IM08 supports alpha channels/'transparency'

in case, this is new to you (it was for me...):
iM08 supports pictures, which contain alpha-channels..
so, it is now quite easy for the ambitious iMovie-maker, to add 'bugs', 'mattes', even soft-bordered 'masks' to your project.
as an example, I'm adding here a 'bug' (=stationairy logo') to one of my projects....
I create a picture in Photoshop Elements, containing transparency as 'background', and my lil' logo drops a shadow (not seen in this size). I then import to iPhoto, as .tiff, which transport transparency-info ... the Photo-bin shows it (1)
than, the usual routine: drag it over your video (2) ... the blue blar indicates the position in time, you can elongate it, etc.
as you see in the preview (3), my logo is added, ... in the final movie, it drops a nice semi-transparent shadow onto my video..
for sure, you can create in a pic processor other things to 'add', e.g. 'dream masks/mattes', which add the movie a fade-to-white borders (flowers?), ... or, simple arrows, circles, boxes for instructional videos.. keep imagine!
a more elaborated and illustrated How-To as usual on my site:
http://karsten.schluter.googlepages.com/im08tricks
(.. lists gets longer, should think about restructruring that...)
just to mention that: that was NOT possible with iMHD≤6 ...
Have Fun with iMovie!

In addition to what David says:
if you rendered your timeline already, then exports will have black background.
If it's unrendered and then export, then the alphachannel will be included (with a codec that supports alphachannels of course)
to check what you are exporting: in the top of the canvas click the most right (of three) button and choose Checkerboard as the background.
If you now see the checkerboard, then you'll export with alphachannel. If you see black background then you've already rendered, and black will be exported. You can trash your renders using Tools > render manager. Or simply drag a clip over (1 videolayer higher) your title clip. And then delete this clip. It flushes your render.
Hope this helps
Rienk

Similar Messages

Import Image Sequence and Alpha Channel Transparency?

Hello --
I need to go from PNG sequence (with alpha channel transparency) to FLV (with alpha retained), and am trying to do this in QuickTime Pro. Seems like this should be possible.
When I import a sequence of PNG images into QuickTime Pro, the alpha channel displays as solid black. When I export the movie as FLV (using On2 VP6 Codec, which supports alpha transparency), there is still a solid black background, and no transparency. I have looked everywhere in QT Pro for transparency settings, but to no avail. Any tips would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Mike

Thanks, but something is not working.
Going back to your original post, when I do Cmd-J, then set transparency to "Straight Alpha," the movie background immediately changes from black to white. So far so good. But if I export that movie as MOV (Animation, no compression, millions of colors+), then bring it back in, and confirm with Cmd-J, the transparency setting is gone. Am I missing something?

Why does GoPro Cineform Support Alpha Channels?

Recently, Adobe Media Encoder started supporting GoPro Cineform for use as an intermediate format for video captured with a GoPro camera. One of the main points that GoPro gave as a benefit of this was that the codec supports Alpha channels. I'm wondering how and why a GoPro would record Alpha channels? It's my understanding that they are used as transparency information, and I don't see how the camera would record transparent video.
So, why does Cineform support alpha channels

Hi,
I wonder if something is wrong with your installation of photoshop cc?
Here's what i see and get in photoshop cc (photoshop version 14) on a windows 7 system with
Filter>Render>Lighting Effects.

Alpha Channel Transparency Rendering

Forgive me if this is somewhere on this forum as the forums are a bit confusing to me. If it is please point me in the right direction.
I am trying to create a simple effect and then use that effect as a luma matte in a NLE like Final Cut Pro or Avid. What I am not sure how to do is to render the video file so that it will have an alpha channel or transparency information. A work around I have tried was to create the image and lower its hue/saturation and then remove the hue/sat and use the two together but that had unpredictable results. If it helps I'm using the spike light ball effect on a black solid with its count turned up and its global angle animated to +15 after 10 seconds so basically the light does a cool rotate effect. Thanks for any help :)

Render and export to a format that can include an alpha channel. Make sure that you have selected the option(s) in the export settings that tell the encoder to include the alpha channel. One such setting is the bit depth Millions Of Colors+, in which the plus sign refers to the alpha channel. Another example of such a setting is the Encode Alpha Channel option in the Video tab of the export settings dialog box for FLV output using On2 VP6 codec.
For more information, see the
"About alpha channels and mattes" section of After Effects Help on the Web.

