Alpha channel is gone in imovie titles and transitions

Hi,
Who can help me with this problem: http://files.rwdproducties.nl/vraagbaakvideos/ENhelpasked.mov
I don't know where to search anymore to solve it.
(Already did verify permissions and repair permissions and this did not fix the problem)
I use iMovie everyday for my small business and desperate for some help here.
Thanks!
Ben

There could be a missing component in Snow Leopard. I would try backing up your system to an external disk using a tool like Super Duper. Then reinstall Snow Leopard. Then use the Migration Utility to reinstall everything,
Better yet, have you tried contacting Apple? There is a Contact Us link for Apple at the bottom right of this page.

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Adding titles and transitions in iMovie HD 6

Tried to add titles and transitions to a couple of short ( 5 mins and 10 mins or so) films only to find sound is out of sync with pics. On checking found that I had recorded in 12 bit audio (dammit). Is this the cause of my problems and is there anything I can do long after the fact? I thought this was only a problem that happened when you had long films being sent to iDVD.

Sorry, iMovie doesn't offer that transition feature, nor does iMovie support Applescript. The only way I know to add a transition is to manually add it to the Timeline.
Regrettably, sometimes Apple doesn't eat its own dog food.
Karl

I'm creating a lower third in Motion and importing into FCP X, but the alpha channel is gone when I import into FCP. What am I doing wring?

I'm trying to export from Motion 5 with an alpha channel, but in FCP X the alpha is gone. What do I do?

if you're exporting video animation out of Motion and you need transparency, then you need to make sure that the codec used is ProRes 4444. There are no other options. From the Share > Export dialog, the default Export option is usually "Same as Source." In Motion, that *should* be PR4x4. You can double check that setting by clicking the summary button and reading the last line.
You also need to make sure under the Render section that Color + Alpha is selected (that should also be the default setting.)
However, most of all, you're really wasting your time going about it this way. If you started a Title project in Motion, all you have to do is Save and give the project a Name; pick a category or create a new one. In FCPX, in the Titles browser, look for the category you used and find the project name and drag it onto the storyline.
You have the option of picking parameters in your motion project that you can "publish" to FCPX (things like the lower third background color, text color, positioning, etc... almost every parameter is publishable to FCPX allowing you to customize the project *inside* FCPX.) Any parameter you publish in Motion will be in the Title Inspector in FCPX. You do not have to "bake" your lower third in Motion before using it in FCPX. You can pretty much turn your project into an FCPX plugin.
If you didn't start a Title project, you can still build your lower third as an FCPX Generator. Go to the File menu and Publish Template... In the dialog box, make sure you check Publish As Final Cut Generator. Give the project a Name and select a category (you'll need to wait a few seconds until the Categories update to the FCPX categories...) You can create a custom category if you like and save the project. In FCPX, instead of the Titles browser, look for your template/plugin in the Generators > WhateverCategory > YourLowerThird.

Alpha channels really have messed up thumbnails and Previews

In AP2 I use to have to put a blank (all white) layer above any alpha channels so the thumbnails would build properly. Now in Ap3 The thumbnails and Previews are screwed up so they are totaly unrecognizable or not showing up at all even after deleting and re generating them. I've placed a bug report with apple but I need a solution or a work around fast.
Thanks to all who help.

When you look at the songs in your Music library in iTunes, does the artist name have any punctuation in the artist column?
I know with some MP3's I ripped from CD before iTunes was available, I had put both title and artist in the title field, and until I corrected them they didn't show up correctly on my iPod.

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Hi
Really no real vision memory of this - but You may be right and then
• Turn on Advance tools
• Trashing the iMovie pref file
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use to help when things don't work OK
Yours Bengt W

Titles and Transitions doe not work after upgrading to Snow Leopard

I can not get my Titles or transitions to work in iMovie any more after upgrading to Snow Leopard.
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IMovie 09 playback(full-screen) choppy during titles and transitions.

When I insert someting like a moving title, or a fading transition into my movie: the full-screen playback (and not the playback on the viewer) gets choppy or skips a movement. It specifically happens where the screen should be fading/transitioning or when a title should be moving/fading onto the screen. I have all the updates for 09 and I'm pretty sure that if this is the case on a full-scree, it would defenitely happen on a published exported version.

