Trying to import files with transparent backgrounds into Premier Elements 10

[mickfarmer]

I am struggling to import files from Photoshop CS3 into Premier Elements 10 and preserve their transparent background. I have tried .png (8 and 24 bit), .gif and .psd files. I have tried rasterizing the type layer before "Saving for web and devices" but can't get anything to work. The imported files end up as either text on a white background (.gif) or the file imports as a black background with no type visible (.png and .psd). I have read a few forums but can't find any suggestions beyond what I have already tried. I also get the same problem if I "Save for web and devices" out of Illustrator.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

Mick

[Steve Grisetti]

For what it's worth, I walk you through how to do this in my in Photoshop Elements/Premiere Elements book at http://Muvipix.com/pe10.php

As you know, in order to create a backgroundless graphic, you must have your text graphic on a Photoshop layer with no background layer behind it. (In other words, you should see the gray checkerboard through it in Photo Elements.)

Then you just save it as a layered PSD and it will come into Premiere Elements with the transparency (alpha) intact.

If you would rather output it as a PNG or GIF from Photo Elements, select Save for Web and MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE TRANSPARENCY CHECKBOX before you click Save.

[the_wine_snob]

Mick,

As PrE can handle PSD's and PNG's with Transparency just fine, my first thought would be that the Image from PS does not have Transparency. Can you post a screen-cap showing the Image in PS plus the Layers Palette, and possibly the Channels Palette?

Good luck,

Hunt

[kaare1234567890]

Had exactly this problem with PE 11 and PhotoShop CS2. (Yeah, my PS is old; too expensive to upgrade.)

My PS image was definitely transparent: no background layer, the channels were all transparent, the checkerboard showed through.

I normally save with "Maximize Compatibility' checked during the Save File process. When I unchecked this option, my transparent PSD file worked correctly in PE 11. (So 'Maximize Compatibility' can in some cases minimize compatibility.)

Note that in PE 11 when I dragged the transparent graphic to the timeline, I got a warning about a 'solid background'. I clicked'NO' when it asked for permission to use Videomerge to create a transparent background, and the result was correctly transparent.

[A_T__Romano]

kaare

I do not understand how the following is possible

Note that in PE 11 when I dragged the transparent graphic to the timeline, I got a warning about a 'solid background'. I clicked'NO' when it asked for permission to use Videomerge to create a transparent background, and the result was correctly transparent.

since that Videomerge "solid background" is typically seen only when the image is imported with what the program interprets as a solid background. Supposedly you were importing a .psd with transparency maintained with your unchecking of Photoshop Maximize Compatibility maneuver.

What I am questioning is how and why you saw the Premiere Elements 11 Videomerge dialog in this case.

But, I will take a look at this in Premiere Elements 11 with a Photoshop CS2 image and let you know my results.

ATR

Add On...did you notice that this is a 2 year old thread that has not seen activity in all that time?

[A_T__Romano]

kaare

You have brought up one very interesting maintaining transparency question which I feel goes more to the trigger on the

Premiere Elements Videomerge pop up than to the Photoshop CS2 Save As with or without a check mark for Maximum Compatibility

And, I find that Photoshop CS5.1 as well as CS2 involvement in this matter is the same.

I created three 720 x 480 pixels documents, each with a blue colored circle on a transparent background in

Photoshop CS2 and saved each

psd with check mark next to Maximize Compatibility

psd with no check mark next to Maximize Compatibility

png

Each of them was imported into a NTSC DV Standard Premiere Elements 11 Windows 7 64 bit project.

Each triggered the Premiere Elements 11 Videomerge pop up.

If I checked No for the program request to apply Videomerge, then all 3 results were the same, that is,

the area around the circle was transparent and the circle was not...just the way it was created in Photoshop CS2.

So, why was the Videomerge message telling me "Clip being dropped contains solid background color" when

it had transparency represented by black and did not have a solid background color?

Even more interesting was what happened if I selected Yes to the program's request to

apply Videomerge to create transparency for what it claimed to be seeing as "solid background color".

The result was the same for all three cases, that is, the inside content of the shape became transparent

and the "black background" became a "solid black color". In the case of the .png, the transparent shape

was a square and not the circle.

Videomerge is not one of my preferred Premiere Elements options.

To avoid the Videomerge pop up, I would suggest placing a check mark next to the "Do not show again.",

followed by No in the Videomerge pop up. When you do, you should not be confused by the activities of the

Videomerge pop up, and you should have no problems with the maintenance of the Photoshop

created transparency in the Premiere Elements project.

ATR

Add On....The matter does not appear to be confined to Premiere Elements 11. And, more often than not,

the appearance of the Videomerge pop up seemed to be occurring when the image with transparency was placed on a track

above Video Track 1.

[kaare1234567890]

ATR - I could have been clearer originally. What I was trying to do was a) answer the original question, by suggesting that unchecking the "Maximize Compat" checkbox would help and then b) noting that even with this variant of the file, PE 11 incorrectly detects a solid background and thinks it should do a videomerge, and that not doing the video merge works OK, while doing it results in bad transparency. That's a lot of following from one thought to another.

My results match your careful testing.

Adobe has a lot of versions of everything, and they all support each others file formats, which is good. But there must occasionally be glitches, such as this one.

And yeah, I noticed the age of the thread. (As I occasionally notice the age of my Photoshop!) But with a solution in hand, it seemed worthwhile to add to the record, presumably for some future googler. I realize the OP has moved on.

-kaare

[A_T__Romano]

kaare

Thanks for the reply and your post which was a very important one.

But, as I said, I do not believe the issue goes to Photoshop .psd with or without Maximum Compatibility in effect. That conclusion was suggested when I disabled the Videomerge pop up so that Videomerge did not obscure the issue of maintaining the image's transparency after it was introduced into Premiere Elements.

Thanks taking the time to bring this matter to the front.

ATR

[russellk31357170]

When exporting in PS from original to PNG, make sure transparency box is checked but UNcheck the convert to sRGB and It should work.... worked for me...

[suzetteb58689955]

Seeing that I've only tried to fix this darned problem for OVER A YEAR in Photoshop 6, I finally stumbled on a way to import a transparency into an existing Photoshop image:

1. First, you have to open your png/jpeg image or what have you in Photoshop and then SAVE it as:

Photoshop PDF(my Photoshop 6 also says (*.PDF; .PDP)

2. The next option in the save category is  Save as JPEG and you click the check box for Save Transparency as well as the box for Image Interpolation.

3. Click OK

Then go back to your Photoshop image and you then PLACE this Photoshop image into your existing image.

I really, really, really hope this helps someone in the cyber world because I've tried dozens of ways to get help and have gone to dozens of forums, to no avail until now.

[Steve Grisetti]

Actually, it's much easier if you follow the instructions above.

Although this is a very old thread (started in 2014). If you'd like to start a new discussion, we can help you walk through a much simpler process.