Alpha Channel editing?

Searching the forums and the internet at large, I don't see any way to view and directly edit the alpha channel of an image in Photoshop Elements 10? I'm currently using the trial version for evaluation but imagine that no features are disabled?
Specifically, I do game development for fun and frequently need to view and manipulate the alpha channel to achieve different things. Looks like I might (?) be able to do something with masks but I'm so used to having direct access to the alpha channel in my very old version of Photoshop 5 that I really consider direct alpha channel access critical to my workflow. Perhaps I'm wrong?
As an aside, related to my "not a power user" level of needs overall for Photoshop, upgrading to the full CS version is way beyond what I want to spend. Even Elements costs more and provides me with more features than I really need but would be willing to pay it if I could access the alpha channel.

ChypeFlux2 wrote:
Looks like I might (?) be able to do something with masks but I'm so used to having direct access to the alpha channel in my very old version of Photoshop 5 that I really consider direct alpha channel access critical to my workflow. Perhaps I'm wrong?
If you save your image as a PSD file, you can save various selections you make as named selections. You can then recall specific selections at a later date. The selection can be converted to a mask by:
Loading the selection.
Clicking the Mask button at the bottom of the Layers Panel.
The selection is automatically used as a mask, which is an alpha channel:
If you Alt-click on the Mask image, you can load it into the Editing window where you can manipulate it using PSE's tools:
Is that what you're looking for?
Ken

Similar Messages

LR import with alpha channel

<Lightroom novice> Can I import a tif image with a alpha channel in it? It seems as though LR will accept the image and allow development but when I export it as tif or psd it goes out as RGB only - the alpha channel is gone. I don't really "need" to do anything with this channel in LR but I can't have it disappear either. Maybe a import/export setting issue - I hope so...

TLL... wrote:
"All file "edits" are kept in LR's catalog, which should be backed up along with the unmodified "original" files."
OK, got that too. We probably won't save this once the exported images are approved and backed up.
It sounds like you don't need LR's database tools for organizing, adding metadata, or the various Export modules. You could still use LR to expedite Development editing of the RGB image. One possible solution is to Export the LR edited RGB images full size to a separate folder with the same bit depth and colorspace as the original files. Then use a PS Script to Batch Merge the LR export image to a new layer in the original file, something similar to this one:
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/546727
This way you still have the original RGB image backed up as a layer, which can also be unselected in the merge script.
TLL... wrote:
"At a later date the Alpha Channel information can be applied "non-destructively" in PS using editing layers to "blend" the IR image data."
This is where I'm getting lost. Are you talking about stripping the 'original' alpha channel from the pre-LR image and inserting it into the LR processed RGB image via PS batch/script? That's my thinking as an one approach.
"These PS modified files can be re-opened in LR and will now show the applied Alpha channel editing layers. Make any further edits you desire in LR and use the most appropriate LR module to "tailor" the output for your specific usage."
No they won't, or do these steps involve only psd files w/alpha channels? The alpha channel (IR data) is still ignored by LR, I have no way to even just keep that information once inside LR nor can I "taylor" a way to save an image with 4 channels of color information inside LR.
I have no idea what you will be doing with the Alpha channel IR image data, but I was suggesting to convert the Alpha channel to a layer mask in PS with 'Blending.' This leaves the Alpha channel as a backup of the IR data. Here's a simulated example using a an IR layer mask I created using LR's B&W IR Develop preset:
You can use PS actions with the Batch processor and/or build scripts to do just about anything. In LR you can create Develop presets to apply adjustments across 1,000s of images with a couple of mouse clicks, but no Actions or scripting capability. Like I said, PS & LR are complimentary, but different. I'm not sure which processing methodology is best for your image "end-use" but I hope this gives you some more ideas.

