Now that 32-bit support is gone in CC 12.1, how do I export a video with a transparent background?

Comment Edit:

My thoughts below were written before I noticed on very important feature in Creative Cloud. If you install a version you don't want, you can install a previous version in the Creative Cloud app, pulldown menu next to the app you want to install. I installed Encoder version 12.0 and my workflow remains the same. Thanks Adobe!!!

Original-ish Comment:

I could not encode anything for any of the SpeedHQ variants with any of the standard video tools. Compressor did not work and Adobe did not work. The Newtek site led my to think that FFmpeg was a place to encode. NOPE. But while testing with FFmpeg I found the NO-BRAINER solution for getting video with transparency to play on my Tricaster. YEA!!! Simply encode the videos in Quicktime Animation. I have a Tricaster 8000 with advanced edition software and it not only reads the video, it has transparency and semi-transparency. SWEETNESS!!!  Phew, Adobe Encoder is back on the job, kinda. I don't want to encode everything in Animation cuz I don’t know if I am using lossy or lossless, so FFmpeg will be taking over and turning regular clips into AVIs until video encoding tools get much cleaner.  That said, I feel like I am wasting way too much time trying to learn how to control my encodes with FFMPEG. FFMPEG on the Mac is super inefficient compared to Encoder when it comes to deadlines and getting things encoded under pressure, but at least it will get the job done. Command line video production? Really? I just woke up in another universe.

RANT ALERT!!!

Newtek needs to resolve this though. It is their codec that is supposed to support video production on their platform. Shocking that they are so excited to get their codec on FFMPEG so the world can see recordings made on the Tricaster. But what about the production process for making those recordings? If they don't want us to use their codec they should just tell us. Like, “hey peeps, something went wrong, please use the following workflow for now…”  Or fix it, cuz I can't imagine they don't know that it no longer works. They also need to make it clear that you can't encode with their codec in FFmpeg. Or work it out with FFmpeg so that you can.  Yes, I am a bit bitter that I couldn’t load video clips in time for our ultra tiny show, and had to ask the producer to play them off of a laptop that I HDMI’ed into the Tricaster.

As for Adobe, what are we to do with codecs now? How can we add and manage them? What is happening in the codec world on the Mac? Any news? Maybe I am behind and need to catch up on what is going on. OK but I must admit that I have not stayed up on the tech and the news. I will start searching the Adobe site for info.

And Apple, SIGH! This love hate thing is getting old. I love your products but I just get so frustrated when you don’t allow granular level control over things. Oh wait, we don't need you for that because ADOBE has that covered. I actually JUST realized that just now.

Just tested and got successful transparency (checked in AE) with the following:

- Quicktime, animation codec 8-bpc + alpha

- Quicktime, CineForm 12-bit with alpha

- JPEG 2000 MXF OP1a, 'include alpha channel'

Tucker:

Is the file that you're exporting from Premiere Pro with an alpha getting imported a NewTek Tricaster system?  If so, is it a current system (TriCaster Professional Line, TriCaster 40, 3Play 440/4800, 3Play 425, SpeedEDIT) or a legacy system (TriCaster 8000.v1, TriCaster 855/850, TriCaster 455/450, 3Play 820)?

If it's a legacy system, you're probably going to have to stick with Windows 10, QuickTime 7, and Premiere Pro CC2017 in order to continue to export with the NewTek CODEC.

Other options:

• Try exporting an Alpha Only .mov file as well as a RGB .mov file.  Then in Tricaster use the Alpha Only .mov as the luma matte (it also gets called a "hold out" matte) with the RGB .mov.  (Not ideal in that you have to deal with a pair of files.)
• Export with a blue or green background and key the background out in Tricaster. (You maybe have already considered this and disregarded it as being a the last thing you want to have to do as it's certainly not ideal.)
• Move forward with Premiere Pro CC2018 on your newest, most powerful workstation and keep an older Windows 10 machine around with QuickTime 7 and Media Encoder CC2017 (or older) just for converting Animation with alpha compressed .mov exports to NewTek with alpha compressed .mov files.  (Not ideal either as it adds extra hardware and an extra step, but you could create a Watch Folder that converts your PR CC2018 exports automatically.)  It doesn't have to be separate hardware for the time being: you can run an older version of Media Encoder with Premiere Pro CC2018 and Media Encoder CC2018.

-Warren

There are several options to exporting video with embedded transparency, what are the specifications that the system you are delivering the file to expects to see in a usable file?

MtD

Quicktime-animation or -Gopro Cineform.

Avi-Lagarith.