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Motion 5.4.4 Save Current Frame problem
Need to capture a single frame jpg to use as the thumbnail for YouTube. I’ve tried every setting but can’t get a usable jpg. Tried different color spaces, color only (no alpha). PNG worked but the file sizes are too large and nothing I had could convert it to jpg.
Looks like there’s a relationship to what layers you have on the frame. I needed to do thumbnails for two videos. One I was able to export in Photoshop Elements and open it. It looked horribly washed out but I was able to fix it using Levels (the black level was way to the right of where it should be). But the other video I could not get an exported frame no matter what I tried.
I finally gave up and captured a freeze frame with Screenshot.
Are others having this same problem? Are there some settings that work that I’m missing?
thanks
OS 10.14.6, Motion 5.4.4, 2018 Mac mini, 3.2GHz i7, 32 GB RAM, 512 SSD
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16 Replies
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Make sure you have a Black Solid at the bottom of your project. If you have transparent layers they will be horribly mangled whren you try to export JPEG, hence the need for a fully opaque background.
Simon Ubsdell
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Simon Ubsdell THANK YOU!
That’s exactly what was required.
Odd too because while one of the two videos I’m finishing does have a transparent background with text overlay, the other had an imported jpg image at the bottom of the layers that has no transparency itself. Why that wouldn’t serve as an opaque background confuses me?
Nonetheless, putting the black rectangle at the bottom solved the problem.
Thank you for your help, Simon.
OS 10.14.6, Motion 5.4.4, 2018 Mac mini, 3.2GHz i7, 32 GB RAM, 512 SSD
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Glad that was a solution for you.
I don’t entirely know why it works this way and I’ve asked Apple many times to get it sorted (hah!), but a JPEG export treats anything transparent as white. With horrible consequences, as you discovered. So the only solution is to add a fully opaque background.
Simon Ubsdell
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Ironically I *just* had this exact same problem but in FCP two days ago! Had never seen it before. I tried exporting a frame from a clip that had the “Letterbox” filter applied (which, to my surprise, CROPS the clip and doesn’t, as I assumed, put black bars over it) and the bars came out WHITE, too. Have also reported it directly to Apple.
So this isn’t something new?? … how annoying. ????
– RK
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[Robin S. Kurz] “So this isn’t something new?? … how annoying.”
No, not new. It’s been there for quite a few years now. I can’t remember when I first noticed it and flagged it to Apple.
Simon Ubsdell
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And while we’re on the subject of Save Current Frame two other things are a big annoyance.
a) I’ve asked them endlessly but Apple refuse to give us a keyboard shortcut. When you’re making lots of stills (e.g. of a design for client or collaborator approval) having to mouse around to get to it is surprisingly tiresome. Surely this is an easy fix?
b) On every Mac I’ve ever tried it with Save Current Frame takes many seconds to complete. On the up-to-date, fully loaded iMacPro I use for work, exporting a simple HD Color Solid takes several seconds!
The only upside to b) is that the save process is a true Background Process so that you can keep working while it’s happening and even set off a new Save while it’s running.
One thing to note here is that in 5.4.4 this applies to the video Share as well – for the first time you can be rendering a project while you carry on working on it. That’s a very welcome development that saves a lot of time. You can even work on and Save out from another open project.
Simon Ubsdell
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[Simon Ubsdell] “a) I’ve asked them endlessly but Apple refuse to give us a keyboard shortcut. […] Surely this is an easy fix?”
Yupp. You simply go into the Destination prefs and make that the STANDARD destination? Then it’s on ⌘E. Just as in FCP. ????
– RK
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Deutsch? Hier gibt es ein umfassendes FCP X Training für dich!
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Not a great deal of help because then you don’t have a shortcut for the video Share. But it’s a sort of a solution, I suppose.
Simon Ubsdell
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[Simon Ubsdell] “you don’t have a shortcut for the video Share”
???
Erm… I just wrote it? ⌘E? How is that not what you’re looking for? ????
– RK
____________________________________________________
Deutsch? Hier gibt es ein umfassendes FCP X Training für dich!
Youtube | Facebook -
Yes, I get that. You didn’t read what I replied. The shortcut will only work for one or the other – not both. Therefore your suggestion doesn’t solve the problem. It only shifts it.
Simon Ubsdell
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