Editing Alpha Channel

Hi!
I apologize if this posting has been answered before but I could not find a satisfying answer.
I am looking for a mean to edit (not create and then edit) an already existing alpha channel in a PNG file (for example). Here is the scenario:
load a PNG file with a existing transparency layer created with some other application ( I see the usual checker board behind some transparent regions of the image)
select a region ( lasso, rectangle, ....)
change the transparency (alpha) of those pixels only, do not change anything else in the reste of the image (ex: make a region more transparent or more opaque). I do not want to edit the RGB content of the pixels, I want to edit their alpha value directly.
save back the file to a PNG file with modified alpha value.
It sounds simple and obvious but I dont know how to do that. Would someone be kind enough to explain to me how to do it?
Many thanks in advance!
Gilbert

I have asked many times, through many versions, for tools to manipulate opacity directly, instead of simply RGB. The painting tools and selection tools, specifically, would be greatly enhanced with opacity settings.
If I could use the magic wand to select all pixels of 4% opacity or less within a layer, it would be amazing. If I could use a paintbrush to paint 100% opacity into any pixel that has any data in it at all, that would be great.
The key to the request, to make it make sense to users, is that the opacity painting tools would have to ignore empty pixels, while the opacity selection tools would not: any pixel without data in it at all would not be painted into when painting opacity, but would be selected for the purposes of, say, selecting the least opaque pixels in a layer.
I have amazingly strong feelings about this: I do images where the bounding box of the data in a layer is important, and a stray pixel can mess things up. Or I've wanted to put a layer effect on a layer, but the plethora of nigh-invisible pixels with data in them cause the effect to be unusable. I have wanted to manipulate opacity directly long before now, without having to do an interim alpha-channel mockup. I've made this request for several versions now, and really hope to see something happen. My history-destroying "Opaquify" action could go away (the one that stamps dupes of a layer onto itself sixteen times). It would rock.

How should I edit an alpha channel after saving?

I have a series of files in which I improperly modified the selection set prior to saving the selection, and now around the intended viewable area there is a hazy artifact that seems to correspond to where I manually edited the selection using Quick Mask (prior to saving).
In other words, within the area of the alpha channel that should be invisible, there is actually a visible, unwanted grey-ish artifact, and I think it's related to how I was using the brush to edit the selection in Quick Mask before saving.
Now I am unable to edit the alpha channel, although Adobe's own website says that in order to edit an alpha channel, all I need to do is select the alpha channel (which I am doing) and then paint at 100% black or white with a brush to either include or exclude parts of selection set.
When I choose the brush and start painting at 100% black or white, nothing happens and I can't figure out what is happening.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The exact steps that I'm taking are below:
1) click on alpha channel (visible and ready for editing), all other channels only visible not active.
2) selecting the brush at either 100% black or white
3) attempting to paint to alter the alpha channel (I've tried painting on the actual alpha channel in Channels, and I've tried painting on the alpha channel as it appears in Layers, and neither works for me).
CLARIFICATION:
I actually am able to "edit" the alpha channel HOWEVER I cannot remove the hazy artifact. I can use 100% black or white to remove the pink/light red areas on either the actual alpha channel (in the Channels area) or as it appears in Layers, but I cannot remove the areas that are grey-ish (well I can paint them white but I can't paint them black, i.e. fully pink).
A teacher showed me a quick fix process that basically involves activating the alpha channel, inverting the selection, and then deleting everything outside of the alpha channel, and then resaving the file. That worked at one point, but now that quick fix is not working either (I am just ending up with a completely visible, white space around the intended visible area, rather than an invsible area).
EDIT (07:22 3.20.13) Also, if you look at what Photoshop is registering as the actual alpha channle, it doesn't match with what I'm seeing above, that is the black and white alpha channel appears to be as expected, and there is not the weird distortion that I'm seeing above in the pink/grey image.
So I am super confused and would appreciate any help!

I greatly appreciate your help with this.
However, after adjustting the black from 99 to 100%, and double checking that the white is fully zero (right now I can't find any files with the white set to anything but "0," so I don't know why some of my screenshots showed that), I am still unable to use black to contract a selection, or white to erase unwanted areas of the alpha channel (this specific post's problem).
So, I'm completely baffeled and am wondering if there is anything else that could be accounting for these results (i.e. the black and white paint not producing the expected results).
Thanks again,
dk
EDIT:
I attempted to make another alpha channel, this time without any manual adjustment of selection via the paint brush. Instead, I used the selection modification option of Contract and used it to contract the selection.
SAME problem. The area that I contracted using Contract, (never painted), is once again displaying a slight grey artifact in the area that is supposed to be completely transparent.

How do I properly edit a selection prior to saving as an alpha channel?

I thought that I could just use Quick Mask to manually paint with 100% black or 100% white to adjust the boundaries of the selection and then save that final selection as my alpha channel.
However, I'm discovering that when I do this, I end up getting a weird grey-ish artificat (which incidentally, I can't figure out how to remove it).
I'd appreciate if someone could tell me how I should be properly modifying the selection prior to actually saving it.
Thanks!

