Do Your Own Weather Report Just Like the Pros

One of the most difficult parts of a school visit is explaining my job.  When time and space allow I like to set up a “mobile green screen,” which you can do, too!  

What you need: 

  • A large piece of green fabric or a large plastic green table cloth (I got mine at the dollar store)

Green plastic tablecloth

  • An app.  My favorite is Green Screen by Do Ink (pictured below). It’s free and I get zero benefit by suggesting this to you. Just search “green screen” or “chroma key” in your app store.  You need something that will key in real time. You do not want an app that will let you key images after you have recorded a video. That’s why the app with the octopus logo is my favorite. 

green screen app

You need an app for the same reasons I need this fancy control room.  Something has to tell the camera, “anywhere you see this color green, put Hannah’s maps.” For you that’s what the app does, and for me that’s what these computers do.

WDRB control room

What to do:

  • Hang up your “green screen” - the picture below is my green screen at work. Yours won’t look quite this professional, but this is the goal. Try to get any wrinkles out by steaming it and stretching it tight. Make sure you hang it in a well lit area to avoid crazy shadows. Remember, your maps will only show up where the green is, so make it as large as you can. For example, if you want to be able to see your feet in the shot, the green fabric will need to go all the way down to the floor.

green screen

  • Set up your phone or tablet with the screen facing your green if possible. Some apps cannot use the forward facing camera, only the back.  

  • You can download some graphics from our website.  Just go to wdrb.com, click the weather tab, then scroll all the way down to the bottom to find a sample of our graphics. 

That’s it! From there the fun ensues! It takes a lot of practice to get used to pointing at something that isn’t really there and to looking at the image like it’s a mirror - everything is backwards from what you would expect. If you try this out, take a picture and tag me in it on social media! I would love to see how this turns out.

Hannah Strong