreground is the easiest way to fix this.
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Don't forget to switch the View back to Result.
The spill suppression tool is integral to achieving realistic results. This tool is used to remove the
unwanted green spill light cast by bounced light from your green screen onto your subject. PhotoKey's
spill simulation pro feature automatically replaces the green spill with realistic spill taken from your
new background.
Increasing the hue range causes more of the foreground to be affected. In this case increasing the
huge range to 30 ensures that the woman's hair color accurately reflects the lighting of the
background. The luminance option should also be reduced in this case, to avoid unwanted brightening
of the hair's edges.
To compare the results, here is the image without spill suppression:
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Note the visible green spill on the edges of the hair. And here is the same image with spill replacement
pro turned on:
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For detailed information on all the Keying tools, take a look at the Key chapter.
It's worth noting that if you have to drastica lly a djust your Key settings every time, it is worth
exa mining your green screen setup. A little extra time in the photography sta ge ca n sa ve a lot of time
during compositing.
Draw Masks
You should always aim to have your green screen fill the frame, as it makes the compositing stage
simpler. Sometimes however you will need to manually remove unwanted elements, and PhotoKey
has built-in tools to make this easy.
The Masks toolset is where you can add custom shapes to remove or retain specific parts of your
image. This example only needs a single mask, drawn around the right edge of the frame.
A new mask can be added with the Add mask button. The mask shape is then drawn directly onto the
canvas by clicking with your mouse. Clicking back on the first point will close and activate the mask.
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Read the Masks chapter for more details.
Position your layers
The images don't quite fit the chosen canvas. The foreground and background can be separately
adjusted using the Position tools.
When making position adjustments you can either use the toolbox sliders or the canvas controls. The
canvas is faster and easier, while the toolbox provides more precision.
Switching to the Background tab lets you adjust the background. Clicking and dragging on the blue
square on the canvas is a fast way to scale up the background to fit the canvas.
Now switch back to the foreground and adjust the image until you're happy with the composition.
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The Position chapter contains full details.
Add creative Filters & effects
PhotoKey 7 Pro includes a wide range of filters and effects that can be used to enhance the
appearance of your images.
Filters can be applied separately to the foreground or background, while Effects apply to the finished
image.
By default all effects and filters are turned off. Clicking on the name of an effect or filter activates it
and displays its settings.
In this case a subtle Bleach bypass effect looks good, with settings of Contrast: 0.45, Saturation: 0.95
and Strength: 60%.
Experiment with different combinations of effects and filters to create different looks.
For information see the Filters and Effects chapters.
Save your project
It is important while working in PhotoKey to save your project regularly. This way you can work on the
same project over several sessions, and won't lose any work in the event of a power failure.
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PhotoKey 7 Project files do not include the a ctual ima ge files. If you wa nt to tra nsfer the project to
another computer or a rchive it you will need to also include the associated ima ge files.
You can save your project at any time by clicking the save icon, or from the File menu.
PhotoKey 7 Projects cannot be opened in other software. If you wa nt to crea te a final ima ge from your
project to use in programs like Photoshop, you need to first Export it.
See Saving projects for more information.
Export your images
Once you are finished working on your image you can export it to a new image file. The export icon on
the toolbar is a quick way to export the currently displayed image, or you can choose 'Export canvas'
from the file menu.
See the Export chapter for full details, including information about batch processing.
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4.4 Navigation bar
The navigation bar runs horizontally along the top of the PhotoKey window and provides quick access
to common features.
File menu
The File menu makes it easy to create, open and save projects without having to change screen.
On the left of the menu you can see the main project commands:
New Project - creates a new project. PhotoKey can only have one project open at a time, so you will
be asked to save your current project file before creating a new one.
Open - opens a project file you've previously saved on your computer.
Save - saves your current project so that your work is safe. If it is the first time you have saved the
project you will need to choose a location for the file.
Save As - if you want to create an alternate version of your current project file, this will create a new
project file under a different name. After using Save As, the Save option will use the new filename
and location instead of the original.
