Alpha Channel / Media Encoder Question

Hello All,
I have a question that I think is just something I'm overlooking. I have a Comp with a logo. The logo is made up of various files and does not have a solid background. It's very similar to a lower third.When I render it out in AE via the Render Que I have no issues and the Alpha channel works as expected when imported into PPRO. The setting I use is QuickTime>Animation>RGB+Alpha, etc.
This morning I decided I wanted to start rendering via Media Encoder. I watched the video Colin Smith did a bout a year ago to refresh my memory.
I fired up Media Encoder, dragged my logo comp into ME and everything seemed to being going beautifully. I chose QuickTime> Animation codec>etc.
However when imported the file into PPRO the Alpha channel did not render. Where the Alpha channel is supposed to be PPRO read as black video. I went back in ME and doubled checked all of the settings. I do not see anywhere in ME where you can specify an Alpha channel as you can in AE where you can specify "RGB+Alpha".
Is there a setting in ME to activate/read the alpha channel that I'm missing? I'd really like to use ME for future AE comp renderings but unless I can get around the Alpha channel issue I won't be able to.
CS6 all up to date
Win Vista (not that I think any system specs matter in this instance).
Thank you in advance,
Shane

From AME, add the file to the render queue and click either the codec or preset to open the After Effects export settings. Under Basic Video Settings selecting a Depth of 32 bit will enable the alpha channel. If using a 10-bit or greater codec, set the Depth to 64 bit.
As an aside, have you considered creating a Dynamic Link from Premiere Pro to the After Effects file? It eliminates the need for an intermediate file and allows you to maintain a bit depth up to 32bpc.

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How to render out JUST Alpha in Media Encoder

So apparently Adobe has changed their settings in CC 2014 and Adobe After Effects no longer has the H.264 container, and is only offered as a codec for Qucktime. I've been told I have to go into Adobe Media Encoder for the H.264 codec. That's fine, problem is that Adobe Media Encoder does not really have any options for Alpha. From my understanding you have to set it to 32bpc for it to do alpha in a file, which did not seem to work, but that's irrelevant now because that's not what I need. I need to render out two files for a batch list, one with just RGB files and one with just alpha. I talked to someone from Adobe and they suggested I post here. Let me know if you need details.
Thank you very much.

Just to be clear, and reiterate what Kevin state: H.264 (.mp4) files do not have the capability of storing an alpha channel. They are RGB only.
But that doesn't sound like a blocking issue for your workflow; you're already preparing to use an RGB file and a separate file with a black/white alpha matte for compositing at playback time.
Another point to make clear: the controls in the Composition viewer panel in After Effects have no affect on the rendered output. AME will read the comp as if these controls don't exist. Even the After Effects render queue by default will ignore these settings, though you can change some of the controls in the Render Settings dialog to respect the Comp viewer settings (ie., Current Settings). AME doesn't have this capability for After Effects comps, currently.
Third point: AME doesn't have the capability to produce an alpha-channel-only video, like After Effects does. This is regardless of what type of source you're using, After Effects comp, Premiere Pro sequence, or other.
Fourth point: please submit a feature request for any functionality you'd like to see added to AME, or After Effects: http://adobe.ly/feature_request
For your workflow the best thing will probably be to do what Jeff recommends: have After Effects render your comp to two Output Modules, one with RGB and one with Alpha, in a lossless format and then have AME encode the files to your final delivery format. This can be automated with watch folders.

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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.

Premiere Pro CS3 Media Encoder question...

