Alpha transparency --> Quicktime

[travisbrown]

How does one export to Quicktime and retain alpha transparency for the background? I selected 32 bit Alpha for output, but seem to get a white background.

I'm on Flash 8/Mac --> QT Pro

 

[kennethkawamoto]

File > Export > Export Movie...

Then choose QuickTime and select Alpha-transparent for the Alpha setting.

Well, I think your movie is actually alpha transparent but you're just confused with what alpha transparent movies are! Select the length of your movie in QT Pro and add to another movie. You'll see it's background transparent, if you've done it right.

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[travisbrown]

No, I wasn't getting transparency; it was actually a white background. I thought that I should be getting a black background.

What should the background colour in the Flash be set to, or will it matter?

Why does one see so many posts around the web about having to key out a screen colour to achieve this? Seems to be conflicting stories. I couldn't use this approach anyway; I'm using some fades that would reveal the keyed colour.

 

[kennethkawamoto]

It doesn't matter what your background colour is in Flash, it will be transparent anyway. But you can only see the effect when you place your background transparent movie on top of another elements. You can do this in QT pro, AfterEffects or other video editing software. Also you can import it to Flash to convert it to background transparent FLV, and use it in your Flash file. But in your case the video was originally a Flash file, there's no point in doing so!

Chroma keying you're talking about is nothing to do with exporting a transparent video from Flash. If you shoot your video using single colour background screen (usually green or blue) it's easier to knock the background out (in AfterEffects for example) to make it transparent. Then you can overlay on top of other video footage (or use it in Flash).

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[ivdICE]

Hi Kennethkawamoto,

I think Travisbrown may have been having the same problem I seem to be having. Regardless of selecting the 32-Bit with Alpha Channel option in Flash's Quicktime Movie export, there is a white background still present inside Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro HD.

I have tried everything I can think of, and have so far come up blank.

**Specifics**

The Flash file I'm using is a simple animation in one Layer, and the remaining area left blank over Flash's default White workspace.

The Export settings I used were:

File-> Export-> Export Movie-> QuickTime Movie->

Dimensions: W-720 / H-540 (Doesn't matter anyways)
Format: 32 bit color (Alpha channel)
Smooth ON
Compressor: Animation (Also tried DVCPro-NTSC, and TIFF)
Quality: MAX
Sound Format: Disable

Neither Final Cut Pro nor After Effects seem to recognize the Alpha, however After Effects does notify you that it detects an Alpha Channel, however all options (Ignore, Straight - Unmatted, and Premultiplied - Matted With Color [Black]) produced the same result, the animation on a black background.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am trying to get this roject out the door soon, and although the client is patient enough for it to be "done when it's done", I would like to hand it to him as soon as possible. Thank you.

-Jay MacKay

 

[travisbrown]

exactly my problem.

 

[kennethkawamoto]

Guys, I've just tested it in AfterEffects and you're right, it does not recognize the alpha channel. I'm not on my G5, I can't test on FinalCut at the moment but I'm sure it won't work on FinalCut either.

Although Macromedia says it won't work <

http://www.adobe.com/go/60dcf627>

I can, however, paste the exported MOV on top of another MOV and get the perfect alpha background in my QuickTime Pro 7.1.

The problem is, if I export this MOV from QT Pro, the image colour will be inverted for some reason. I tried many different possibilities including exporting to an image sequence, but none worked.

The only way I can think of now is to do a composition in QT Pro so that you can at least get the alpha background, then... do image capture? Well, I know this is not a solution...

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[kennethkawamoto]

OK, here's the solution.

Export your Flash movie to 24bit (alpha) PNG image sequence. Then you can import the sequence in AfterEffects as a movie. It works very well!

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[ivdICE]

Alright, I'll give that a try. Good to know there's something to use ASIDE from QT Pro, seeing as they don't seem to have Pro here, just the Player **Which is useless on the editing front** I'll give the PNG sequence a try, but it should work seeing as I've exported PNG images with alphas before.

Thanks again,

-Jay MacKay

 

[ivdICE]

Alright... This is getting really agitating, but After Effects **Running 6.5 here** won't accept the PNGs as a supported media.

I just tried bringing them into Final Cut, and they seem to work fine. Sucks that I need them in After Effects, and NOT Final Cut, but... it's something. **And a straight export, though it may work, isn't something I'm looking forward to, since I have to resize and render each frame again as FCP likes to screw with distortion on 720 x 540 pics**

I'll let you know if I can find a way to bring it straight into AE, without FCP **Going to do a little digging tonight when it's not on company time**

Thanks again, and hopefully this helps someone atleast.

-Jay MacKay

 

[kennethkawamoto]

Jay, I used AfterEffects 6.5.1 and I imported Flash generated alpha PNGs as a PNG sequence. I'm sure you can import your PNG sequence too.

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[ivdICE]

As I said, it doesn't recognize them as a format it understands, atleast on my end. If I swtich to "All Files" and select even just one of the PNGs, it tries to import it, but comes up with the error:
"After Effects: AEGP Plugin AAF: Error during parsing: Invalid document structure
(5027 * 12)" * represents a symbol that lokes like two "S"'s ontop of eachother.

The mention of "AEGP Plugin" has me thinking it might be a problem isolated to this machine, and someone installing a faulty Plugin. I have been finding Plugins for PNG imports, like SuperPNG, for AE, but since it's a work computer, I don't have the authority to install onto the machine, esspecially since I'm freelancing.

I'll figure something out. Thanks.

-Jay MacKay

 

[ivdICE]

.... Well.... I did a few more attempts, and chalk it up to the annoying differences between Mac and PC... The files came up as incompatible because when I saved the sequence from Flash, I put in a simple file name, without manually typng the file extention at the end, even though it was selected. I hate Macs for that, PCs know better in that regard. I always forget about that annoyance.. Sorry for wasting your time with a few un-needed posts in hinde sight, but thank you very much for the aid.

-Jay MacKay