Revert - discards any changes you have made and reloads your current project.
Export Canvas - exports the currently displayed image using your export settings.
Email Canvas - displays the email send window for the currently displayed image.
Print Canvas - sends the currently displayed image to the default printer system.
On the right of the File menu are your recently saved projects.
The Options button is where you can change PhotoKey's preferences.
The Exit button is another way to close the application when you've finished working on your
masterpiece for the day.
Quick tools
To the right of the File menu are quick access buttons.
Save - saves your current project so that your work is safe. If it is the first time you have saved the
project you will need to choose a location for the file.
Print - sends the currently displayed image to the default printer system.
Export - exports the currently displayed image using your export settings.
Email - displays the email sender for the currently displayed image.
FTP upload - exports the current image to an FTP server.
Show/hide client preview window - displays the client preview in a separate window.
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Render client preview - updates the image in the client preview window.
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Options
The Options window is where you change properties that will affect all of your PhotoKey 7 Projects.
The Options window can be displayed by choosing Options from the File menu.
It is recommended that only experienced users change properties in the Options window.
General
Open in editor path - PhotoKey will use the default associated program on your computer when you
use the Open in editor option. This option can be used to specify a preferred alternative.
Toolset position - the toolset list can be displayed on the left or right of the canvas.
Viewer controls position - the navigation controls can be displayed on the left or right of the canvas.
Default viewer downsample - alters the downsampling that occurs when settings are changed or
the canvas is moved.
Save projects with relative paths - project files include relative file paths, which is useful for
transferring entire projects and media between computers.
Thumbnail cache
Days to keep cache - the import list toolset stores thumbnails of your images for quick access.
Thumbnails older than this value will be automatically deleted to save disc space.
Clear thumbnail cache - removes all cached thumbnails. Thumbnails will need to be recreated when
opening saved projects.
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Email
PhotoKey 7 Pro includes an integrated emailing system which can email images direct to clients, a
Facebook wall or a Flickr page.
For detailed information on the email system and options, please check out the Email export chapter.
FTP
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Color
PhotoKey includes a color management system for use with color profiles.
Using color profiles throughout your workflow ensures accurate color reproduction from camera to
print.
Enable color management - turns the color management system on and off.
Always use foreground layer embedded color profile - when turned on, PhotoKey will always use
the current foreground image's embedded profile as the workspace.
Default workspace profile - if you are not using the foreground's color profile, you can instead
select a specific color profile. The custom profile path option can be used to select a specific ICC file
on your computer.
Rendering intent - if the source color space exceeds that of the destination, this setting determines
how the adjustment is handled. For further reading please see this Wikipedia article.
Activation
From here you can manage your software's activation status and find out your licensing details, which
you may need when contacting support.
See Installation & activation for details.
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4.5 Saving & loading projects
Saving a project file gives you the ability to work on a project over several sessions. All of your project
decisions are saved into a PhotoKey-specific project file. The next time you load the project file you
can continue from exactly where you left it.
Images a re not included in the project file. If you move the project file to a different computer or want
to archive it you will need to copy or tra nsfer the ima ge files a s well.
You should save your project at regular intervals, so that you don't have to worry about power loss or
other technical problems.
Saving your project does not crea te a n ima ge file that you can use outside of PhotoKey. If you want to
create an image file of your project to use in Photoshop and other editors you need to Export it.
Creating a new project
A new project can be created by clicking the New button on the Home screen, or by selecting New
from the File menu.
Saving a project
The quickest and easiest way to save your project is to click the Save button on the navigation bar.
This will update your saved project file. If it is the first time you have saved the project you will need
to specify a location for the file.
The File menu also has a Save option which works in the same way.
The Save As option creates an alternate version of your current project file, resulting in a new project
file under a different name. After using Save As, the Save option will use the new filename and
location instead of the original.
Opening a project
When you start PhotoKey your recent projects are listed on the Home screen, making it easy to
resume work.
You can also open a specific file using the File -> Open menu option.
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