Hi,
I got a question regarding the Premiere Pro CS3 Media Encoder.
I am converting a sequence in Premiere Pro CS3 which contains footage from a '.vob' file which is NTSC, 720x480, 16:9 to a '.flv' file.
Now I'm doing this via Premiere Pro CS3 Media Encoder and it let's me choose the Width & Height but there is no checkbox to keep the proportions - which I find is very, very inconvenient...
So if I wanna convert this to a .flv file which is 400 high, the width should be 600, right ?
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Is that done automatically or how/where can I specify it ?
Thanx for your help in advance !
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If you want 16:9. you need to consider that the lower number should probably be divisible by 72. So, if you want something about 600 wide, I would use 360 for the lower number which gives you a frame size of 640X360
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Adobe Media Encoder Question

Hey everyone! So I just switched from using AE CS5.5 to AE CC, which now has me use the Media Encoder to render all my files, which frankly is AWESOME. However, I sometimes like to render out a piece of a long video I'm editing so I can get a glimpse at how it is looking so far without having to wait for it to completely finish. With CS5.5 I was able to just *stop* rendering, and the video would publish to my desktop and end wherever I had stopped it. With Media Encoder when I hit stop, the file is nowhere to be found as if the program just throws it away after canceling. Is there a way to make it still render what it already got through so I at least have a partial file to view??

On further inspection, Even still renders are interlaced like mad...
What's wrong?!
EDIT:
I fixed it!!! Apparently when speeding up or slowing down clips, it merges the frames together giving off that horrible look! So I turned off "frame blend" And it looks super awesome.

Media Encoder Question-With Explainable Images

OS: Vista 32bit
Producet:Adobe Premiere Pro Cs3
Issue: concerning export settings
For: Facebook videos. req. H.264 video with AAC audio in MOV or MP4 format, 30fps, 44,100hz
I've have been exporting stuff for a while by File>Export Adobe Media Encoder, when timeline is fully selected. Not sure if this helps but including anyways.
My concern is the settings to get a proper enough quality for facebook. 720HQ video
Settings are shown in the pictures:
Now my real problem is audio, which I need as the video has people singing and playing music.
Now I dont know if its some pre-setting, codec i'm missing, or etc.
But I do notice two thing when I exported audio:
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Two kind answers I'm looking for:
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adjust these settings to suit your own video...export setting fps should match your source and project.
my test on 1920x1080p 24fps came out fine , plays well on computer using classic media player.

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cheers
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Steve,
I have similar concerns about switching over to PP CS4--though I find many of its features enticing.
Obviously, any workaround will cost time and workflow effectiveness. I certainly do not care for the stranglehold they have given AME. That was not a smart design move IMO, and certainly not a smart marketing decision, especially given the level of complaints about AME's slowness and quality issues with some formats. It IS a separate application--so where is the necessity in making it required for PP export.
I presume one could edit/render in a given standard format, run a batch through AME while doing other work in PP, and then batch the the lot through procoder 3 to final format while continuing editing. I may give that a try with the trial version just to judge what the workflow costs are. It would take a lot for me to give up procoder, unless I was convinced that the control and quality levels were the same or better in AME.

H1 footage & premiere deinterlace encoder questions.

Hi all,
I recorded some footage on a H1 in 60i HD (HDV). Used Premiere CS3 preset HDV 1080i 30 (60i) to capture it.
Capture question...
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Adobe media encoder questions...
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I was reading some adobe livedocs info that its a good idea to do so, even though canon says their 60i, 30f, 24f is as good as progressive.
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The H1 captured output from tape is 1440x1080i. The encoder HDTV preset outputs 1920x1080, the other preset obviously outputs 1440x1080.

1. I use Cineform with great results and would indeed convert it to cineform BEFORE editing. It converts the 4:2:0 colorspace to 4:2:2 and is better to edit with, along with the fact it also coverts long GOP to almost a frame based compressin.
2. Cineforms method of "deinterlaceing" is different than Adobe's.
I have tried both. It seems that Cineforms is better. There is a LONG post under HDV to SD conversion. Read it.
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Adam Wilt did a good review of the HL and stated that the "F" frames are really progressive frames made from interlaced CCD's. The frames do lose a little vertical resolution.
I would either shoot in F and keep it there, or shoot in I and keep it there.

