Transparent video from Premiere Pro CS4 into Captivate

[seanfenn]

New user here...I'm attempting to import transparent video (1440X1080) into Captivate (for 1020X600 screen size) from Premiere Pro.

Looking at other threads, it appears Captivate4 does not read the F4V format.

Is FLV my only option?  What about an export to Flash then Flash to Captivate as SWF?

Basically looking for a path to best quality video on Captivate background.

Thanks in advance.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

I think FLV is likely the best option. Do you have Adobe Media Encoder? I think it may allow you to convert the F4V to FLV. But I'm not sure on that. Or possibly just create a FLV from Premiere Pro? Isn't that capable of FLV?

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links Captivate Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Adobe Certified Captivate Training SorcerStone Blog Captivate eBooks

[johndaigle]

Following up on Rick's great suggestion, I just thought I would point out that FLV format DOES support video alpha channels (transparency) whereas the SWF format does not support it. So I think it should work. Apparently the issue with Flash Media Encoder and F4V is that custom metadata is not readable:

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/407/kb407850.html,   Captivate requires FLVs to include metadata and thus the problem. If you want info on FLV metadata and how to inject it, you can see a Captivate demo on my site:
http://www.showmethedemo.com/Resources.htm

Hope this helps.
John Daigle

Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor

www.showmethedemo.com

[seanfenn]

Thank you both for the suggestions. It does appear that FLV is my only format option between Premiere Pro and Captivate.

I'm still trying to figure out how to use the transparency function to lay video from PP over slides in Captivate.

I initially imported a 1440x1080 version of the captivate background slide into PP, chroma keyed the 1440x1080 video over the slide, then exported it (web medium) as an FLV using the media encoder.

I then imported that FLV into captivate and expanded it across the screen (1020x600).  Of course, it looks stretched and grainy, but I don't know how yet how to take a small part of the video (the talking head) and superimpose it over captivate without taking the green screen with me.

If somebody could point me to a tutorial on the best way to do this, whether it's transparency, chroma key, etc., I'd appreciate it.

I've had the CS4 suite for about a month.  I haven't had to use Premiere Pro in eight years.  A few more options have been added during my hiatus.

I'm visiting www.showmethedemo.com right now.

[johndaigle]

I think I'm getting a little better idea of what you are trying to accomplish. I'm not quite sure why you used PP as an intermediate but if you just want a talking head with invisible background that you want to lay on top of your Captivate slide. The FLV can be as small as you need it rather than having to stretch and distort it. Again I'm not completely visualizing your image.

Meanwhile, there are terrific resources on the web if you are interested in getting deeper in green screen. Here are two that might be especially helpful.

Creating a Talking-Head Flash Video
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/talking_head_video.html

Chroma Key in Adobe Premiere
http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/15709/chroma_key_in_adobe_premiere.html

Thanks

John Daigle

www.showmethedemo.com