Final Cut, PSD, transparency - what's wrong?!

[Patrick Jenkins]

I'm recreating a lot of my old widescreen crops as I recently lost them all in a hard disk crash (16:9 2.35x1, 16:9 2.2x1, etc etc). The crop is a single layer (no background) PSD file - the only layer has the black crops w/ transparent middle.

See this page for an example (the white middle parts are transparent FYI):
http://www.twodogfilms.com/crops.html

This isn't working anymore. I'm looking at the file in PS - should be fine. I import the file into FC and the transparent area shows up as solid white. It's never done this to me before.

What am I doing wrong?

[Patrick Jenkins]

Update - I found I had backups of the original crops on another HD and dropped them - worked perfectly. I opened both sets in PS and they are identical as far as I can tell (I used the same process to create both). The newly created set still doesn't work, while the older (restored from backup) set work fine. The original set was created on a PC while I tried making the newer files on a Mac. I have no idea why this would make a difference but could it?

[Boyd Ostroff]

Multi-layered photoshop files created on the PC don't import into FCP as multi-layered seequences, but as flat files (clips). I suspect that might have something to do with it. The fix is (evidently) to open the files in Mac photoshop and re-save. A multi-layered photoshop file should open in FCP as though it was a sequence with multiple video tracks, one for each layer. A photoshop file with only one layer will open like a clip instead of a sequence.

The other thing to check is the composite mode of the clip. Select the clip on the timeline and right click (or control-click) and choose Composite Mode. Off the top of my head I can't remember which is the correct one, and it also may depend on the nature of how the photoshop file was created. But it sounds like this may be your problem, so try a few of the different options.

[Greg Boston]

We also had this question crop up a while back. Remember Boyd? We figured out that FCP only supports composite images and transparency from Photoshop 3. Using a newer version won't work.

-gb-

[Patrick Jenkins]

Hrm.. is there a file format we should use instead to preserve transparency when creating the file on a Mac? I tried exporting (on Mac - from PS) to a TGA file and that didn't work either.


Yeah, so far the PC PSD file has worked great, but as I don't have a PC anymore I'm now quite nervous about what to do should I end up losing the files again.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Aaargh! I was hoping nobody would mention that thread! ;-)

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=48779

There's a lot of confusing an conflicting information there, and it never was resolved.

Actually, now that I'm home I think I see the problem. You need to save the photoshop file with an alpha channel. Then if you put it on a track above another one nothing else is needed. The black bars will be superimposed and the track below will show through.

Actually, I think there's an easy way to do this in photoshop, but I'm only using Photoshop Elements which doesn't seem to have an easy way to work with alpha channel. But what you can do is:

1. Create a blank document
2. Make a second layer
3. Select the letterbox area with the rectangular marquee tool
4. Select > Inverse
5. Fill > Black
6. Hide the background layer
7. You should see a checkerboard in the middle of the letterbox
8. Save as a PSD file - it will have an alpha channel

There's probably an easier way, but this works for me...

[Boyd Ostroff]

Actually if you just want letterbox masks I think they're easier to do in the viewer without any photoshop files.

1. Double-click on the clip so that it opens in the viewer.
2. Click on the motion tab.
3. Click the triangle next to the Crop property
4. Enter any desired value in the top and bottom fields
5. I believe that entering 16.5 in each gives you a 16:9 mask
6. Alternately, use the sliders

This has the advantage of being completely self-contained and not requiring multiple video tracks.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Patrick Jenkins

is there a file format we should use instead to preserve transparency when creating the file on a Mac?

PSD files are fine for this. The trick is that you need an alpha channel, and that shows up in photoshop as a checkerboard area. So creating only the black bars (anyway you want) on an empty layer, then turning off the background layer is one way to accomplish this.

I think TIFF also supports alpha channels, but I haven't really worked much with them.

[Patrick Jenkins]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, but that's all pretty simiilar to the process I use.

Here's the file in question.. for me, if I drop this as a new track I don't get the transparency - I end up with black bars and a big white box; or I end up with digital noise (like the file was imported improperly or something). If anyone can look at this in PS and tell my why it's not working I'll PayPal you $.25 ;-)

The weird thing though.. if I create the file on a PC and use in FCP, it's fine. If I create the file on a Mac and use in FCP, it doesn't work.

http://www.twodogfilms.com/temp/Crop...-%202.35x1.psd

[Patrick Jenkins]

Ok, you know what it is? Just figured it out...

it's color management. GARRR

For some reason I can't turn off Color Management of documents. It's automatically setting things to 20% Dot Grain Gray rather than off / RGB.

The color profile is screwing things up.


Thx everbuddy!