Yes, that faint tinge is the artifact that I'm trying to eliminate, and it only appears in the areas where I have attempted to manually alter the selection.
BTW- I posted this on the other thread, which is basically, how do I get rid of this once it has happened because I have a ton of files in which this occured, anyway, what I posted is that even if I use the Contract option of Select Modify, I am still getting this artificat.
Again, the artifact always corresponds to the area of the selection that I changed (either manually using the brush in Quick Mask or semi-automatically through Select Modify, Contract X pixels).
So it doesn't seem like it would be actually related to the brush settings, or can brush settings effect the Select Modify option as well?
Either way, I'm going to try resetting the brush now.
Thanks for continuing to respond.
This is driving me nuts.
dk
EDIT:
I just realize there is an additional confound. Photoshop displays a grey-ish artifact around the selection that was modified, whether "correct" or "incorrect."
By which I mean, initially, it seems like maybe I wasn't using pure black and/or white for adjusting the selection, and this would show as a grey-ish artifact in the alpha channel which would in turn render in 3ds Max (I'm using the alpha channel to create the illusion of leaves and petals, so I need completely transparent space around the object).
When I attempted to adjust the selection using Select Modify, Contract, I got pretty much the same grey-ish artifact, which I took to be an indication that the alpha channel was still not 100% transparent as I desired.
Then I got to thinking and decided to check in 3ds Max, and discovered that I can't use that grey-ish tinge around the object as indication of whether the selection was properly modified or not because whether manually painted or automatically modified using something like Select Modify Contract, the alpha channel registers the changes in the same grey-ish tinge.
So I'm going to try doing another Quick Mask with 100% black and then check in 3ds Max because I can't actually see the difference in Photoshop.

Edit in Photoshop and Alpha Channel

When I open an image in Photoshop using 'Open with External Editor', and add an alpha channel, when I save it back to Aperture the alpha mask shows on top of the image, whether or not it is made visible in Photoshop. Furthermore, the thumbnail shows the mask as white and the image shows the mask as black.
Are others seeing this same behavior? Do I have a setting that is incorrect?

Search the discussions on a couple of these terms -- there was a thread or two a couple of months ago.
It turns out (I can't remember who pointe this out! sorry!) that if you put a completely blank alpha channel at the top of the stack of them (that is, under the R, G and B channels in the Channels palette), then save, the image shows up OK.

The Most FCP-Friendly Codec for Offline Editing of Clips w/ Alpha Channels

Working with full-quality DigitalJuice animated backgrounds with alpha channels in a DV timeline can feel like swimming through molasses. There are a number of options for temporarily replacing the clips with low-res proxies (Uncompressed, JPEG2000, TGA, etc.). Before conducting extensive tests, I was curious as to whether or not anyone has an opinion on which 32-bit codec might be the easiest one for FCP to process, resulting in snappier playback while offlining.
Thanks,
Zap

no, at least not last time I looked.
the avid meridian codecs for QT are downloadable from their website
http://www.avid.com/content/7952/Avid%20CodecsLE120Macpkg.zip
sme tips quoted from http://dvinfo.net/conf/archive/index.php/t-78006.html
it is important to move these components out of the root Library and put them into the User Library. That way they won't cause any conflict during startup.
I've since done some trial and error testing and it appears the only component that causes a conflict during startup is AvidAVUICodec.component.
The rest work just fine with compressor and seem to add support for:
Avid 1:1x (AvidAV1xCodec.component)
Avid D100 (AvidAVd1Codec.component)
Avid DNxHD (AvidAVdnCodec.component)
Avid DV (AvidAVdvCodec.component)
Avid Packed (AvidAVpkCodec.component)
Avid Meridian (AvidAVDJCodec.component)
The original AvidAVUICodec.component was part of the Meridian codecs paired with AvidAVDJCodec.component for ABVB systems, but it doesn't seem to be required anymore. Very odd.
Now, what works with FCP 5.1.2????
Everything except Avid D100 codec (AvidAVd1Codec.component) and the AvidAVUICodec.component.
So, if want to use Avid codecs with FCP 5.1.2, just install them, trash AvidAVd1Codec.component and AvidAVUICodec.component, then move the remaining components from Macintosh HD/Library/Quicktime to Users/User name/Library/Quicktime.
ymmv

