Archive for February, 2014

Exporting media with an alpha channel in Premiere Pro

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments (0)

TransparencyRecently in the Twitter-verse, a user was getting frustrated that he could not export a clip with an alpha channel from Premiere Pro. Here is a tip I can share with you to make sure that the alpha channel is respected:

  1. Edit a clip into the Timeline.
  2. Make an effect that will create an alpha channel. Examples include:
    1. Crop
    2. Garbage Matte
    3. Motion > Scale (less than 100%)
    4. Track Matte Key
  3. Mark the clip’s In and Out points
  4. Export the clip via File > Export > Media
  5. In the export settings, make sure you choose a codec which supports the alpha channel, such as QuickTime ProRes 4444, PNG, or AVI None. You can tell if a codec supports an alpha channel by inspecting the bit depth settings for the codec in the Video tab, and then seeing if it has an option for 32 bit support.
    1. Under the Video tab in Basic Video Settings, check the Render at Maximum Depth box.
    2. Do one of the following:
      1. Choose 32 bit
      2. Click the radio button that says “32 bit”
      3. Check the box indicating “Include Alpha Channel”
  6. Export the media by clicking the Export or Queue button
  7. After the file is exported, import the media and place the clip on V2 over an existing clip. Check if your clip now carries transparency. It should!

I hope this blog post helps you in creating alpha channels in the clips you export.

Prevent crash on export with Premiere Pro CC & Adobe Media Encoder CC

Posted on February 12, 2014 by | Comments (5)

Digital-Backdrop_smWhen you attempt to launch Adobe Media Encoder CC, or when you export from Adobe Premiere Pro CC via File > Export > Media, a crash occurs. This issue occurs on Mac OS X only.

The solution is to update the desktop Creative Cloud application. Sign in to the Creative Cloud desktop application to trigger the installation process. In some cases, it’s necessary to sign out and sign back in within the Creative Cloud desktop application to get this option.

Updating the Creative Cloud desktop application also fixes crashing on launch for the following applications:

  • Bridge CC
  • Edge Inspect CC
  • Scout CC

Updating the Creative Cloud desktop application provides fixes for other applications, as well. See the release notes here.

More details, including an alternate solution, can be found here: http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/ame-premiere-crash-launch-export.html