When I insert someting like a moving title, or a fading transition into my movie: the full-screen playback (and not the playback on the viewer) gets choppy or skips a movement. It specifically happens where the screen should be fading/transitioning or when a title should be moving/fading onto the screen. I have all the updates for 09 and I'm pretty sure that if this is the case on a full-scree, it would defenitely happen on a published exported version.

What codec to convert .MXF and MP4 files into to use with alpha channels in Ae and Pr CS6?

When I import .mxf File, shot on a Canon C300, into after effects, the alpha channel options are greyed out, when I look in, interpret footage, main. This also is the case importing .MP4 files, shot on a Gopro hero 3. I used to use final cut and using compressor convert the files to pro res 4444 or 422. What's my new workflow for preparing files with alpha channels to use in After Effect and Premiere and do I use Media Encoder to do it?

When I import .mxf File, shot on a Canon C300, into after effects, the alpha channel options are greyed out, when I look in, interpret footage, main. This also is the case importing .MP4 files, shot on a Gopro hero 3.
Better question: Where do you expect that Alpha channel to come from and contain any useful info for transparency? You're making a fuss over a non-issue. Unless you apply keying or other methods of creating transparency, even if there were an Alpha channel it would be fully opaque and then what's the point?
Mylenium

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.

Can't get "Encode Alpha Channel" to work.

I created an animation in Apple Motion with an Alpha Channel and exported it as a .mov. I put it on my web page and the Alpha Channel appears fine. When I run my file through Media Encoder, the Alpha Channel is gone even though my settings appear to be correct: FLV, ON2VP6, CBR.

Looks like this question is for Adobe Media Enocder not for Flash Media Live Encoder. Please post on
http://forums.adobe.com/community/ame

Better Alpha channel handling

I've asked for this a lot: alpha channel saving with PS is terrible, and could use an update. And today, I was embarrassed by a bug that caused our game engine to perform poorly as a result of the way Photoshop handles the alpha channel.
The bug: make a 1024x1024 canvas, give it an opaque alpha channel (100% white, every pixel), then Image Size it down to something smaller, like 128x128. Now look at your alpha channel: grey pixels all along the border. ARRGGGHHH!!!1!1! It interpolated, I'm sure, using black alpha outside the canvas that doesn't actually exist, changing, in a powerful, fundamental way, the nature of the alpha channel. Video cards care about this stuff: 99.9% opaque is not 100% opaque. This is terrible.
The request: That PS intelligently offer better defaults when saving an image with an alpha. Right now, it offers, "What was the last bit depth you saved an image to?" Regardless of the fact that the previous image may have no relationship to the following image being saved, the default offering is always "what I did last time". This enables very easy pruning of alpha channels that should be there, or adding opaque alpha channels that shouldn't be there, bloating the file size.
I'd like PS to determine if an alpha channel is present, and base its default choice on that. If one is present, default to 32-bits. If an alpha channel si not present, default to 24-bits. That easy.
If multiple alpha channels are present, I'd like a dropdown menu to pick which one I want. Right now, if you save a PSD with multiple alpha channels to a 32-bit TGA, it throws all alpha channels away, and saves the image with a solidly opaque alpha channel, the choice no one asked for.
For texture work, or works where the graphics card is the destination, not the printed page, this cavalier handling of alpha channels is definitely not sustainable.
I'd love to never have to ask for this again.

Generally speaking the resize of an image on a layer in which the canvas is exactly the size of the data will result in transparency peeking in around the edge (i.e., I'm agreeing with you here, just using Photoshop terms). I've always thought this was kind of poorly thought-out too. As you say, the algorithm must default to using 0 vs., say, replicating (or "clamping") to the alpha of the pixels right on the edge.
I suppose theoretically, the thinking is that if you were to EXPAND the canvas, the area around the image would be transparent anyway, and a subsequent resampling would then have the same result as the above.
Knowing this, one way to work around the problem would be to create a slightly larger image, then Canvas Size it down to your intended resolution. That way there's layer data beyond the edges with which the resizing algorithm can work. I realize that's probably not a practical solution in general, but a trick to keep up your sleeve if you really do need that 128 x 128 image with alpha solid to the edge.
-Noel

NSBitmapImageRep - how can I remove or reverse an alpha channel from tiff?