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.

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

Unexpected Alpha channel behavior in Premiere

Is there no way to interpret alphas as straight versus premultiplied in Premiere? Why do my transparent layers and clips with alpha channels display differently with a Black Video layer below them?
Background info:
I'm exporting my film to files with codecs that support alpha channels, not because I want an alpha in the result but because I need full RGB / 444 color coding for digital cinema theaters. I'm using ProRes444, Targa and PNG Image sequences to preserve as much quality as possible in my master exports.
I've discovered that there is no option to disable the alpha transparency in the Export Media step while preserving at least 10 bits per color channel (Trillions of colors in AE).
To solve this problem, I've had to add a "Black Video" clip to the first video track, underneath the film's content. When this is done, the pre-rendered text elements with alphas look different. They are movie trailer style text treatments that are light text over pure black. (I'm on my ipad right now and don't see a way to upload screen shots to show examples)
The result with the black video layer applied at the bottom is similar to the way QuickTime 7 displays straight alphas incorrectly. This problem occurs with both straight and premultiplied renders. The rendered text is from after effects and is stored using the animation codec.
I'm aware of how to work around this, by maintaining the alpha transparency in Premiere and then removing the alpha channel of my export by running it through After Effects, but that is a ridiculous, time consuming step.
I'm working with the GPU Mercury Engine on with a K5000 from NVIDIA. Can anyone explain this behavior? Is there no way to interpret alphas as straight versus premultiplied in Premiere? Why do my transparent layers display differently with a Black Video layer below them?
Here are the screen shots
UNDESIRED EFFECT using Black Video layer at bottom: Notice the fuzzy glow surrounding the text. This is happening with both straight and premultiplied renders.
INTENDED LOOK when composited over nothing: The glowing edges are displayed the same way in Premiere as in After Effects.

In my understanding, the reason 444 is indicated is because they are not RGB codecs. They simply sample the same amount of color as is possible in true RGB codecs. They still require a conversion from RGB to YUV for coding to a file, which almost always introduces a very slight shift in values, though usually imperceptible or acceptable. If the codec is truly RGB there is no need to indicate luminance vs color sampling.
...I think.
Again thank you for your awesome input! You've been a huge help here on my day off. :)

A movie file with Alpha channel works in Color??

I have files exported from Motion which contain Alpha channel.
What I like to do is to correct color of the files in Color 1.5.
When I import them into a sequence with two tracks in FCP, it appears correctly with the alpha channel.
But once I send it to Color, the files in the top layer (V2) doesn't show the bottom layer (V1).
It means the transparent parts will be all black.
I know ProRes 4444 supports alpha channel and I think the files are ProRes 4444 since they work correctly in Motion and FCP.
I read all the related threads here but no luck so far...I'd appreciate your help!

Shake. OR... Apple "SHAME".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shake_(software)
You might still be able to find it in University bookstores seriously marked down. It is a fantastic product. However, Apple seems to feel that its VFX market is best served by pillaging the Shake code and reinserting a dumbed-down version into FCP and Motion. They are wrong.
The app is still very much in use, very much appreciated.. very recently for completion of "District 9" -- http://www.fxguide.com/fxpodcast.html
You can do things like pull in your graded ProRes plus the original with alpha and copy the 4th channel into a new QT, so that the new version does what the codec should be doing.
jPo
jPo

Maya iff plugin doesn't support Alpha when saving

Now that's annoying... the iff plugin doesn't support Alpha Channel when saving file! And when you open an IFF file with an alpha, generated from Maya for example, the alpha is removed and the transparent parts of the original alpha become punches out the image (so you see the grey checker in the BG).
I hope someone from the PS team reads this and fixes it. Maya converts all textures to IFF internally before rendering and that slows you down if you have a lot of textures. I was hoping I could do this in PS myself but it looks like I will have to rely on Shake to do it.
Anybody knows of a drag and drop software that could easily convert TIFF, JPG, TGA or other formats to IFF? I need and easy solution because I don't want to have to convert all my textures one by one.
Robert
PS: I posted this as a bug to Adobe...

