• Adobe After Effects

  Reading multiple alpha channels

  Posted by Navarro Parker on March 21, 2013 at 6:31 pm

  Cinema 4D stores extra grayscale data like the Depth channel and Object Buffers as extra alpha channels when saving out to layered PSDs.

  AFIAK, AE can only read the first alpha channel and ignores the rest. Is there a 3rd party plug-in that can read extra alpha channels?

  

  Navarro Parker replied 13 years, 5 months ago 3 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  John Cuevas

  March 22, 2013 at 12:12 pm

  This functionality isn’t available in AE, yet. Maxon and AE have recently formed a strategic alliance, to make the products work together even better. So keep your fingers crossed.

  Johnny Cuevas, Editor
  Thinkck.com

  “I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
  —THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.
• 

  Vishesh Arora

  March 22, 2013 at 7:30 pm

  Navarro

  I don’t know how to use different alpha channel info from PSD document but you can render the output with .RPF format and then use ID Matte Effect to use different alpha channels from the same single file.

  Check this tutorial:

  https://lesterbanks.com/2011/06/using-the-rpf-id-matte-in-cinema-4d-after-effects/

  There is an option for z-depth also. You can search for that too.

  Hope this may help.

  Vishesh Arora
  3D and Motion Graphics Artist
  Films Rajendra

  Blog:
  https://digieffects.wordpress.com

  2011 3D Demo Reel:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPgIJU_BR8
• 

  Navarro Parker

  March 25, 2013 at 5:50 pm

  Yeah, the bad thing about RPF, is there’s no way to see the images in the Finder. There’s no Quicklook plug-in on the Mac (AFIAK). So it’s just a folder of blank icons until I load them into AE.

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