Skip to main content
Josie_
Josie_
Known Participant
July 17, 2022
Question

Render with Alpha.

  • July 17, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 467 views

Hi, im trying to render an animated objet on a transparent background as an mpeg or mp4

but only quicktime and AVI are avail with alpha it seems . Dont have QT installed which i was

trying to avoid, so are the're any better alternatives first please?

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

Warren Heaton
Community Expert
Warren HeatonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 18, 2022

Neither MPEG format nor MP4 format support an alpha channel.  You could render two files:  an RGB pass and an alpha pass, naming the files something like "animation.mp4" and "animation_matte.mp4".   You may hear of H265 MP4s having an alpha, but that's macOS only.

 

From 2013 onward, we do not need to have QuickTime installed to use QuickTime movies in Adobe video applicatoins.

 

 

    R
    Community Expert
    Rick GerardCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 17, 2022

    MPEG is RGB 8-bit. Use the Output Module High Quality with Alpha preset. You will get a frame-based RGBA 8-bit file that should work in After Effects, Premiere Pro, and just about any other editing app on your system that is capable of interpreting RGBA files.

     

    If you have a modern system, Premiere Pro will read ProRez files without installing Quicktime.

     

    If you want to customize an output module template, you'll need to pick a codec that supports at least 8-bit RGBA. I have customized my templates to render Straight Alpha and 10-bit because almost all my work requires more than 8-bit source files. If you are satisfied with 8-bit video, I would suggest that you modify the existing presets to render with Straight Alpha. That is the industry standard. That's what After Effects, Davinci, Vegas, Avid, and Premiere Pro expect.

      Josie_
      Josie_Author
      Known Participant
      July 18, 2022

      Thankyou to yourself and another professional that have kindly replied, 

      but 2 conflicting answers from each! 

      Warren Heaton
      Community Expert
      Warren HeatonCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      July 18, 2022

      It's not necessarily better, but you can render an Image Sequence with alpha instead of a video with alpha.  As with video, choose a still image file format that supports it.  For example, TIFF Sequence?  Yes.  PNG Image Sequence?  Yes.  JPEG Image Sequence?  No.

       

      Once you have a video file with alpha, what is your intended use?

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices