-
Importing Animations w/ Alpha Channel into Avid 2020 on Catalina – About to blow my brains out.
This is about to drive me insane. I simply want to import title animations with alpha channels that I created in After Effects into Avid 2020, but it seems like everything I try has lead to a dead end. Because old versions of Avid won’t run on Catalina, and because I can’t downshift my OS on the 2019 16″ MacBooks, I’ve been forced against my will to work in Avid 2020, on an OS that the company apparently has no interest in developing for. Because of the move to 64 bit, most of the basic import functionality in Avid 2020 simply does not work. I’ve been able to find (annoying) workarounds for importing most things that I need to, but I can’t for the life of me get animations with alphas to come in properly. I’ve tried:
1.) Exporting from AfterEffects at ProRes 4444 w/ alpha and importing into Avid the old fashioned way. I get the “cannot import this file type” error that happens when you try to bring most anything into Avid 2020 on Catalina with the import function.
2.) Linking and consolidating the ProRes 4444 renders using the Source Browser. After running the consolidation, the clips simply don’t populate in my bin.
3.) Linking and transcoding the ProRes 4444 renders. After I’ve brought the ProRes renders into a bin via AMA link, I run them through the clip transcoder. This creates MXF mediafiles for the clips, but once they’re brought into a timeline, they break and will not play.
4.) Running the ProRes 4444 renders through Davinci Resolve, exporting them at MXF OP-atom and DNxHR 444 12-bit, with the alpha exported. After bringing the mediafiles into Avid, they break as soon as they’re dropped into a sequence or loaded into the source monitor and refuse to play.
I’m seriously about to lose my mind with this. It should not be this difficult to do something as simple as importing a render with an alpha channel. Before anyone asks – no, working with the AMA linked files is not an option for me as the company I work for does not support that workflow. Can anyone PLEASE tell me what I’m missing here? It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.
-
9 Replies
-
Not missing anything. Avid 2020 won’t do it….and it’s a HUGE issue. At the company I’m at, we have a couple machines on MC2019 so that we CAN do this.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
You’ve gotta be kidding me. Somehow though, I’m not surprised.
Thanks for your reply.
-
Nope the need to replace the QT support with the new UME is rolling ong but not hot to alphas yet.
Still a range of features to bring online.
If your on new Macs it’s tough.
On my PC I still have QT support and the new UME.Pat Horridge
Broadcast & Post Consultant, Trainer, Avid Certified Instructor
Free online Tutorials at VET digital media academy online http://vimeo.com/channels/752951
pat@vet.co.uk -
I’m thinking about upgrading my computer so want to be clear: your alpha channel problem only happens in Catalina? I ask because Avid Link updated my MC software to 2020.6. I’m still on Mojave. Yesterday I did import media with an alpha channel I’d created in After Effects. MC recognized what it was, offered me the choice of importing as either regular footage or as a matte key. I chose matte key and everything worked.
But I did come across this post and now am concerned about being forced to Catalina with a new computer purchase.
Thanks for clarifying, if you don’t mind.
-
Correct – from what I can tell, this is only a problem with Catalina specifically and the fact that it does not support 32 bit codecs.
-
Yes currently that’s correct.
MC still supports alpha of the OS supports QT. Catalina doesn’t so that’s the pinch point.Pat Horridge
Broadcast & Post Consultant, Trainer, Avid Certified Instructor
Free online Tutorials at VET digital media academy online http://vimeo.com/channels/752951
pat@vet.co.uk -
Thanks Zach and Pat.
That new iMac was looking tempting. Oh, well.
-
It will get there improvements to UME are coming with each dot release. So hopefully soon.
Pat Horridge
Broadcast & Post Consultant, Trainer, Avid Certified Instructor
Free online Tutorials at VET digital media academy online http://vimeo.com/channels/752951
pat@vet.co.uk -
Any improvements to alpha importing? I just made the mistake of upgrading to MC2021 and Big Sur… hate the QuickTime loss and there’s got to be a way to import alpha. Wow. Maybe when I wake up this will be a bad dream.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up