Monday, July 6, 2020

DIY Greenscreen


The 2020 COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandate has made quite the impact on how educators go about our jobs. The mandate fostered a shift to distance learning and brought tools such as Zoom and Google Meet to the forefront. One of the most popular Zoom features is the virtual backgrounds. Virtual backgrounds are fun as well as good tools for maintaining privacy when working from home. 

To maximize the virtual backgrounds feature, you are going to want to have a green screen. Without one, your virtual background image isn't as clear and when you move, your body can disappear on camera. Having a green screen doesn't require professional videography experience. For roughly $50-60, you can transform your home office space with a DIY green screen. Here is how I did it.

1. At local hardware store, purchase a small spool of twine, string or rope. For a few more dollars, grab a package of drywall anchors. The anchors come with screws in the bag. Also grab a pair of eye hooks or  carabiners.



2. Head to Amazon to grab a roughly $40 9x12 green screen. I chose those dimensions because it stretches nearly the entire width of my home office.

3. Drill in the anchor and then insert the screw. Repeat this on the opposite wall. 



4. Thread the string, twine or rope through the slit atop the green screen. Tie your eye hooks or carabiners to each end and hook them up to the screws on each wall. Be sure to make the string as taut as possible. 



5. You now have the ability to stretch the screen across the width of the room and move it to side as needed. If you need to take it down for storage, simply unhook the eye hooks or carabiners and roll it up nicely.

If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Hangouts at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. If you would like to unsubscribe from this blog, go to bit.ly/tcjinbox.


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