Animated Text over Transparent Background

[hvideo2]

Is there a way to render motion text and/or graphics over a transparent background(checkerboard), similar to what we can do with Photoshop, so that it can be used as an overlay in a video editing tool such as Premiere or Vegas Video?

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Yes.

In Photoshop, you want to make an alpha channel mask which is really quite simple, once you do it the first time.

I wrote a web page to explain this to my assistants, so point a browser to

http://www.petting-zoo.org/Dreamquest_Animation.html

and start reading around step 10.

Once you have a file with an alpha channel, you must make sure you export it with the alpha channel intact. Not every file format supports alpha channel masks, however. The one I tend to use is PCT file, but I understand AE can import a Photoshop PSD file and maintain transparency and understand levels. I just don't do it that way.

Once you import a PCT into AE, it'll ask you how you want it to treat the alpha channel. Usually, you'll answer "staright transaprency" (I can't remember exactly the choice, but I remember that it's clearly obvious one selection is good and clearly obvious the other isn't).

In Premiere, you aren't asked this. In Premiere, you place the clip on the timeline where you want it and then right-click >> Video >> Transparency and select Alpha Channel.

Note that for some inexplicable reason, placing large images with alpha channels on the timeline can cause Premiere to blow up. If this happens, then open your PCT in Photoshop, reduce the size a bit, save it, then reopen Premiere and try placing it again.

Cheers,
Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door