How to render Alpha + RGB in Adobe Media Encoder?

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

I want to render a video.

Alpha;

RGB;

Alpha + RGB;

I can do in After Effects:

How to do this in Adobe Media Encoder?

[Kevin-Monahan · Accepted solution]

Hi Ti.S. Cavalcanti,

You have to make sure to set the bit depth to 32 bits. Note that only specific codecs allow you to do this.

Thanks,

Kevin

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

What happens if you put more bits? 48 or 64 for example.

What if I want to render only alpha, how do?

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi ti.s.cavalcanti,

ti.s.cavalcanti wrote:

What happens if you put more bits? 48 or 64 for example.

What if I want to render only alpha, how do?

Good questions. Let me look into that for you.

Thanks,

Kevin

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

Okay, Thanks, Kevin Monahan.

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

Answer me at least how to render in just alpha. Please. Thanks.

[SAFEHARBOR11]

Can you maybe explain a bit more about the workflow, what you wish to accomplish? When you say "just alpha", can I assume you mean a black and white image representing transparent and opaque areas? Which can be used as a "mask" later in a keying operation of some sort?

With older versions of Premiere such as CS6, one could change the Program Monitor settings from Composite to Alpha, then Export the alpha (black/white) video. With CC, that is no longer the case from what I can tell. Changing to Alpha mode shows the black and white alpha in Program, however exporting still exports the original image! In my mind, the Export should export what I am seeing in the Program monitor window, and not something else...

Anyway, if you are using the Ultra Keyer in Premiere CC, then you CAN Export the alpha, see attached pic. Key out the background of the clip, then change setting from "Composite" to "Alpha" and then Export. In the top example, if you Export from the timeline and choose a 32-bit codec (with alpha) for the export, then the alpha channel is included - the black area will be transparent. With the lower example, that would just be a 24-bit image, no alpha - the black and white areas represent transparent and opaque parts of the clip. The clip exported from the bottom could then be used as a "mask" layer to combine two other video clips using that mask clip as a guide. Please elaborate on what you want to do.

Thanks

Jeff Pulera

Safe Harbor Computers

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

Thanks! Good job!

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi Jeff,

SAFEHARBOR11 wrote:

With older versions of Premiere such as CS6, one could change the Program Monitor settings from Composite to Alpha, then Export the alpha (black/white) video. With CC, that is no longer the case from what I can tell. Changing to Alpha mode shows the black and white alpha in Program, however exporting still exports the original image! In my mind, the Export should export what I am seeing in the Program monitor window, and not something else...

Thanks for confirming as to the way a video file with an alpha channel worked at one time. It's the same method I tried. This sounds like a bug. I'll look into it.

Best wishes,

Kevin

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

Thanks.

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

I want to do in "AME", the functions that have After Effects.

Are they?

RGB - Opaque = Colors / Transparent = black.

Alpha - Opaque = White / Transparent = Black.

RGB+Alpha - Opaque = Colors / Transparent = Transparent.

As in After Effects.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi ti.s.cavalcanti,

I found out from the After Effects team that you do not have the same options for exporting as you did with the render queue. Rendering out an alpha channel only file is not directly possible, but there is a workaround, as described here: Re: How to render out JUST Alpha in Media Encoder

Of course, the other two options are supported. I mentioned earlier how to export RGB+Alpha. Of course, you can export RGB only by switching the Depth setting to 24.

Thanks,

Kevin

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

Thank you all! Now I understand everything.

[daniels78909836]

what do to, when only 16-bit max is available and not 32-bit? export is from Character Animator.

[jaydude-wb]

Unfortunately, the link is broken.

[zacharyh1987]

I am running into the same issue when I try to render a ProRes 4444 file from Adobe media Encoder 2020. The maximum Depth I can render at is 16-bpc+alpha, and the rendered video processes in YUV colorspace rather than the RGB I need it to be. Any ideas?

[edwinac69751702]

I'm having this problem too!

[GabrielReis]

Has anyone found a solution to this? I'm running into the same problem.

[truquiste]

bpc: bits per layer

16 bits par couche= 3x16= 48 bits

+16 bits alpha = 64 bits ! that's a max

ProRes is a YUV codec

[JenLaut]

How do you get to this screen?

[Herley Alencar]

Well, I've found a different solution. In Media Encoder, I changed the format to quicktime, then in video codec, to PNG. Done. My videos with transparency in avi were almost 2gb. Now have only 20mb, and with the same quality

[ti.s.cavalcanti]

Very good, thanks!

[wambyakaley]

hey there.

i dont seem to have a png codec. please ellaborate

[SAFEHARBOR11]

[wambyakaley]

this was very helpful. i hope the software that will be used will open it up. ( the software is mix emergency / serato dj incase anyone was wondering ) thx again