Exporting ALPHA channels from Prospect 4K
 

We are doing international, multi-language CFHD projects (in two languages with original audio, and also dubbed and sub-titled into many others).

We need to output the title/text/lowerthirds layers as separate ALPHA channels, for various reasons.

Question: Is there any other way to output video with alpha channels from Premiere CS3, other than huge uncompressed AVI's?

We have tried both 4:4:4 encoded CFHD AVI's, and MOVs, but nothing seems to output the video with the alpha channel intact.

We keep it synced with the music/AFX, so all we need is the alpha text/titles on the original video with the dubbed languages.

Suggestions?

We have 4:4:4:4 mode in Prospect 4K that support alpha channels, although I never generated alpha from Premiere -- it might work. In the compiler settings try turning on the alpha channel.

Thanks for coming back to me, David. That's the whole problem though. For the life of me, I can't find any 4:4:4:4 setting for this last CS3 Prospect 4K version! I know you've mentioned it before and it's in the feature set, but no matter where I look, there is no seeming way to enable it.

What am I missing?

Addendum: The alpha channel is enabled by Premiere and it recognizes it and plays it on the timeline (though requiring a render to properly preview), but there are no apparent settings for outputting alpha material in the Cineform codec settings that I can find.

Any update info on this?
 

David, do you have any further info on this... ?

We very much would love to have/use that feature, as this is quite a large project. It would save us a good bit of time.

Matrox also support alphas in their compressed AVIs, but their Premiere exporter does not. The only way to make them in Premiere is to choose the Matrox codec in a Video for Windows export. You could try to do the same thing with the Cineform codec. Instead of Cineform in the export options, choose Microsoft AVI, and then choose Cineform in the next Compression tab. Just an idea.

Again I ask, how do you "turn on the alpha channel" in Premiere CS3? Anyone?

Only works with VfW codec at the moment (I think.)