Can no longer import QT files with alpha channel

I have been using these client supplied QT with alpha channel files just fine for weeks, then all of a sudden, after a crash the other day, I was unable to open sequences with these files and exoprt them, the exporter would just freeze. the clips played in the timeline, but VERY sluggish.
On the reccomendation of a few posts around here, I removed the clips from the project, and now I cannot import them back in, I get a "the importer reported a generic error" message. I am able to open in QT pro and export to a new file that will import to PPro, but I lose the alpha channel.
As always, I'm up against a deadline and any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have installed QT 7.07, no help.
I'm on a windows 7 machine running CS master collection 5.0, Quad core AMD with 8 gig RAM.
These files worked fine just days ago!!!!
BTW, I just switched over to Premiere a few months ago and to honest I can't understand how anyone would stick with this buggy software, as a professional I've never used anything this bad before.

Welcome to the forum.
Try these. Attempt to re-import after each one:
Clean the media cache database via Edit | Preferences | Media
If step 2 doesn't work, then find all the .qtindex, .mpgindex, .cfa and .pek files associated with the media that's supposed to be in your project and delete them. Then clean the media cache database again.
Launch Pr and while it's launching, hold down the Alt + Shift keys until the Welcome screen appears. Alt resets your preferences and Shift resets the plug-in cache.
To address the other issues you say you've been having with Pr, you should start a different thread (or threads). Coming from other editors, there may be a difference in the way Pr does things that produce unexpected results that may be seen as bugs. More serious issues, such as crashes, can often be caused by 3rd-party hardware like AJA, Matrox or BlackMagic and the associated drivers. Outdated or incorrect drivers for audio and video cards can also cause problems. I recommend that you start troubleshooting those areas first.
Other issues may have workarounds. If you have serious, reproducible problems that have no workaround, then please file bug reports here:
Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form
-Jeff

More CS 5 - ProRes 4444 Alpha channel nonsense

Hi:
Quicktimes I render out of After Effects CS 5 using the ProRes 4444 codec are tagged as having an alpha channel even though my settings in the Output Module are RGB and Trillions of Colors. NOT RGB + Alpha and Trillions of Colors+. It doesn't matter whether my project is 8 bit or 16 bit.
When I bring such movies back into AE it shows them as having an alpha channel (Trillions of Colors+). If I do a Get Info in QT player it shows Millions of Colors+, and FCP shows them as having an alpha, too.
I just upgraded to Snow Leopard 10.6.8 (figured it was safe after two years) and in the process switched full time to CS 5 (I only used it in the past to open other's projects). I never had these issues with CS4. I have not installed any AJA codecs into this new OS (clean install over wiped HD).
This appears to be the opposite of the problem most have been having, which is AE won't generate an alpha in ProRes 4444 without moving codecs and other nonsense.
The reason this is a problem is because when I bring these Quicktimes with faux alphas into FCP for editing I can't export a reference movie. FCP rewrites the whole timeline.
Haven't these CS 5/ProRes 4444 codec/Alpha channel issues been going on for over a year? Do I have to buy CS 5.5 to get this to work correctly?
Thanks.
Shawn Marshall
Marshall Arts Motion Graphics