Flash Media Live Encoder alpha channel (chroma keying) support

Hi,
When trying to encode live strem with alpha channel (32 bit) using the latest Flash Media Live Encoder (FMLE) I have got no alpha chammel coming out from the encoder heading the FMS.
Is the new FMLE supports alpha channel encoding?
Thx.

Hi,
Right now FMLE does not support Alpha channel. Its Video encoeder encodes data from YV12 format.
Even latest release of FMLE is not supporting alpha channel. If you want this to be implemented then you can add this as Enhancement bug in Adobe site for Flash media encoder product.

Media Encoder CS6 won't uprez alpha channels

I have been trying to convert some files i created in both animation codec and AVID codec with alpha from 720p to 1080i/p but if i have the alpha set to rende, it creates a file with the video blown out and edges aliased. Same files if i turn the alpha off render (uprez) perfectly. these can be a lot of files, so i'm trying to run them all thru Media Encoder instead of tieing up AfterEffects. Any clues?
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thx

> Adobe tools aren't the best option for upscaling.
Huh?
If you can find something better than After Effects CC (12.2) with the Detail-Preserving Upscale effect for up-saling, I want to know what it is.

Alpha channel in Adobe Media Encoder output

Hello, I would like to know how to get the same result in Adobe Media Encoder as you get from AE rendering using Quicktime container and PNG + alpha codec.
On the left is the SS from playing AME rendered video in any player, even Win preview, on the rigth is how it is played if rendered from AE with same settings. (AME has 32bit. AE has RGB + alpha)
Even the file sizes are different so this clearly isn't equivalent to AEs render. And yes, if you import what AME rendered into AE, it looks ok, but I need this to look OK in video players.
Am I missing something, or this simply isn't possible?
Thank you for your time.
Sandi

I want to do in "AME", the functions that have After Effects.
Are they?
RGB - Opaque = Colors / Transparent = black.
Alpha - Opaque = White / Transparent = Black.
RGB+Alpha - Opaque = Colors / Transparent = Transparent.
As in After Effects.

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

How to create alpha videos now FLV / F4V support dropped from Media encoder

Now that Media encoder has dropped support for FLV / F4V has anyone got any ideas how you would create a video with an alpha channel for use in flash professional. With flash professional only really supporting the H.264 CODEC, I can't see any way possible to use transparent videos now. I'm currently having to resort to installing an old version of media encoder to get back access to FLV. Does anyone have any other thoughts on how I could achieve this using the latest software.

Hi Preran,
Can you clarify why the Alpha channel video option has been removed?
There's all sorts of reasons why people still need FLV, in our case its the video format we use with Aurasma to be able to have animated text on a transparent background in an AR environment....
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Alpha Output with Media Encoder

Hallo
I would like to use the "Export to Adobe Media Encoder" command in After Effects to send a comp with an Alpha Channel to be coded in the Media Encoder, but this workflow doesn't seem to support Alpha Channels, or am I missing something? I am using CC2014
Please Help
Nick

You want STRAIGHT alpha in almost every case. Avid, FCP, PPro, AE and every other compositing or editing app I've ever used prefer straight alphas.
Create a custom template using, for example, QuickTime JPEG2000 and pick 32Bit like this.
You'll end up with a straight alpha QT that will work just fine in any app. If you must have pre-multiplied then you have to use the Render Cue and beware of the edges when compositing.
Here's the result of the test render in AE. Note the file interpretation and the transparency.
BTW, you can save the preset (I did) and use it at any time by adjusting AME's preferences.

Media Encoder CC audio question

I have a ProRes standard def file (.mov) with 2 stereo pairs of audio. I am trying to export it to a DVCPROHD Quicktime (.mov) with the same audio configuration.
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There is a setting which allows me to have this video codec and the audio configuration I want, but the resulting file will be in a .mxf wrapper, which I cannot use.
Is there really no way to just do audio passthrough in Media Encoder?

I am running version 8.2.0.54 currently.
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Alpha Channel / Media Encoder Question

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