Which chroma-key color should you use for a telemetry overlay
Overspeed exports your overlay on a solid magenta, green, or blue background. The right choice is whichever color your gauges do not use, so keying the background out never eats part of a gauge.
When you export an overlay from Overspeed, it renders your gauges on a solid chroma-key background. You key that color out in your editor, leaving just the gauges. The only rule that matters: pick a background color your gauges do not use.
The rule: avoid colors your gauges contain
A keyer removes one color across the whole frame. If a gauge contains that exact color, parts of the gauge vanish with the background. So look at your overlay and pick the key color that appears least in it.
Why magenta is the safe default
Racing overlays lean heavily on green and blue: green track maps, green and red bar gauges, blue accents. Magenta rarely shows up in telemetry graphics, which makes it the safest default key color for most overlays.
When green or blue is fine
If your overlay has no green in it, a green background keys out cleanly and is the most familiar option for editors. The same goes for blue. Match the background to your design, not to habit.
Cleaning up the edges
- Use your editor matte cleanup or refine-edge control to tidy gauge outlines after keying.
- If a thin colored fringe appears, a small amount of spill suppression or edge shrink removes it.
- Export at the same resolution and frame rate as your footage so edges stay crisp.