Remove / Convert Alpha Channel using Automator?

I'd like to take a series of Grayscale + Alpha TIFs and make them just RGB[A] TIFs. Basically this involves copying the Alpha channel to the R, G, B channels and then resaving as RGB TIFs.
I am sure this could be done in Photoshop, but I'd really love to figure out how to do it in Automator. Or is this beyond the capabilities of Quartz?
Thanks,

In a possible seconding of such a function: Here is my wish: Ability to completely remove or mask an application-background, (either completely or largely render the application background as a transparent color. While keeping the application tool bars and the user's work visible.)
Searching on line brings these up-- http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/24789/crystal-clear and http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/wsx

Similar Messages

I want to export with alpha channel using a codec that carries less data than gopro cineform

Hi--I want to export some intermediate files with an alpha channel. i'm using gopro cineform, and these files end up being so large, meaning that i have to sit through hour long renders. is there a a codec i can use that has an alpha chanel but creates a smaller file size?
thanks

Thanks for your help Patrick. I tell ya, I can't believe what's going on. As I said, this project until today has not caused me any issues what-so-ever. The other six sessions are totally fine. I also created a quick project with the same settings added text - then exported using the same settings I've used before, and it exports with the proper alpha channel.
Yet, I rebooted the Mac, made sure to delete old versions in the trash can and everything. Still, no alpha.
To keep moving forward, I literally had to use a color key in FCP to cut out the background color.
Crazy!

Encoding with an Alpha Channel Using Quicktime Pro

I am pulling my hair out trying to encode a green screen video that will play on a website so the website shows through the transparent alpha channel. Problem is when I encode to .flv or .mp4 the alpha channel is never retained even when I check "encode alpha channel" in the .flv export setting window. I have downloaded a trial version of Sorenson Squeeze and even that couldn't retain the alpha channel.
The video I am using was exported out of Final Cut Pro 7 using Quicktime Conversion using the Animation Million of Colors PLUS codec and when I test that it does indeed have a transparent alpha channel so something is happening when Quicktime Pro is encoding it.
Can anyone recommend a way to export a .mp4 or .flv with the alpha channel?
Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to give.
Benjamin Jones

You can also export a RGB video (without alfa) with any codec, and a second pass with obly alpha - it depends if you need that as a final export (then use codec than can export alfa) or intermediate format (then you can use image sequence or 2 pass video).

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:

How can the alpha channel be removed in an image with the command sips?

I solved it by converting the image to jpeg with best quality, but it's a less than optimal solution.
Is there a better way?
I want to know because I'm developing a bash script to manipulate images.
Thank you.

I'm developing a Bash script to automate PNG compression.
Converting true color images is often a good idea to reduce file size dramatically but transparency doesn't look any good then. So removing the alpha channel is usually the thing to do.
I think Apple's platform is very easy to use but as soon as I dig deeper into the system it often becomes frustrating. Why isn't there a simple way to do something so simple and basic as removing alpha channels from images from the command line? Sips should be the answer but doesn't seem to be, unless I've missed something, but the manual doesn't give any clue.

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. :)

Alpha channel and ProRes 4444

I have a number of AE files that I would like to render in Media Encoder with their alpha channels using the ProRes 4444 codec. I cannot figure out how to make ME give me an alpha channel. If I render in AE, I get the alpha channel without a problem. How can I get ME to give me an alpha channel? I am using ME 2014 on a Mac.

Hi Remy,
Choose QuickTime. Then from the list of formats in the Video tab, choose ProRes 4444. Scroll down to "Depth" and choose 32 bit. This will allow you to export with an alpha channel.
Thanks,
Kevin

How come AE cannot interpret Alpha Channel from ProRes4444 ?

Hi there,
I exported a video clip using Final Cut Pro X with alpha channel using the ProRes4444 codec.
I have tested his alpha channel works & it works in FInal Cut Pro X when I import it back to Final Cut Pro X to test it.
However, when I bring this file to After Effects CS5, it cannot recognize the alpha channel because the transparent part are all in solid black.
How do I make AE interpret the ProRes4444 file as transparent with alpha channel ?
Thanks

Rick Gerard wrote:
ryan_khoo wrote:
Q1. But how do I check the file interpretation in AE ?
Q2. I am using AE CS5. Is it bcos you are using AE CS5.5 that you never have problem with ProRes4444 ?
Q1. This is part of the basics. Select the file you want to interpret in the Project Panel then either right click or go to the menu File>Interpret Footage>Main or use the keyboard shortcut Alt/Option + Ctrl/Cmnd + G
Q2. Nope... It's always worked. There were some gamma problems for a while, and a few other bugs here and there with ProRez, but if you're Mac is up to date you should have no problems with the alpha channel.
Thanks Rick for your help, I really appreciate it as I am not quite familiar with AE.
Q1. I did the steps you taught me & a new screen pop out. But under the "Main Options" tab, the section under Alpha, there are 4 choices (Ignore, Straight-Unmatted, Premutliplied-Matted with color, Invert Alpha). But all these was all greyed out. Any idea why ?
Q2. I am using Mac & I just checked my AE CS5 is Version 10.0. I am a student and i bought the Student Edition. Student Edition not allowed to update, right ?
Thanks

Creating an alpha channel in an odd way ?

