Motion Alpha

Question

remoran Author

Level 1

8 points

Motion Alpha

How do I create a QT movie with alpha? In After Effects, it's brain dead, in Motion it's agony. Exportsconfigs I used

QT Pro-Res 4444

Color+Alpha

Millions of colors

Background Tranparent

BG color, K or 0%

Square Mask with Opacity checked at 100%

Mask Color, White

I did a direct import of the M5 File in FCX. I get a transluent image for the mask area with proper Transparent Background, as it should be, on the top part of the lower 3rd.

I get the exact same result with the QT export.

What the **** is going on here? 6 hours plus trying to do something that should take 5 minutes. I like the new apps but the alpha equation equates to less then zero. Get this **** thing straightened out and do a patch to enable this very simple operation to happen without a hassle.

Posted on Aug 13, 2011 1:21 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 13, 2011 1:53 PM in response to remoran

Use Millions of color +

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Answer 2

remoran Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 13, 2011 3:44 PM in response to Christina Rodriguez

I did that, no change whether the import is a direct motion file inport or a QT import. This is totally driving me crazy. Thanks for the quick reply.

Best

Bob Moran

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Answer 3

Aug 13, 2011 8:43 PM in response to remoran

So you are doing this?

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Answer 4

Aug 14, 2011 9:39 AM in response to remoran

You say you're using "millions lf colors" in your OP and then claim you're using Millions + in your response to Christina; it's one or the other, not both.

Creating an alpha in Motion is not difficult but Motion 5 is not in use in my facility. I don't even know if there's a Motion 5 forum; you might try there if you can find one.

The comparison to After Effects is valid (I've been using AE since it was CoSA) but once you've set up and established your export routine in Motion, you will find it even easier to get those alphas back to FCP or, in your case, FCPX, another app I have no experience with.

There is a default option in the prefs for Motion 4 to have sequences and output preset for ProRes 4444 with either straight or premultiplied alphas. It is a no brainer in Motion 4, once you get past the major differences in the interfaces between AE and Motion.

Wishing you luck, keep pushing buttons. Apple reps may read these forums but they do not participate in any way.

bogiesan

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Answer 5

remoran Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 14, 2011 10:56 AM in response to David Bogie Chq-1

Thank you for showing me the prompts. To answer your question, I am doing all of the above save that there is no millions of colors+ in the compression type. Motion 5 is very elegant but the alpha equation is, IMHO, a disaster, something that will force me to go back to AE because I can do alpha in literally seconds though the front end of AE is not nearly as smooth as Motion 5. I will see if there is a motion 5 forum to see if there is finally an answer to something that should be easy to do.

Thanks again.

Bob

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Answer 6

Aug 14, 2011 2:01 PM in response to remoran

Ahh, try posting in the Motion5 forum, this forum is for pre FCPX applications...

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Answer 7

Aug 14, 2011 2:29 PM in response to remoran

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Answer 8

remoran Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 15, 2011 11:43 AM in response to remoran

Hi David. I did all of this prior to your kind reply. I think I finally know what is going on here. FCX is not reading the Motion masking correctly as the output, whether it be a QT or direct import shows alpha plus image but the opacity is not complete on the image areas though 100% opacity is part of the design set of the lower third. When I put, in this case, a black rectangle behind the graphics, FCX renders it properly. When I do a mask, it does not. Question, when I do a mask in Motion 5, it only shows an outline without, in this case, the filled color of 100% white, something Photoshop does without issue. Am I missing something here.

Thanks again for your answer as it is correct without question.

Best

Bob

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