How to create a transparent puppet animation to use with Premier Pro?

Report · Sep 25, 2020

What is the way to create a transparent background file from CH to use in Premier pro and have a movie runing in the background of the character?

Report · Sep 25, 2020

Apparently one way to do it is using Camtasia (wich I have) by putting a green background in CH and then just delete green in Camtasia.

Using PP I might need to export it as Alpha .. which seems to be some sort of Apple file wich I don't have any Apple software installed in my computer. Also not sure if Alpha would work with 1080p?

Another option might be creating the PNG files and using them with PP, which is what I am trying to do but takes a while for rendering..

Report · Sep 25, 2020

If you use dynamic linking, it avoids that step - but its too slow for me. You can drag a scene from ch into Prem Pro to create the dynamic link.

If you export video (which is what i do), in ch export media has two choices where one is with alpha/transparency. It will pick the best format for you. Prem Pro can then load that video, mix it, and you can generate mp4 etc from prem pro.

I don't use png as i found it a bit slower (opening a file per frame). My disk could not keep up.

Report · Sep 25, 2020

Oh, i avoid chroma key with green as it can lower image quality. Since ch can export with transparency that will generate better quality. Sometimes chroma keying can end up with a slight green tinge around the edges.

Also i re-read your post. To be clear i generate a movie file with transparency from ch then load that file into prem pro in front of the background video. I also add credits, music, subtitles, etc in prem pro as appropriate. There is no need to use camtasia - prem pro has chroma key support too if you need to go that route. I search for demos on youtube on how to do it.

Report · Sep 26, 2020

Thanks...

For some reason I went with dynamic link. It was supper slow on Permier Pro, don't kow if it was because the dynamic link or if it was because it was a 30 mins long mp4 video that I imported as well... or maybe because my computer needed updates or whatever, but I was getting super slow frame movements in the movie while trying to edit in premier pro.

Next time I'll use Alpha see how that works...

Question...

Alpha videos are set as .mov ? Isn't that Apple stuff? Do I need Apple Quick Time to play them? Would they play Ok on Premier Pro?

I am using Windows 10 and I don't have anything from Apple. So, I haven't even exprerimented with the Alpha file.

I also did a PNG and it gave me a bunch of files that I haven't used either.

The Dynamic link was the quickest to drop in and start working, but maybe not the best to work on some editing as maybe it was slowing down my computer... so I think?

Anyway.. I do have to do another video soon and I'll explore the Alpha file see if it doesn't slow down my computer.

Report · Sep 26, 2020

The main problem i have with dynamic link is that it is slower. It is however easier to line things up with the video, so it's give and take. I use both, picking the best for the situation. But i tend to use video with alpha unless dynamic link and getting alignment right seems worth the slower editing experience.

There are multiple video formats that support alpha. You can browse through them in media encoder. I just use the default recommended by ch as it can be loaded into PP easily. When you export from PP later, i use standard h.264 (mp4). So the alpha video file is only used to get the video out of ch and into PP.

On windows it uses GoPro CineForm rgb with alpha i think it is. On apple is uses I think the 888 format? It is confusing because their are file formats and compression formats. Eg MOV is a file format that supports many different compression formats. Most do not support alpha. I keep it simple and just use the format it recommends, then always output h.264 at the end.

PNG file sequences also work. You can import the sequence of files into PP as a sort of video. I just found them slower than a video file with alpha. I also found it a bit less confusing having fewer files, but it was really speed that made the most difference for me.