exporting TGA

Question

Level 1

24 points

exporting TGA

I need to do an animation using FCP and save as a TGA file. The problem is that the background needs to be transparent. I just learned that by doing this in photoshop that the alpha channel needs to be white to be transparent. Is that the case in FCP? Should I put a layer of white under my image? I can't find any settings for alpha channel either so I'm not sure if this will work. Anybody have suggestions?

imac, Mac OS X (10.4.10), Final Cut Express Installed

Posted on Jan 1, 2009 10:47 AM

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Answer 1

Nick Holmes

Level 7

30,018 points

Jan 1, 2009 4:40 PM in response to Dark1

What are the basic components of your animation?

Do you have separate, discrete animated characters which can be placed onto any background of your choosing?

Or is this an already composited piece that you are now expected to dismantle?

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Answer 2

jkorosi

Level 1

25 points

Jan 1, 2009 5:11 PM in response to Dark1

Are you saying you need to export a tga sequence out of FCP with an alpha channel? Because I don't think that you can do that. After Effects or any compositing software will allow you to export with settings such as RGB plus Alpha. But I dont think you can do that with FCP.

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Answer 3

Jan 2, 2009 9:04 AM in response to jkorosi

FCP will allow you to export an animation quicktime with an alpha channel, but if I remember correctly, you have to make sure the sequence is not rendered. Not sure about a tga image sequence.

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Answer 4

Dark1 Author

Level 1

24 points

Jan 2, 2009 9:37 AM in response to Michael Grenadier

I figured it out. When exporting as a TGA you have to select million ➕ colors and not render it. Why you don't render it makes no sense but when I rendered it the 2nd time the transparency didn't work.

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Answer 5

Jan 2, 2009 11:03 AM in response to Dark1

Dark1 wrote:
I figured it out. When exporting as a TGA you have to select million ➕ colors and not render it. Why you don't render it makes no sense but when I rendered it the 2nd time the transparency didn't work.

Makes perfect sense although it's difficult to appreciate. You rendered the footage to a new media file in a format that corresponds to the settings of your sequence, which probably is not TGA.

bogiesan

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Answer 6

Dark1 Author

Level 1

24 points

Jan 3, 2009 9:16 AM in response to David Bogie Chq-1

I'm hoping the same concept works in Motion. I'll try it monday.

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