PR422HQ is way overkill for 99% of the video and film producers in the world. It's there for a specific elite of the entertainment biz, those who work in 4k on 64bit systems, I guess, that' ain't me! It's one of those "if you have to ask, you can't use it" sort of things. Anyone who uses the advanced features of the ProRes family knows why. That's the theory. In my practical experience over on the FCP forum at Apple, 99% of those using ProResHQ believe they are improving their original footage.
Apple ProRes 4444
The Apple ProRes 4444 codec offers the utmost possible quality for 4:4:4 sources and for workflows involving alpha channels. It includes the following features:
Full-resolution, mastering-quality 4:4:4:4 RGBA color (an online-quality codec for editing and finishing 4:4:4 material, such as that originating from Sony HDCAM SR or digital cinema cameras such as RED ONE, Thomson Viper FilmStream, and Panavision Genesis cameras). The R, G, and B channels are lightly compressed, with an emphasis on being perceptually indistinguishable from the original material.
Lossless alpha channel with real-time playback
High-quality solution for storing and exchanging motion graphics and composites
For 4:4:4 sources, a data rate that is roughly 50 percent higher than the data rate of Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)
Direct encoding of, and decoding to, RGB pixel formats
Support for any resolution, including SD, HD, 2K, 4K, and other resolutions
A Gamma Correction setting in the codec’s advanced compression settings pane, which allows you to disable the 1.8 to 2.2 gamma adjustment that can occur if RGB material at 2.2 gamma is misinterpreted as 1.8. This setting is also available with the Apple ProRes 422 codec.
Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)
The Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) codec offers the utmost possible quality for 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 sources (without an alpha channel) and provides the following:
Target data rate of approximately 220 Mbps (1920 x 1080 at 60i)
Higher quality than Apple ProRes 422
Apple ProRes 422
The Apple ProRes 422 codec provides the following:
Target data rate of approximately 145 Mbps (1920 x 1080 at 60i)
Higher quality than Apple ProRes 422 (LT)
Apple ProRes 422 (LT)
The Apple ProRes 422 (LT) codec provides the following:
Roughly 70 percent of the data rate of Apple ProRes 422 (thus, smaller file sizes than Apple ProRes 422)
Higher quality than Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy)
Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy)
The Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy) codec is intended for use in offline workflows and provides the following:
Roughly 30 percent of the data rate of Apple ProRes 422
High-quality offline editing at the original frame size, frame rate, and aspect ratio
High-quality edit proxy for Final Cut Server
The Apple ProRes family of codecs provides these advantages:
Quality indistinguishable from that of the most pristine sources: Maintains superb quality even after multiple encoding/decoding generations.
Mastering-quality 4:4:4:4 RGBA: Provides a lossless alpha channel with real-time playback (Apple ProRes 4444 only). Mastering-quality 4:4:4 Y′CBCRcolor and 4:2:2 Y′CBCR color are also available.
The quality of uncompressed HD at data and storage rates lower than those of uncompressed SD: Provides real-time editing performance comparable to or better than that of any other HD codecs in Final Cut Pro.
Apple ProRes encoding at any frame size—SD, HD, 2K, 4K, or other: Apple ProRes codecs can also be encoded into nonstandard frame sizes, but nonstandard frame sizes are not supported for real-time playback in Final Cut Pro.
Variable bit rate (VBR) encoding: “Smart” encoding analyzes the image. Efficiency is increased because excess bits are not wasted on simple frames.
10-bit sample depth: Preserves subtle gradients of 10-bit sources (sunsets, graphics, and the like) with no visible banding artifacts. When you import a file using an Apple ProRes codec, you don’t have to first determine whether the file is an 8-bit or 10-bit file. Apple ProRes codecs always preserve the bit depth of your original source files.
I-frame–only (intraframe) encoding: Ensures consistent quality in every frame, with no artifacts from complex motion, and speeds up editing.
Fast encoding and decoding: Delivers high-quality, real-time playback and faster rendering times.
Equipment affordability: Because of low bit rates, you can edit more streams with more real-time effects on slower drives, or have more users accessing the same media over shared storage devices.
Workflow options for any video format that does not have native Final Cut Pro support: The Apple ProRes format provides an effective workflow for projects involving multiple acquisition formats when you want to standardize on a single codec.
Better rendering for native editing: Can be used to render long-GOP MPEG-2 formats (such as HDV and XDCAM HD) to speed up editing and avoid MPEG-2 reencoding artifacts before output.

How do I save a PNG file with an alpha channel in Photoshop CS5?

I have a PNG file created in Photoshop and I need to save it with an alpha channel for web purposes. I tried 'Save for Web & Devices' and selecting the Transparent box. Then, after saving, when I select 'get info' for the file it says there is no alpha channel. I'm stumped I can't seem to create an alpha channel from within Photoshop while I'm editing. Help!

If you save as a 24bit png with transparent checked photoshop will save the png with transparent background (ie alpha transparency). The png will appear transparent in a web browser.

.mov files with alpha channels won't import on Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Just FYI, Apple:
This issue with Quicktime not seeing .mov files in Finder (or I should say, not playing them) is a HUGE problem for anyone who edits video.
If you export a file as .mov in After Effects, and have any transparency (RGB+Alpha channels), there is no way to import them into current projects. None.
PLEASE fix this, as I quite enjoy my job, and don't feel like losing it because my client doesn't understand why they can't have lower thirds in their video I'm contracted to do (and subsequently fires me and finds someone on a Windows rig).
Thanks.

