Masking/Compositing in AE

Scintilla · Post by **Scintilla** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:16 pm

If you use Photoshop's Pen tool to create a path, you can just copy it onto the other frames that have that character in the same spot.

DriftRoot · Post by **DriftRoot** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:29 pm

Mmm, yes, but I was trying to get out of using paths unless I absolutely have to, it would be nice to have an alpha channel mask work. Hehe, are you saying I have to?

ShadowNOS · Post by **ShadowNOS** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 8:55 pm

Ok I have one small question I knwo I could go through those tuts but simply all I need to know is when your done with it what do you save it as to get it to be transparent.

I keep saving it and importing it into premiere elements and it still has a background. I mean the real one is gone but the black one is still there.

Sorry if it seems like I am being difficult but its the first AE video I have done.

ShadowNOS · Post by **ShadowNOS** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:47 am

Sorry to double post but never mind I got it but my way is going to take a while but I beilive its the only way.

Scintilla · Post by **Scintilla** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:03 am

DriftRoot wrote:Mmm, yes, but I was trying to get out of using paths unless I absolutely have to, it would be nice to have an alpha channel mask work. Hehe, are you saying I have to?

Well, you could make an alpha channel mask with paths... I don't think I've ever tried doing it any other way (with the possible exception of the Polygonal Lasso, which I do not recommend), so I don't know what other techniques people have for it.

ShadowNOS wrote:Ok I have one small question I knwo I could go through those tuts but simply all I need to know is when your done with it what do you save it as to get it to be transparent.

I keep saving it and importing it into premiere elements and it still has a background. I mean the real one is gone but the black one is still there.

You could try saving as a sequence of TIFF images with transparencies (or even GIFs), or as a video with a codec that supports RGB32 (RGBA, or RGB with an alpha channel)...

ShadowNOS · Post by **ShadowNOS** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:14 am

Scintilla wrote:
DriftRoot wrote:Mmm, yes, but I was trying to get out of using paths unless I absolutely have to, it would be nice to have an alpha channel mask work. Hehe, are you saying I have to?
Well, you could make an alpha channel mask with paths... I don't think I've ever tried doing it any other way (with the possible exception of the Polygonal Lasso, which I do not recommend), so I don't know what other techniques people have for it.

ShadowNOS wrote:Ok I have one small question I knwo I could go through those tuts but simply all I need to know is when your done with it what do you save it as to get it to be transparent.

I keep saving it and importing it into premiere elements and it still has a background. I mean the real one is gone but the black one is still there.
You could try saving as a sequence of TIFF images with transparencies (or even GIFs), or as a video with a codec that supports RGB32 (RGBA, or RGB with an alpha channel)...

I'm just cutting out what I dont need in AE and then exporting it as a png then I move on to the next frame and do the same. So I use my orignal as a guide and just place the png files in the correct order. It may seem hard or whatnot but for now its the easiet thing and its coming along really really good.

But I do thank you guys for trying to help me out.

DriftRoot · Post by **DriftRoot** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:16 am

Scintilla wrote: Well, you could make an alpha channel mask with paths... I don't think I've ever tried doing it any other way (with the possible exception of the Polygonal Lasso, which I do not recommend), so I don't know what other techniques people have for it.

A mask with paths results in the same effect as a mask without paths, though (I'd think), if everything works the way it's supposed to. That also assumes my alpha channels work...which they don't. Not in PS, not in Premier, not in AE. Again, I can't get them to stick via the masky method. Track m's work in some instances when I use an image file as the mask, but I don't want to work with things UNDER things, I want things OVER things. Same goes for the multiply tactic. *sobs* Ok, that was too melodramatic.

I may have to harass my poor, unsuspecting CS2 instructors about this issue:
"Can you explain how to utilize alpha channels across programs?" [mind, no one else in the class may know what a channel is, nevermind an alpha type]
"Why do you want to know?"
"Oh, well, I'm trying to do something with...something and I can't get it to work."
"Can you show me?"
"No."

DriftRoot · Post by **DriftRoot** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:26 pm

For the record only: There WAS something wrong with my Photoshop software, it really was not processing alpha channels correctly, among other things I've noticed since upgrading to a newer version (7.0 to CS2). Even reinstalling PS didn't solve the problem, so the program was definately messed up at some level.

Mask maker wanna-be's: The method outlined in this thread SHOULD work - if it doesn't and you're really, truly following the guide to the letter, then something else is wrong.

Thanks to everyone who tried to help. Now you know why none of it did help.

Gepetto · Post by **Gepetto** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 9:27 am

Well, faulty software is the least of my worries. I'm sure this is plain stupid, but my masks in AE only have four edges that I can move. So I can only select rectangles, trapeziums and the like with masks. How do I add dots to the goddamned thing?

Please give answers in the most simplistic, step-by-step and overall moronic way. It's my first shot at AE and the whole interface still makes me dizzy (not to mention my <10second limit for RAM previews).

Thanks in advance

-gepetto

DriftRoot · Post by **DriftRoot** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:12 pm

If you're having trouble creating masks in AE and find the interface extremely daunting, the easiest way to fix this problem is not to create them in AE. The program has many functions that allow for details, non-geometric masks, but it may be less of a headache to not bother with them right now.

Use a good image editing program to create the kind of mask you want, make sure the resulting image has opacity values, and import THAT into AE to use as your mask.