Exporting transparency

**skribe** · 10-26-2004, 03:32 AM

Hi:

I've created an animation in 3dsMax that I'm planning to use as an overlay. I've imported it into PPro and the alpha channel works just great. I can slot stuff behind it and everything looks hunky dory. But I've had to play - cut it into bits and reassemble again - and so I wish to export it and reimport it later. However when I try this I lose the alpha channel. Is there a way for me to export the edited version complete with the alpha channel from PPro?

skribe

**Marc Peters** · 10-26-2004, 05:59 AM

You need to export to a codec with a million+ colours.

**Alan Mills** · 10-26-2004, 09:29 AM

I might well get shot down in flames on this but I didn't think PPro was capable of exporting and preserving an alpha layer. I've never found any literature (books, manuals or magazine articles) on how to do this either so I not convinced you can do it from PPro.

I'd be very interested myself if a route can be found. It would be fun to build some of my own 'transition overlays'.

After Effects is capable of acheiving this though, I believe.

**Marc Peters** · 10-26-2004, 10:00 AM

The plus ('+') sign next to the millions in 'millions of colors +' represents the alpha channel. Note that DV AVI does NOT support apha channels. You can output as quicktime for example to preserve the transparency or alternatively output something like a series of TARGA files.

I may, or course, be wrong.

**LJR** · 10-26-2004, 10:04 AM

Marc, I believe you are correct. Certainly you are correct on the quicktime format (millions of colors +) and that exporting as Targa frames can also preserve the alpha channel.

I don't know about After Effects (although I suspect it is the same) the default export format is Targa in Combustion precisely for this reason.

I am sure Premiere Pro will export the alpha layer as this is usually lost through the export format as opposed to a limitation in the editing software. Be nice if someone could confirm though I guess.

**skribe** · 10-29-2004, 07:56 AM

Thanks a lot. QT million + colours works a treat in Pro. However, importing into 6.5 loses the alpha channel. Any suggestions on how to fix that?

skribe