Actual Tools, a developer of desktop enhancement technologies, announces the new application field of semi-transparency effect in Windows 2000 and later versions. It can greatly facilitate the process of green screen video shooting or green screen photography, with a PC as a media storage/processor. Actual Transparent Window, a helpful utility by Actual Tools, makes this effect available to the user and fully customizable for any window. You can overlay semi-transparent live camera image and a background image: the ghost composite of two images allows you live lineup during recording.
Video shooting or photography against a special green (or blue) screen is a well-known and widespread technique that implies replacing the green background with any other one, static or animated. Using a regular PC as a media processor simplifies and speeds up both the process of shooting and the following picture processing, so that such a technique is affordable for small photo- and videostudios.
But such an approach requires a precisely placed camera – for the footage and the desirable background to overlap properly and look naturally. Sometimes several retakes are needed to define the desired camera position. Of course, there is some special hardware, like video switchers, which can cut out the alpha channel and give a clean mix of the camera picture and background on the go, but its price usually starts at $15,000 which may be not affordable for small studios (especially in these times of recession).
But why pay so much, if there is a very cost-effective solution that gives you the same opportunity of live lineup? This solution is the effect of semi-transparency, available in Windows operating systems since Windows 2000. Actual Transparent Window, a helpful utility by Actual Tools, makes this effect available to the user, who can set the desirable level of transparency for any desktop window, from 0% (a regular window) to 100% (invisible). Using Actual Transparent Window you can make the camera shot window semi-transparent (50% transparency level is enough) and place it over the desired background image, so that the camera can be lined up precisely and the two images match properly. No more retakes due to an improperly set camera! Besides, Actual Transparent Window costs only $10. Isn’t it incredible?
Pricing and Availability
Actual Transparent Window 5.3 runs under MS Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/x64.The cost of single-user license is $9.95 USD. Further information on the product, as well as its free trial version is available from http://www.actualtools.com/transparentwindow.
About Actual Tools
Founded in 2001, Actual Tools is a software development company specializing in desktop enhancement applications. The innovative solutions provided by Actual Tools are created to meet the needs of the users and to make work with a computer fast, pleasant and convenient. For more information please visit http://www.actualtools.com/
