Greenscreening effects without a greenscreen?

Question

Is there any possible way to create such an effect, but without a greenscreen?I mean, no use of any background color whatsoever, just..cut out only what I need from each frame....

Answer 1

Yes, there is. Filmmakers use it all the time. it is called Rotoscoping.



Rotoscoping is widely known as a technique for animators to copy live-action footage with drawings in order to attain a special look (such as A-Ha's "Take On Me" video) or to copy the motion of a character or object.



In visual effects, rotoscoping is the tracing of the outline of a person or object to separate it from its background. This forms a "matte" which is used by compositing software. Several programs are made just for "roto" (as vfx artists call it) such as SilhouetteVFX. Visual effects compositing programs such as Shake and After Effects have roto features built in, but they may not be the easiest to use.

Answer 2

If you had access to the image of each frame digitally, you could magic-wand it in a paint program and literally drop in a new background. It might not be super-clean, but it should work.