In the digital age, professional-grade filmmaking equipment is readily available. As a YouTuber, a green screen could be one of the best tools you can have. However, it’s not a great fit for every channel. While they can be fairly inexpensive, you should be realistic about how practical the purchase will be for your particular situation.

Here’s what you should consider before investing in a green screen.

You have to keep your green screen smooth and clean for it to be effective.

The state of your green screen will be reflected in your finished product. So, if your green screen is wrinkled, then the overlay will appear wrinkled in your video. Likewise, dirt, dust, or stains can appear as dark spots on screen, causing confusion for your keying software.

Therefore, you want your green screen to stay as consistent as possible. This means it needs to be smooth and clean, which can be a challenge if you don’t have space to store it. So, you’ll need to consider where you’d keep a green screen and how you’ll maintain it before purchasing one.

The green screen must be lit separately from your subject.

Getting a green screen to work properly will require more equipment than just the green screen itself. One of the most important pieces of secondary equipment will be your lights. You’ll need separate light sources for your green screen and yourself.

The key is to evenly light the part of the green screen that will be behind you on camera. Check the histogram or waveforms in your camera’s settings for help finding even lighting. Remember, you only need to worry about the part of the screen you’ll be moving in front of, not the entire thing.

The more physical space you have, the better the final product will be.

To make your green screen footage look its best, you should position the camera away from you then zoom it in. That way, you can minimize the area behind you that you’ll need to cover. Doing so will also reduce the amount of shadows falling on your green screen.

Having more space to film in will also make it easier to set up your lights and store the green screen itself. Before you purchase a green screen, you should at least measure the dimensions of your filming space to make sure the one you pick out will fit.

Any new kind of filming equipment is an investment of your time and storage space as well as your money. Before purchasing a green screen, consider how you’ll store, light, and shoot with it.