FCP 7 will not recognize alpha channel from my Photoshop tiff's.

I'm pulling my hair out on this one. I build the PS files the same way and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. In the FCP browser I get a None/Ignore.

Just to note: The files that FCP won't recognize the alpha channel, Motion does. Is there a FCP bug going on that I don't know of?

I'm working in a HDV 1080i60 Sequence.

Try opening the file in Photoshop and resaving it under a new name. Otherwise turn it into a Photoshop file with layers and turn off the background that way.


www.derekmok.com

Re-saving it under a new name doesn't seem to make a difference. Still won't work. Photoshop file with layers works but it doesn't seem to play well when working in key frames in the motion tab. In fact, It does not work at all. You can set the image in one place and that's it.

If you don't need the layers and the gradient within the PS file is not intense, use a png file which has alpha. Also, make sure that the file does not exceed 4x (within 3x if possible the resolution of the TL).

The other questions are:

Does the QTSC (quicktime self-contained movie) stutter after export?
Does it play smooth after render?
Where are you monitoring it?

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

Photoshop will not let me save it out with an Alpha channel when saving as a PNG file.

The file is just a few pixels larger than the 1920x1080.

The graphic does stutter (when moving) a little bit after export.

"Does it play smooth after render?" You mean after I take it through Compressor? I'll be going to DVD but I have not done that yet.

"Where are you monitoring it?": Just in the viewer and on my Dell 2408.

Was this Photoshop file saved on a PC? It's needs to be saved on a Mac for it to work properly in FCP.

Want's a PC? Is it that other OS in something like a Dell? Just kidding! I'm all Mac.

You've said a couple of times, it doesn't work. What's that mean? What are you doing exactly? What happens when you do it, and what do you expect to happen? Also would it be possible to post this PSD file that doesn't work somewhere on the Internet?

Doest't work means FCP doesn't recognize the alpha channel that is build in the PSD file which is saved out as a tiff file that I import to FCP. I can post a file but it's dinner time right now so maybe late tonight or tomorrow.

OK. I got confused with the talk of keyframing, which I guess doesn't have anything to do with the alpha channel. I'm assuming you had transparency and say the checkerboard and all in Photoshop.

I've been having unprecedented problems with alpha channels on PSDs and PNGs made in PS CS4 & CS3 on a Mac, and just today from PS CS3 on a PC. FCP 6.0.6 & OS 10.5.6

Files are being made exactly as they have been for years, but odd problems have been arising with alpha channels not being recognized at all to just being interpreted incorrectly across several projects with multiple origins on the graphic elements.

So far the best solution has been to merge wanted layers in the old document (merge, not flatten, to retain transparency) into a single layer. Create a new document in Photoshop using the appropriate Film & Video preset, and copy the merged layer using Layer>Duplicate Layer & changing the Destination to the new document. Then save the new file.

I just can't seem to get FCP to fully recognize any change to the alpha channel in a misbehaving document, so creating new ones has been the answer for me.

It's been only a handful of files each time, so I don't bother with retaining the original name and having FCP reconnect the media. I just import the new files and re-edit. I did have a problem with Copy and Paste Attributes>Content when the alpha was wiggy once, so that's another reason I have been re-editing instead of reconnecting.

deb

I brought up the keyframing because Derek said to save it with layers in a PSD file. You can't keyframing a layer in FCP. If you can, I don't know how to do it.

Sorry deb that you are having the same problem. At least I know I'm not alone.

I guess I can still cut the footage I need from the timeline and round trip it to Motion and do my stuff there and send it back to FCP.

Did you actually CREATE AN ALPHA CHANNEL in Photoshop and save it before saving as a TIFF? You do knnow that even though there is transparency on a layer (seeing the checkerboard) that if you do not CREATE THE ALPHA CHANNEL, you will not have an Alpha Channel in the TIFF.

In the PSD do the following:

* COMMAND/click on the thumbnail in the "LAYERS" palette on the layer you want to create the alpha channel for (see "marching ants" selection around your object)
* Click the "CHANNELS" tab and on the bottom click "SAVE SELECTION AS ALPHA CHANNEL" button (gray square with a white dot in the middle of it). You will see an Alpha Channel appear in the window.
* Select Menu/Save As and Format: TIFF (tick "As a Copy" / tick "Alpha Channels" / uncheck "Layers"

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Make sure it's not CMYK. You need RGB for the transparency to work in FCP.

I've done all the steps you listed, Joey. And still FCP will not recognize the alpha channel. And yes it's RGB.

I've tried locking and unlocking the layer. Named the layer with different names. Still a no go! Is there something else that could be overlooked?

Were you able to post the file somewhere on the web?

Do you want the final tiff file that goes to FCP, or the PSD file?

See if you can fool it by going thru motion.

Import to motion and then save it.
then place the motion file in fcp.
Make sure that the alpha is there in motion.
Motion handles PSD files better than fcp.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

BINGO!!!!!! You nailed it! All I did was import the tiff file with the alpha channel into Motion and just do a "save as". Import the motion file into FCP and BINGO! It recognizes the alpha channel. It's a few extra steps but I can handle that? You made my day man :-)

Whichever one doesn't work.

Tom, I just e-mailed it to you. You can post back here so everybody will know your findings.

Tom Wolsky's fix was to set the alpha type to premultiplied with white in the item properties in FCP's browser. I never had to do that before so I just missed that one. Now my day is really made :-)

I am curious now... post up a TIFF that you are having trouble with... I would like to see what it is you are talking about.

You should not have to go through a Motion workaround.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Joey, note this is just a test image. Nothing fancy about it.

[www.apo442.com]

OK...got it.

First off...why is this TIFF coming in as a Quicktime file?

Second...I brought it in to FCP and set the Alpha Type to "Straight" and I do see an alpha channel (a rounded edge on the top). What is not working about this? Looks to be working for me (FCP 6.0.6)

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

I have no idea why my tiff file is coming in as a QT file...

Works for me as long as I manually set it. I'm working in FCP 7.0.1. Could be the difference.

Cannot reproduce your issue. No problem on 6.0.6.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

The issue has been resolved with a simple click of the mouse, so I'm happy

One click fixed it? I thought you had to do a Motion workaround? Please share your resolution with the class

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

> One click fixed it? I thought you had to do a Motion workaround? Please share your resolution
> with the class

He did. It's the post above about changing the alpha type.


www.derekmok.com