My question is about the functionality of After Effects. I highly doubt it's possible but would like to run it through people who would know. My question may not be clear as I'm not sure how to describe it!
I'm wondering if I can create an alpha channel using the still background of a shot, as an alternative to green screens and making it easier outdoors without needing crazy lights.
Here's an example. Say you film yourself using a tripod (so the background is still) walking away from a building and want to add an explosion behind you without masking every frame, would you be able to have it recognize the background using a picture without you in it or a still that has the same lighting, and using that to automatically have it differentiate that background from you thus creating an alpha channel or an automatic mask...
Thanks

For a Difference Matte to work absolutely nothing can be moving in the scene. Difference Matte will not work with compressed original footage. I know I've tried many times. If the wind is blowing in the grass or the trees are moving the Difference Matte will not work.
if you are planning this kind of shot then the best thing to do is try to find some good areas of contrast in the shot so you can create a procedural matte. A little garbage matte and a procedural matte created by adjusting levels or color or hue can create a much better matte and does not rely on the pixels being exactly the same on every frame.
Even easier is a carefully planned shot and Roto brush.

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

Photoshop CS6 using javaScript to truncate alpha channel name

Hello,
I'm a production artist and I work with PSD files that were created in Adobe Scene7 Image Authoring Tool. These PSDs contain a background layer along with 1-20 alpha channels. My script has to make a new blank layer for every alpha channel in the document. Then it fills the new layer with light gray. So far, my code accomplishes this. However, I'd like to apply the name of the alpha channel to the layer, but I need the name to be truncated. Every alpha channel starts with one or more characters followed by a backslash and then finishes with one or more characters. Here's an example:
An alpha channel might be named: Floor\floor
In this example I need my layer name to be just: floor. This means all character to the left of the backslash, including the backslash itself needs to be discarded. I was using the subSring() statement to do this. When I try to step through the code, line by line in ExtendScript, I immediately get an error that says Unterminated String Constant and Line 31 of my code is highlighted. I suspect it doesn't like the way I wrote the backslash character, although I surrounded it in double quotes to define it as a string.
Can anyone tell me why I'm getting this error?
Below is my code with lots of comments to walk you through the process. I wrote where the error occurs in red type.
I'm new to JavaScript so I'm not sure my while loop is accurate.
#target photoshop
// The #target photoshop makes the script run in PS.
// declare variable to contain the active document
var myDoc=app.activeDocument;
// declare variable to contain the number of alpha channels, excluding the RGB channels
var alphaChan = myDoc.channels.length - 3;
alert(alphaChan + " alpha channels exist");
// create loop to make new layers based on number of alpha channels, fill layer with gray and apply alpha channel name to new layer
for (a=0 ; a<alphaChan ; a+=1){
// make new blank layer
myDoc.artLayers.add();
// fill blank layer with gray
var color = new SolidColor();
color.rgb.red = 161;
color.rgb.green = 161;
color.rgb.blue= 161;
myDoc.selection.fill(color);
//variable stores alpha channel name
var alphaName = myDoc.channels[3+a];
// variable stores lenght of alpha channel name
var lz = alphaName.length;
// declare index variable to initialize position of 1st character of alpha channel name
var x= 0 ;
// truncate alpha channel name by removing all characters preceding the "\" symbol
while (alphaName.subString(x) != "\"){          (ExtendScript gives an error for this line and highlights the backslash and surrounding quotation marks)
    alphaName = alphaName.subString((x+1),z);
    x+=1;
    z-=1;
return alphaName;
// remove the backslash from alpha channel name
alphaName = alphaName.subString((x+1),z);
// apply truncated alpha channel name to corresponding layer
myDoc.artLayers[a].name = alphaName;

while (alphaName.subString(x) != "\"){
should be
while (alphaName.subString(x) != "\\"){

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>

Video Converter with Alpha Channel support

Looking for a video converter (.mov to .flv) that supports alpha channels

The APNG app is available for free in the app store, you can use it to download a video in APNG format on the iPad. You would need to make the video with an alpha channel on the desktop, but then just type of URL into the URL at the top of the app and it should download and play. There is already support in the app for changing the background color that appears behind the video.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apng/id447928057
If you are making a custom iOS app, then have a look at the AVAnimator library, it is what the APNG app was made with:
http://www.modejong.com/AVAnimator/

Save for web and using a alpha channel to optimise a jpg? Is it missing in CS4/5+ ?

Hi guys,
I have just tried to do an old technique I used to use to reduce the szie of big background images, and they was to make a alpha channel and specify which areas of the image you want to be kept at the highest quality and what areas you wanted it to be low quality.
I dont seem to be able to find it anywhere in the "Save for web" screen.
This post here suggests it might have been dumped after CS3???
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/370291
Any help would be great

As far as i know those features were removed from Save for Web after cs3.
MTSTUNER

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.

Remove / Convert Alpha Channel using Automator?

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