Opportunities for green screen keying are fewer in Premiere Elements* Mac than Premiere Elements* Windows. The keying effects of Blue Screen Key, Green Screen Key, Chroma Key, and RGB Difference Key are Windows Only. Many suggest Videomerge effect as the green screening tool for the Premiere Elements Mac user, while Difference Matte Key seems to be the better choice. Recently the Alpha Adjust which which is accessed in the Premiere Elements Mac and Windows keying effects was explored for green screening and found not to be applicable to the task. There are lots of keying effects to study and learn how they are used to convert color or brightness in an image to transparency.
ISSUE
Are there any more choices for green screening tool(s) for the Premiere Elements Mac user other than
Videomerge and Difference Matte Key? Apparently there is at least one more, Non Red Key which is available to Premiere Elements Mac as well as Windows users. Non Red Key has been around since the days of Premiere Elements 4. So, time to recognize it and see what it can do.
SOLUTION
It was found that Non Red Key should be usable as alternative for Videomerge and Difference Matte for the Premiere Elements Mac user with green screen projects
The Adobe document "Adobe Premiere Elements help / Superimposing and transparency" lists the "Color-based keying effect"
Videomerge
Blue Screen Key
Green Screen Key
Non Red Key
Non Red Key is available in both Premiere Elements Mac and Windows. And, Adobe describes it as an good alternative for Green Screen Key or Blue Screen Key and states
Use the Non Red Key to key out green screens when you need to control blending, or when the Blue Screen or Green Screen Keys don’t produce satisfactory results.Non Red Key was looked at as a green screen tool using Premiere Elements 13/13.1 on Windows 7 Professional SP1 64 bit and video samples (AVCHD.mp4 1920 x 1080p30). And, the results were compared to those from use of Green Screen Key or Blue Screen Key.
RESULTS
Non Red Key
Green to TransparencyBefore Image
 |
| Green Background Color = OCF137 |
After Image**
 |
| Threshold - 48%; Cutoff = 12.8%; Defringing = None; Smoothing = None; No Check Mark Next To "Mask Only" |
After Image As Video With Baseball Field Background Viewed In Transparent Area
Blue to Transparency
Before Image
 |
| Blue Background Color = 3AAFE6 |
After Image**
 |
| Threshold = 12.2%; Cutoff = 9.5%; Defringing = None; Smoothing = None; No Check Mark Next To "Mask Only" |
Yellow to Transparency
Before Image
 |
| Yellow Background Color = EEF10A |
After Image**
Did not work. This did work with Chroma Key.
Green Screen Key
Green to Transparency
Before Image
 |
| Green Background Color = OCF137 |
After Image**
 | |
| Threshold = 30.0%; Cutoff = 20%; Smoothing = None; No Check Mark Next To "Mask Only". |
BLUE SCREEN KEY
Blue to Transparency
Before Image
| |
| Blue Background Color = 3AAFE6 |
After Image**
 |
| Threshold = 30.0%; Cutoff = 20 %; Smoothing = None; No Check Mark Next To "Mask Only" |
COMMENTARY
Non Red Key appears to be an acceptable choice for replacement of Green Screen Key and Blue Screen Key whether the reason for using it relates to
a. keying out "green screens when you need to control
blending, or when the Blue Screen or Green Screen Keys don’t produce
satisfactory results"
and/or
b. you are a Premiere Elements Mac user whose choice of green screening tools is limited to Videomerge or Difference Matte because of the Windows Only nature of Chroma Key, Green Screen Key, and Blue Screen Key.
In this limited study, Green Screen Key and Blue Screen Key seemed to do better in keying out the green or blue between the webbing of the catcher's mitt. Fringing and control of it with Non Red Key needs to be investigated. Full Screen look were not as clean as wanted.
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* Study was done with Premiere Elements 13/13.1 on Windows 7 Professional SP1 64 bit. But, principles displayed in the study are expected to apply also to earlier versions of the programs (Mac and Windows).
**In Premiere Elements 13/13.1, keying effect was applied from fx Effects/Keying. Editing of the keying effect was done under Applied Effects Tab/Applied Effects Palette/Panel for keying effect expanded. Screenshots are from Edit area monitor displaying first frame of video. No Red Key Video sample is AVCHD.mp4 (1920 x 1080p30).
