Animated Buttons w/ Transpartcy

ucanbyteme wrote on 8/13/2004, 9:21 PM

I give, after reading what I can find from the manual, and searching here, I still can not find the right way to create an Animated button with a Transparent background.

I read here to save as a 32 bit AVI but it still looks black when I try to bring it into DVD Arc. Anyone figure this out? Besides animating the entire background? There has got to be a way, even really cheap software can do this. Tried both TGAs or PNG and even seperateing the alpha channels but still no luck.

Back to post

Comments

Grazie wrote on 8/19/2004, 12:27 AM

Bob, you wont be the first and you wont be the last . . ;-) .. It's my cross . .. . . I do understand your, "The standard DV AVI file type that Vgeas renders to doesn't support an alpha channel, that's not Vegas fault it just plain cannot be done." . . . well it should! I don't understand this level of technology .. I'm not proud of NOT understanding but I know when something hurts, and this hurts! Bob, you've most likely "forgotten" more than I will ever learn - this does not stop me from keep pushing for a more accommodating solution in what ever flied I work in - this I wont change . . and I guess that's how improvements and innovations come about .. yeah?

OK scrub the idea of using the conventions - all I want is a smarter, easier and non uncompressed option. Too much to ask for? My point above was built on the observations by bStro. Quite frankly I agree with him. It was the comment about Sony providing material WITH a transparent background, that got me going.

I'm really starting to feel I'm coming up against a "Brick Wall".

. . . yeah, there is none so blind as those who don't want to see . . . guilty as charged!

Best regards

Grazie

ucanbyteme wrote on 8/19/2004, 11:21 PM

Actually I discovered that he DVDA buttons can have transparantcy, I used a series of PNGs and resaved in Photoshop Image Ready as an animated GIF. Guess what, the animated Gif works as a button but the edges are not as smooth as I would like.

As for puting a mask over the animation, that only works if your animation is fixed. Like there buttons, they dont actually animate like I am talking about they just kind of blink. But try putting a spinning logo for example. The logo will animate, but the mask will NOT!

If anyone can prove me wrong, tell me how. It sucks how long this thread is with people talking about how it could be done, or why we cant do it, but no one can seem to give an exact method.

So my challange is this: Can anyone make a spinning logo with an animated mask that matches and moves or changes with the edges so that it appears to float on the background. Think of a spinning coin, not a pulseing static button shape that sony has.

ucanbyteme wrote on 8/19/2004, 11:27 PM

One more thing guys, check out this cheesy 3D software app that does exactly what I am talking about for DVD menues. Scroll all the way to the bottom and check out the animated fish. I think its made by ULEAD.

http://www.digitalproducer.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=17933

Has anyone here ever been able to repoduce this effect from software that only costs $50-80 ?

bStro wrote on 8/20/2004, 9:05 AM

Actually I discovered that he DVDA buttons can have transparantcy, I used a series of PNGs and resaved in Photoshop Image Ready as an animated GIF.

I've said that several times in this thread as well as in the previous thread you started on the DVDA forum.

If anyone can prove me wrong, tell me how.

This isn't an argument. No one's trying to prove you wrong. We're trying to figure out how to do it so we can help. Jesus. Drop the attitude already.

but no one can seem to give an exact method.

Well, excuse us. Do we work for you? Are you paying us to figure this out for you? Are we somehow supposed to know something you don't? News flash, son: We are Vegas / DVDA USERS, just like you.

Rob

bStro wrote on 8/20/2004, 9:09 AM

Regarding the ULead applications in the article...

DVD Workshop is $250. Cool 3D is $30 for the regular version, $80 for the Production Suite version. I believe that the $30 version will do 32-bit video overlays, though I do not know if the DEMO version will. Check out their site for more info.

Possibly (since I am an END USER just like you...I do not work at Sony or ULead or any other video software companies) a properly constructed animation in Cool 3D will work as you want in DVD Architect. I do not know. Try it out yourself.

BTW, Cool 3D ain't cheesy. ;)

Rob

ucanbyteme wrote on 8/20/2004, 2:03 PM

Its not you guys I am upset with, I am really just hoping that Sony is reading this and would respond with some kind of helpful imput.

I was putting out a friendly challange, not an argument. Cus people keep posting here without reading the origional question and say things like just use a mask.