Below is some code I cobbled together to save a square preview of an image. I am looking to figure out how to remove or inverse an alpha channel mask from a tiff image, and could really use some help....
// I have been using 256.0 and 0.4 for the last 2 arguments, though feel free test with whatever.
- (NSString *)savePreview: (NSString *)filePath: (NSString *)saveFilePath: (NSString *)previewSize: (NSString *)compressionRatio {
NS_DURING
NSAutoreleasePool *memoryPool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
NSImage *myImage = [[NSImage alloc] initWithContentsOfFile: filePath];
if (myImage == nil) {
[myImage release];
NSLog(@"! Error loading image");
return @"! Error loading image";
NSImageRep *myRep = [[myImage representations] objectAtIndex: 0];
float hres = [myRep pixelsWide]/[myImage size].width;
float vres = [myRep pixelsHigh]/[myImage size].height;
float newWidth = [previewSize floatValue];
float newHeight = newWidth;
NSImage *thumbImage = [[NSImage alloc] initWithSize: NSMakeSize(newWidth, newHeight)];
NSAffineTransform *at = [NSAffineTransform transform];
[myImage setScalesWhenResized: YES];
float heightFactor = newHeight/[myImage size].height;
float widthFactor = newWidth/[myImage size].width;
float scale;
if(heightFactor > widthFactor) {
scale = widthFactor;
} else {
scale = heightFactor;
[at scaleBy: scale];
[thumbImage lockFocus];
[[NSGraphicsContext currentContext] setImageInterpolation: NSImageInterpolationHigh]; // NSImageInterpolationNone, NSImageInterpolationLow, NSImageInterpolationHigh
[myImage setSize: [at transformSize: [myImage size]]];
[myImage compositeToPoint: NSMakePoint((newWidth-[myImage size].width)/2 , (newHeight-[myImage size].height)/2) operation: NSCompositeCopy];
NSBitmapImageRep *bitmapImageRep = [[NSBitmapImageRep alloc] initWithFocusedViewRect: NSMakeRect(0, 0, [thumbImage size].width, [thumbImage size].height)];
[thumbImage unlockFocus];
[myImage release];
[thumbImage release];
NSData *bitmapData = nil;
NSNumber *factor = [NSNumber numberWithFloat: [compressionRatio floatValue]]; // The compression factor. Used only for JPEG files. The value is a float between 0.0 and 1.0, with 0.0 being the lowest and 1.0 being the highest. It’s set when reading in and used when writing out.
NSDictionary *props = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: factor forKey: NSImageCompressionFactor];
bitmapData = [bitmapImageRep representationUsingType: NSJPEGFileType properties: props];
[bitmapData writeToFile: saveFilePath atomically: YES];
[bitmapImageRep release];
[memoryPool release];
return @"YES";
NS_HANDLER
NSLog(@"Exception occured : %@", localException);
return @"NO";
NS_ENDHANDLER
}

<bump>

Add alpha channel to a BufferedImage

Hi, I am making a small jigsaw puzzle type game. I read an image from a file into a BufferedImage using ImageIO.read(). From this image I cut out rectangular pieces using getSubimage(). Then I would like to mask out the small figure cuts that should be along the edges of each piece. I'm thinking that I would like to do this by alpha transparency - making the background show through the irregular edges. So, my problem is that the images returned by ImageIO.read() does not necesarily have an alpha channel.
Is there a simple way to add an alpha channel to an existing BufferedImage?
Or does anyone have a better solution?
P.S. Currently I intend to use a single circle at each edge, either inside the piece as a hole or filled outside the edge. These circles can easily be drawn, but I plan to eventually expand this to be able to make arbitrarily shaped pieces.