What is up!
Based on my tests, it appears that the Mavericks embedded QT structure no longer considers many of the legacy compression formats to be supported under Mavericks. These formats were, by default, turned off under Lion and Mountain Lion which may indicate that Apple intends to drop even passive native support sometime in the future. Files containing Animation or PNG compressed data are no longer QL compatible and now force automatic QT X v10.3 conversion as mentioned above. Even worse, it appears other commonly used fomats like DV/DV in DV and AIC/PCM in MOV are also being relegated to this group. Luckily, DV/PCM in MOV, HDV/PCM in MOV, and ProRes422/PCM in MOV, along with all of my H.264/AAC/AC3/Chapter M4V distribution/iTunes managed files remain fully compatible with both QL and QT X v10.3 under Maverisks. This last is significant for me since many files containing AC3 as the primary audio stream are no longer QL/QT X v10.3 compatible with certain file extensions and/or container types which now appear to be checked in specific situations. Unfortunatly, what we've seen and learned thus far seems to be just the "tip of the iceberge."

Resolution, audio, alpha channel, and backup questions (newbie)

Hello!
Well, after a few weeks of fidgeting around with FCE, I've come up with quite a few questions:
Image/Audio questions
A. What is the best still image size for import to a NTSC DV movie? Is it the 720x480 px (3:2 aspect ratio) standard of the DV image, or the 4:3 ratio of your generic CRT TV?
I know it depends on pan/zoom. This brings up the next question:
B. I have a still image - literally a blue and black two-color image - that I'd like to zoom. It will start out with a very close shot - and zoom out until it takes up around 10% of the screen. The ending frame (the DV size) will be about 10-12 times smaller than the original image. Does this mean that I should make the original 10-12 times bigger (in both directions) than a DV frame?
This clip is essentially an imitation of the opening of the movie "Home Alone", where the screen begins blue, and as it zooms out, you see it's a stylized house, which zooms out to a tiny size. That's essentially the effect I'm going for.
Audio/Video sync issue
C. Some of the clips I've imported from old iMovie projects are a little out of sync. It's not a conversion issue, but an issue with bad editing on my part . So, I have a still image that's about 1.5 seconds too short - it cuts to the next still, which is 1.5 seconds too long. I've added edit points at both ends of the out-of-sync clip, so that I have a 1.5 second clip, with its own audio and video.
The problem is that the audio is perfect, but the video is bad. So, I need to replace the video, without changing the audio. How is this done?
D. Sometimes, I'll end up with either audio or video that's not quite right after importing a movie. However, FCE locks them together. Is there a way to unlock them so that I can change either? Essentially, is there a way to change the audio and video from one clip into two seperate clips?
E. Can I export a single clip or two only? (eg - the same as the "Share selected clips only" check box the iMovie's share menu)
Alpha channel/marquee question:
In one idea I had for this short, I have a still image (and some video) where I'd like to highlight a small area in one part of the image. In one part, it's a small object in the background that I'm highlighting. If you've seen a documentary where they have a group photo, and highlight the face of one particular person, that's the effect I'm going for.
I've made some Photoshop images that can achieve this effect - using a transparent background, a black top layer (at ~40-80% opacity), and an eliptical marquee for the highlighted portion. I then import it, and fine tune the location/size. It works, but it takes a lot of time to talor each shot. Is there some way to do this IN Final Cut Express? A filter perhaps?
In addition: (alpha-video)
is there a way to turn part of a video into an alpha channel, so that it's transparent in the final movie? It's not so much a solid color (as the bluescreen/chroma key technique would need), but more of background. For example, I would like to take some footage of my family walking in front of trees, remove the background, and place an entirely different video/still in. Is that possible?
Backup: FInal question:
I have my source media organized fairly well on my external drive. However, if my drive should die, It would be incredibly tedius to re-link all the files. (I do have a fairly current backup of the external files). Not to mention finding the orignal capture files, re-timing the project, and so on. The project file itself is probably the easiest to back up.
So, how do you back up EVERYTHING? Some projects may have hundreds of files, all over my external drive. Is there some easy way to back up all the files into a single place, like a single folder or DVD, so that if my drive should fail, all the files are in one spot?
I can export them back to a miniDV tape, but I don't have that many, plus they're $5 a pop. I can do this with Toast, but I'll likely end up missing some out-of-the-way files. If only .Mac's Backup had a Final Cut preset.....
I know that's a BUNCH of stuff up there, so if you can help with any of them, i'd be appreciative.
Thanks,
Daniel
15" 1.67 Powerbook G4 (non-HiRes), Slot loading iMac DV SE Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1G RAM on PB, 384 MB iMac.

