Rendering for Digital Juice Swipes

[Mike Kujbida]

Sorry Ken but Editor’s Tool Kit is the extent of my alpha keying products from them.
I browsed the DJ site and came across a few suggestions that may or may not help.
If you still can’t get it to work, I recommend sending DJ support an email.
I’ve found them to be pretty quick to respond.

Compositing the elements from Compositor’s Toolkit into your edit

The video clips from Compositor’s Toolkit can easily be composited onto your edit using some standard effects that come pre-installed with most editing software. Most of the shots in CTK have a black background. This makes it easy to composite over your video using either a Luma Key or a Screen blending mode. For shots on white backgrounds, Luma Key or Multiply blending modes work similarly. Luma Keys usually have some adjustable parameters, so be sure to adjust them if necessary.

Transparency not working in Vegas

Vegas doesn’t automatically detect the alpha channel, so the background behind overlays, lower thirds, transitions and motion design elements are not transparent and appear black.

To get Vegas to detect the alpha:

1. Drop the overlay into a track above your video.
2. Right-click the overlay and select Properties.
3. From the Alpha channel drop down (or on the Media tab), select Straight (unmatted).

Compositor’s Toolkit – Some elements do not have associated matte files

Due to the nature of some of the elements in CTK, like rain and snow, a matte file is not included. These elements are white shot on black, and can double as a matte file on the timeline if needed.

Transparency not working

Transparency not working in your editing software can depend on two factors (1) not rendering correctly or to the correct format and (2) using editing software that doesn’t support alpha channels.

First, we’d recommend trying these settings in the Juicer (Output tab)
– Save As: QuickTime
– Save Alpha As: Embedded
– Video Codec: Animation

This will work in most situations, even in most Windows applications. When you have to use an AVI format, render out Full Frames (Uncompressed) with and embedded Alpha Channel. Any codec with “millions of colors+” will support an alpha channel.

Second, many consumer software applications (e.g., Studio and iMovie) do not support alpha transparency very well. Ulead’s VideoStudio does, but they need to output an uncompressed AVI.

[Ken Bennett]

Not quite. I’m still having problems with DJ Compositor’s Toolkit. Using either the original QT or the matte QT, Vegas’ alpha does not work. This is a BIG setback in us using Vegas since we use these a lot. Is there another possible work-a-round? Switching between NLEs is a pain sometimes.

Ken Bennett
Video Adventures
Capturing Your Life’s Adventures!

[Mike Kujbida]

Ken, I don’t use that particular tool from DJ so all I can suggest is sending them an email asking where you’re going wrong.
I’ve contacted them in the past and they’ve been pretty quick to respond.

[Mike Kujbida]

Ken, I did some searching on the DJ site and found a tutorial for you.
Compositor’s Toolkit – Setting Transparency in Sony Vegas
Good luck!!