Is there a simple way to add an alpha channel to an
existing BufferedImage?Not for the general case. For example, I used ImageIO.read to load in a jpeg image. It's 50x60 pixels, and as an image it has 3 channels: red, green and blue -- no alpha. The pixel data is stored in a DataBufferByte, which has a single array of 9,000 bytes (3 channels x W x H). Given the packed structure of that data, there is no efficient way to slide in alpha values -- there's no room.
One thing you can always do is copy the data from this BufferedImage into another BufferedImage that has an alpha channel. Here's some quick and dirty code to do it:
static BufferedImage addAlpha(BufferedImage bi) {
     int w = bi.getWidth();
     int h = bi.getHeight();
     int type = BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB;
     BufferedImage bia = new BufferedImage(w,h,type);
     Graphics2D g = bia.createGraphics();
     ImageObserver imo = null;
     g.drawImage(bi, 0, 0, imo);
     g.dispose();
     return bia;
Or does anyone have a better solution?
P.S. Currently I intend to use a single circle at each
edge, either inside the piece as a hole or filled
outside the edge. These circles can easily be drawn,
but I plan to eventually expand this to be able to
make arbitrarily shaped pieces.1. The code given above is sufficient to take the original image and create the same image, but with an alpha channel. Don't worry about the fact that you're copying pixel data. Are you generating 100 jigsaw puzzles per second?
2. Another possible solution is to start with the entire image, perhaps with no alpha channel, and draw individual jigsaw pieces by adjusting the Clip property before drawing each piece. Now, this may be a little slow, because calculating a fancy clipping shape with half-circles etc... may complicate the rendering
3. My Conclusion. Because a jigsaw application would involve lots of repainting, rotating pieces and dragging them, I'd do the following:
a. Create buffered images (with alpha) for each piece. I'm not using subimages because I'm trading more space for faster redrawing time. To be rigorous, one should do it both ways and compare the results.
b. Just once, for each of these piece images, using a clipping shape, draw from the original image (with or without alpha) onto the piece image to generate the image of one piece. If your jigsaw game allows pieces to be rotated 90/180/270 degrees you may want to pre-generate those rotated piece images to speed up drawing the pieces in rotated orientations. Again, one should do it both ways and compare the results.
--Nax

Alpha channel deteriorates on scaling image

Using Flash CS4. I have some images with transparent backgrounds that I'm putting into Flash. Placed in Flash at original size, transparency looks great. However, when I scale the images to any different size, the edges of the alpha channel get real rough, not smooth and aligned to object. I've experimented with png, targa, gif, but all seem to have this problem. Is this some issue with Flash? I don't remember seeing this problem in say Powerpoint.
Note: I need the flexibility to change the size of the images, not produce an "exact size" original everytime I need a different size.
thanks,
Dennis

Min required version of flash player for my application is 9..
I think I figured it out, Here is my solution:
private function completeHandler(evt:Event):void
   var originalWidth:int=loaderG.content.width;
   var originalHeight:int=loaderG.content.height;
   var scale:Number = 0.5;
   var matrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
   matrix.scale(scale, scale);
   myBitmapDataObj=new BitmapData(originalWidth, originalHeight, true, 0xFFFFFF);
   myBitmapDataObj.draw(loaderG.content, null, null, null, null, true);
   var copyBitmapData:BitmapData= new BitmapData(originalWidth* scale, originalHeight* scale, true, 0x000000);
   copyBitmapData.draw(myBitmapDataObj, matrix, null, null, null, true);
   var myBitmapG:Bitmap=new Bitmap(copyBitmapData,PixelSnapping.AUTO,true);
   addChild(myBitmapG);
I also try blur filter on my bitmap:
var blur:BlurFilter = new BlurFilter();
   blur.blurX = 1.4;
   blur.blurY = 1.4;
   blur.quality = BitmapFilterQuality.HIGH;
   myBitmapG.filters = [blur];
Or is there better solution?

Alpha Channel Video Preloader

We are creating a project that includes a number of alpha channel videos of the course narrator and other characters. Playback works well however, before each video plays, there is a brief "loading" message and then the video pops onto the screen and plays.
I understand the need for the pre-loader, however, I am hoping there is a way to add a "poster frame" to avoid the jarring impact of a person suddenly appearing over a realistic background. A little too much like a magic trick.
We would like to try a poster frame similar to the commonly used "Flash Media Playback" player provided by adobe for flash video on websites found here http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmediaplayback/index.html
Flash media playback allow the use of a jpg file that loads immediately before the video buffers.
Alternatively, are there any other "tricks" to make it appear that the video is present on the screen before it begins to play?
Appreciate any ideas on this.
Thanks
Jeff

Probably because you're not actually encoding "nothing" when creating transparency. An alpha channel is an additional 8-bit grayscale channel, and it probably can't or isn't compressed as much as the RGB channels, or else the transparency would not be clean. The only way to decrease the file size is to lower the total bitrate, which will subsequently have an impact on the quality of the "visible" video.

Alpha channel is gone in imovie titles and transitions

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