rendering transparency for flash import

[Aharon Rabinowitz]

Not sure what formats Flash can import, but you need to render to an image or video format that supports Alpha (as you said). If Flash imports Quicktime movies, that’s probably Ideal – use animation compression.

IF it doesn’t support QT, then maybe try PNG or TGA.
When you render you need to go into the render queue, and in the output module settings, set the channels to “RGB + Alpha,” and then set the color to “Straight (Unmatted).”

Please note that if you look at the files outside a video program that reads alpha channels they will look terrible. Straight renders aren’t meant to bee seen without their alpha channel being interpreted by a video program, so if you looed at in photshop or quicktime, it will be messy, especially around the partially transparent areas. Ignore it.

—————————————-
Aharon Rabinowitz
aharon(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
http://www.allbetsareoff.com
—————————————-
Creative Cow Master Series DVD
particleIllusion Fusion Volume 1
available @ http://www.pIllusionFusion.com

[Nathan]

I know flash can use, Image sequences .pngs, quicktime, .mov, .flv and a few others. So while I am in AE I can ignore the black bgrd I see? So if I get you, I dont need to setup anything during file creation to create the alpha channel? It is done during render?

I really appreciate the help.

[Aharon Rabinowitz]

That’s right. AE fills the BG with the color of your choice, but as long as you use a Straigh (Unmatted) render, that BG color will not be seen in your composite. If you did a Premultiplied render, your partically transparent areas would pick up some of the BG color, resulting in discoloration and color fringing.

As long as there is an empty BG, then using the render settings I gave you will produce a video with an alpha channel that does what you need.

—————————————-
Aharon Rabinowitz
aharon(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
http://www.allbetsareoff.com
—————————————-
Creative Cow Master Series DVD
particleIllusion Fusion Volume 1
available @ http://www.pIllusionFusion.com

[Nathan]

Many thanks….. Only because I never heard the term before, what does “Premultiplied render” mean? I’ll leave ya alone after that.

Thanks

[Aharon Rabinowitz]

No Worries, it’s why we’re here.

I believe it means premultiplied with color, meaning, it includes the BG color. But I’m not sure.

Man, now I need to go back and do my homework…

—————————————-
Aharon Rabinowitz
aharon(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
http://www.allbetsareoff.com
—————————————-
Creative Cow Master Series DVD
particleIllusion Fusion Volume 1
available @ http://www.pIllusionFusion.com

[Idlehandsmedia]

Well, if money isn’t an issue, then perhaps you can upgrade to flash 8. It has built in effects, one of them being glow. That way you’ll have a smaller filesize AND be able to animate the glow according to user input if you’d like.

[Nathan]

I do have flash 8, and I am going to need the glow kinda like how starglow does it. I real high res one. But thanks for the suggestion.