After Effects help needed
 

I need some help form you After Effects pros out there. What I'm trying to do is take some text I made in FCP and export them to AE where I can add the Trapcode "Shine" effect.

Well, when I render it it always leaves me with a black background instead of transparent so I can't layer it on anything once I get it back to FCP.

I tried keying it but it looks crappy.

How do I get the background to render transparent in AE?

Why are you doing the text in FCP? Why not just do it all in AE and export?

Since I use FCP 99.99% of the time I'm more comfortable with creating text there. You're right, it probably would be easier to create it in AE then export - for someone familiar with AE. Even if I did it in AE wouldn't I still need to know how to export with a transparent background? Someone told me today to export it as a quicktime animation which sort of works but looks about as bad to me as exporting with a black background and keying it in FCP.

Brad,
You really need to start the composite from AE to get good results, if I understand what you're trying to accomplish.

AE is still the king of text on video in my opinion. So it's a good time for you to become more familiar with it.

need to render in RGB + alpha, millions of colours +
 

It's your render settings...

Assuming you are starting out with an alpha channel from FCP then importing into AE, you still need to tell AE that you have an alpha (use the interpret footage dialogue in AE).

When you apply trapcode shine and render out, make sure you select "RGB plus alpha" and "millions of colors+" under video output in the output module of your render settings.

Good luck! ANd by the way, AE's text settings are easy to master. Just create a comp, add a solid, an apply effects>text to the solid. Much better than in FCP.

Just lay the rendered out file from after effects back into fcp, in a layer above the video footage, and change it's overlay mode to add or multiply, which ever gives you the best results.

Zac