Try breaking these up into separate questions. Easier to answer and easier to be found by someone searching for answers to the same question.

Are Quicktimes with alpha channel gone in Keynote 6.0?

Say it aint so. This is a very crucial feature of the app for my company.

While presenting from an iOS device is certainly useful, I want to be able to do the best presentations possible. Looks like Keynote 5.3 will be the tool of choice for some time yet.
Keynote 6, while a step forward for maybe 99% of users (that don't want to care about what works and what doesn't on various platforms), is a major leap backwards for the professional presentation business.
Time for Apple - or perhaps better yet, some third party - to make a Keynote Pro and make it desktop only, if that's what it takes. Bring back the larger choice of transitions, support for QuickTime alpha channels and dynamic Quartz Compositions, interaction with master slide objects and mixing of themes in the same presentation. And don't stop there:
Add parallell layers or tracks, so that some visuals or audio can play uninteruppted over several slides.
Add dynamic inputs, so a text and media fields can be populated by tweets or other RSS feeds.
Add a proper theme editor, so you easily can change various defaults and maybe add custom border styles and stuff.
Make the presenter's display more flexible, and allow for (simple) editing of slides while running the show.
Phil Schiller may have the time and resources to let 3D animators render full frame wow!-inducing movies-as-transitions, but isn't it better to have more power within the application itself? And with Keynote 6, some of that power is gone.
Maybe it'll be like with FCP X, where some of the lost features of the previous version got added back in an update. But as with anything Apple, who knows?

Importing .bmp with alpha channel

Is there a difference between the way that the Windows and
Mac versions of Flash 8 Pro handle alpha channels on .bmp files? We
are working with a .fla that was created in the Windows version of
Flash 8, but we are editing it with the Mac version. When we import
the .bmp files that we made on our Mac, the alpha channels don't
show up. But the same .bmp files that were imported with the
Windows version do display their alpha channels. We had to change
the format to .tif in order to avoid "losing" the alpha channel.
Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks!

Use PNG-24.
Chris Georgenes
Animator
http://www.mudbubble.com
http://www.keyframer.com
Adobe Community Expert
*\^^/*
(OO)
<---->
masterys wrote:
> Is there a difference between the way that the Windows
and Mac versions of
> Flash 8 Pro handle alpha channels on .bmp files? We are
working with a .fla
> that was created in the Windows version of Flash 8, but
we are editing it with
> the Mac version. When we import the .bmp files that we
made on our Mac, the
> alpha channels don't show up. But the same .bmp files
that were imported with
> the Windows version do display their alpha channels. We
had to change the
> format to .tif in order to avoid "losing" the alpha
channel. Can anyone shed
> any light on this? Thanks!
>

Alpha channel in HTML5 format

Hi all,
I use Captivate 7 Subscription Edition on Windows Home Premium 64bit , and
I have a problem with alpha channel and html5.
I often make projects importing videos with alpha channel   (transparent background).
When I decide to publish my   projects in Flash (SWF) all works smoothly without problems, but when I check the HTML format the alpha channel doesn't work anymore. In fact in the publishing process Captivate opens the Media Encoder to transform the videos from FLV to   H.264 (.MP4) format. When I go to see the SCORM in HTML5 the videos doesn't have anymore alpha channel and other times they neither don't show anything, just audio works...
I read on internet that the H.264 format doesn't support   alpha channel but I can't find any other solution to make it work in a captivate SCORM 1.2 in HTML5 format.
Can someone give me a workaround or a solution??
I need the HTML5 format to make our company projects work on   mobile devices (such as Ipad, Iphone, Android, etc).
Roberto.
P.S. I found this jquery library: https://code.google.com/p/jquery-seethru/ the problem is that I can't make it work with the SCORM and   don't know if it really can work...

You've found the answer - h.264 doesn't support alpha channels (which I find a bit silly).
So the only real option you then have is .FLV...but if you need to deliver to mobile, then FLV won't work...
So then seems like your only option is to layer in the background within the video, export that as .MP4/h.264, then bring that in to the CP project and match it up as best you can with the rest of the background.
-E

Alpha Channel editing?

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