I can confirm that if one uses the Eraser tool in Photoshop CS5 to create 0% opacity (100% transparency), the pixel values will be set to pure white. I have a content-aware plug-in that has to specifically avoid examining pixels if the transparency mask exists and the opacity is equal to 0.
We can only guess that this was done to reduce saved file sizes or something. ??? I can imagine the thinking when this was designed/implemented: "Who'd want to maintain data that was utterly transparent?"
Clearly someone does.
What this pixel destruction "quirk" DOES DO, specficially, is blow away the proposal that viewing opacity in Photoshop is completely interchangeable with the maintenance of a separate alpha channel.
I second PECourtejoie's request to make the 100% deletion non-destructive. After all, Photoshop now maintains information outside the canvas, why not maintain it in transparent image areas as well? And if it's compatibility you're worried about, make an Advanced option to toggle the functionality.
Thanks.
-Noel

How do I create or export a logo in Illustrator CS5 with an alpha channel to use in Final Cut Pro 6?

To anyone who can help:
I have created a logo using Illustrator CS5 and need to import it into a video sequence in Final Cut Pro 6. The logo has a transparent background. It seems FCP 6 will import both native .ai files as well as .tiff files, but when I open them in FCP 6, the alpha channel (transparent background) is no longer there; there is just the logo over a white background. Is there a setting or step I am missing?
Shaun MacLellan

I have to insert AI images into Final Cut Pro and Motion quite frequently.
The most effective way I've found to get an AI image into Final Cut is to:
1. Select/copy all the objects in the AI doc.
2. Create a new file with a transparent background in Photoshop and paste.
3. Merge the layers and make sure the mode is RGB.
4. Save out as a .PNG or .PSD.
5. Drag the result into Final Cut (or Motion).
6. Resize and position the result to taste.
Attempting to export directly from AI to .PSD or .PNG is a wasted effort and the results may not even be recognized by Final Cut.
Yes, it requires Photoshop and it is a few extra steps...but it works like a charm.
Additionally, when creating a new file in Photoshop, you may want to initially set its size to match the aspect ratio of your video. For example, if you're making an HD video, you might set the size to 1280x720 and position the AI elements where they are supposed to be in frame. You can set the AI elements in accurately by cutting and pasting a frame from your video into Photoshop and positioning the AI elements in place on another layer above the video layer. Delete the video layer before saving out as a .PNG or .PSD and it will appear in Final Cut exactly where it should be.

Keys in CS-5 - Save Alpha Channel AVI

Hello. I go shoot keys with green screen. On Location is good for some of that, but I have to remember to adjust the sound level next time. To show kids who did the scripts, I used the CS3 Ultra to quick ket a sample and dump on a background like we plan to use.
When I get into Premiere CS-5 I want to pick the take I like, trim the ends, key to transparent and save as an AVI with alpha channel. Liked the Ultra keyer when it was separate, but not sure about CS5 one, as controls were better organized in the CS3 version **.
1) Do I need to set up a line on timeline as alpha channel, in order to save same? If so which one? These are just keyed person with clear BK.
2) Please help me with the settings so someone who makes the final steps, I think in another program, can open up the AVI files and have a good key to finish off. So far I haven't found one that will let me tick alpha channel to save.
**Yes i should find the Premiere fix list and ask for an ULTRA pop up of the CS3 design, if they are going to keep in Premiere.
3 PS) Does Adobe have a set of books for the CS5 programs? When i got CS3 they offered me a deal to take the books. Saved me many times to be able to flip pages to find answers. Even a PDF of same might speed things along.

Look here for the steps to export an AVI with alpha: exporting video with an alpha channel (transparency)
I don't think you'll ever see Ultra as a standalone program again, as it's now integrated into Premiere Pro as an effect. I never used Ultra CS3, as I thought it was too rinky-dink, but the CS5 version is quite nice and easy-to-use (and get a great key) in most instances. It's not bulletproof, but Keylight in AE takes care of the more troublesome keys.
You can download a PDF of the help document for a particular application by going to the online version of the help docs, and clicking the PDF link in the upper-right corner. You can get Premiere Pro CS5's PDF right here: Adobe Premiere Pro CS5
You should also have the Community Help application installed along with the CS5 suite. If it doesn't open when you hit F1 within your app of choice, it should be available in the suite's application folder. It works well, and the help is updated frequently.

Alpha channel basics from Canon 7D video

Maybe I'm missing something basic here, as I am pretty new to messing with alpha layers/channels on VIDEO. I otherwise have a pretty good understanding of alpha when it comes to animations, photos, etc.ffects
I am trying to make the black in a video of some flames into an alpha layer so I can use them as particles in After Effects.
( like in this video http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/green_smoke/ )
I understand the codec/format restrictions for alpha channels, but the problem is I can't seem to get the black to come out as an alpha layer at all.
I've tried Quicktime with the None codec and FLV and the other formats that are supposed to support alpha channels.
I THINK what's wrong is that the format that the Canon shoots in doesn't have an alpha channel natively so exporting the video into different formats is not having an effect. If this is the case, how does one go about making the black parts of a video into an alpha channel.
I know there are ways to make green into an alpha channel (greenscreening). I can't for the life of me figure out how to get premier OR aftereffects to recognize the straight black as an alpha layer though.
I've looked at some 30 tutorials trying to figure this out, but it would appear I am incapable of asking the right question to get the answer I want.
There's the export settings.
Perhaps someone can point out my gross missunderstanding of what I'm trying to do, or otherwise set me on the right track.
Below is a clip from within aftereffects... the arrow shows that the clip SHOULD have alpha properties... i think, but when I turn off the alpha channel EVERYTHING dissapears.
Do I need to d something in aftereffects? I dunno, I'm lost.
If someone thinks they can help I am willing to make a youtube video showing what I'm doing.

awesome... exactly what I was looking for
you'd think when spending an hour or more asking the question "how do you add an alpha channel to a video" this would think this would come up
having a weird issue now with it rendering a box in the lower right hand corner though... it bugs me that I don't know why it's there... but i'll just crop it out
again... thank you!

Automator or Applescript using png files with alpha channel

I have hundred of png files with alpha channel.
I want to suppress alpha channel.
How can i do it using Automator or Applescript ?
Thank you very much.

You can use the free command line image processing tool ImageMagick in your Applescripts or Automator workflows, as well as from a Terminal shell.
You can download ImageMagick from http://www.imagemagick.org, but Cactuslab has simplified installation by putting together an installer package. It’s available at http://cactuslab.com/imagemagick/. Download the package and double-click on it. Follow the instructions to install. It will install ImageMagick into /opt/ImageMagick and add it to your $PATH by creating a file in /etc/paths.d/. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
The two ImageMagick commands we’re concerned with are “convert” and “mogrify”. Convert is more efficient for multiple and piped operations on the same image file, and mogrify is more efficient for batch processing. Generally speaking, convert will output a file separate from the input file. Unless a path is specified, mogrify will overwrite the input file with the output file. An important distinction.
You can perform various operations on the alpha channel using arguments after either the convert or mogrify command. Two of the available arguments are:
-alpha off - Disables the image's transparency channel. Does not delete or change the existing data, just turns off the use of that data.
-alpha remove - Composite the image over the background color.
Also of use are the -flatten and -background options:
-flatten - overlay all the image layers into a final image and may be used to underlay an opaque color to remove transparency from an image.
-background - sets the background color.
Start off using the convert command with a single image to see the effect and adjust to your liking. Once you’ve achieved the desired outcome, then use the mogrify command to batch process the chosen images.
Before getting into how to use Automator or Applescript in your workflow, use Terminal and the command line to see the effect on a single image. Copy one image to your ~/Desktop. In Terminal change the directory to ~/Desktop by typing the following command and pressing the Enter key:
cd ~/Desktop
Then choose the option you are looking for, -alpha remove for instance, type the following command and press the Enter key:
convert input-photo.png -alpha remove output-photo.png
You can check the alpha channel (transparency) and background in the Preview app, go View > Show Image Background from the menu bar.
Once you’re ready to batch proces, place all the photos you want to convert with the same command into one folder. Copy the folder to your ~/Desktop. Let’s assume you’ve labeled the folder “InPhotos”. It’s prudent to manipulate copies in case something goes amiss. In that event you can copy the folder with the originals again and start over. Create a new empty folder on your ~/Desktop and call it “OutPhotos”. Let’s also assume your home directory is called “Me”. The following command will process the photos from the InPhotos folder and put them in the OutPhotos folder:
mogrify -alpha remove -path /Users/me/Desktop/OutPhotos/ /Users/me/Desktop/InPhotos/*png
According to Apple Technical Note TN2065:
"when you use just a command name instead of a complete path, the shell uses a list of directories (known as your PATH) to try and find the complete path to the command. For security and portability reasons, do shell script ignores the configuration files that an interactive shell would read"
So, you need to use the full path to to ImageMagick commands, unlike in the shell where you can just use the command name.
To batch process using Automator, use the “Run Shell Script” action (note: retain the single space at the beginning of the last line):
/opt/ImageMagick/bin/mogrify \
-alpha remove \
-path /Users/Me/Desktop/OutPhotos/ \
/Users/Me/Desktop/InPhotos/*png
To batch process using Script Editor (Applescript), use the “do shell script” command:
do shell script "/opt/ImageMagick/bin/mogrify -alpha remove -path /Users/pd/Desktop/OutPhotos/ /Users/pd/Desktop/InPhotos/*png"
Further info on ImageMagick:
http://www.imagemagick.org/script/command-line-options.php#alpha
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/masking/#remove
http://www.imagemagick.org/index.php
http://www.imagemagick.org/script/command-line-tools.php
http://www.imagemagick.org/script/command-line-options.php
Examples:
The original PNG image:
-alpha off:
-alpha remove:
-background black -flatten:
-background blue -flatten:
-channel alpha -evaluate Divide 2:
-channel alpha -evaluate Divide 2 -background black -flatten:

Alpha channel in videos

Hi,
i would like to use an video alpha channel. VP6 files with alpha channel are not displayed in a javafx applet. Is there any other format which supports alpha channels in javafx? The corresponding MediaView has compositable == true.
Thanks
Thomas

What else does Adobe "as always" do differently?
I know Adobe Photoshop is very different to FCP Photoshop
FCP7 is very different to PPRO also . eg. PPRO is loved and supported by ADOBE ....and FCP 7 is an abandoned orphan courtesy of Apple
Just winding you up IvanThe ConvertEditor.

Exporting Targa Sequence and Alpha Channel

I have a couple of targa sequence containing graphics that I need to export. One has an opaque arrow which rolls out over the film underneath. The second has solid text which will be laid over the arrow as it animates. I have run the image sequences in Quicktime, the arrow sequence comes out as a block of black and the solid text comes out against a black background instead of an alpha channel and I can't seem to manipulate them. I have FCP 6 which i thought had Quick Time Pro to handle alpha channels. What am I doing wrong, can anyone help?

hi,
what exactly are you doing?
why are you exporting from quicktime? why dont you import the image sequence directly into motion/fcp? Not saying you;re wrong, just wondering that 's all.
Have you got the export settings correct. Not many codecs support alpha channels. Your best bet is Animation set to Millions of colours +. the + is the alpha channel.
However motion or fcp should be able to read the image files just fine.
adam

IM08 supports alpha channels/'transparency'

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