Impressive Rory. No sharp stuff - just a blunt question - was all that down to PI? What you did with stills - could it do that with video?

I've never looked at PI so don't know what it's capable of!

hi Peter

yes all PI and i could have used video as the particles no problem even PNG seq.

For animated video walls , spreading video clips like a deck of cards, its really very versatile
And fire water sparks normal stuff that you would use for particles

For very little effort you get good results

Rory

edit
The clip was composed in Vegas with audio but the fx were done in PI

PI is NOT for editing and compositing

I also use PI for animated masks and animated transitions just render them out in black and white with gradings
Also other animated ramps

Hey I have just bought this program from DJ, excellent program (great price) except for one thing, I am unable to use it in Vegas Pro 8 with (PI) alpha channel as it is supposed to.

Now I use other software saved with alpha channels and I have no problem with them in Vegas.

FYI I use Lagarith codec (as advised by PI) with alpha channel ticked (and other tried configurations) but no luck even when applying (in Vegas) Straight Unmatted, Premultiplied (or dirty) to the imported PI clips I still have the (PI) black background....am i missing something or what?

So can any one advise me how to get PI working with alpha channels in Vegas.....Please

ThankX

Lee

>>So can any one advise me how to get PI working with
>>alpha channels in Vegas.....Please

Historically, I have always exported either a PNG or TGA sequence from PI and it works fine every time.

Also: You will have to (manually) set the sequence alpha properties in Vegas to "straight."

If you render out in uncompressed AVI you shouldn’t have a problem

Some compressions don’t carry the transparency value 0.0 in there compression.

Also try PNG or TGA sequence the quality of the output will be better

Rory

edit SNAP

If you render out in uncompressed AVI you shouldn’t have a problemHave you tried this? Have you? I have. I get mono tonal renders. "Shapes" are less than convincing, but I DO get the Alpha channel. I have tried all the other render "video" out options and the one that is nearest doesn't produce an Alpha channel.

Is your success, Rory, due to the fact you say to render in a graphics format? Meaning many many stills as frames? Until such time as anybody can come across with a video render out WITH a transparent BG then I would also need to resort to your method of PNGS and the such. Now, if you HAVE rendered out to a video format, pray tell me what you did? What CODECS do you have, Rory, that allow for your AVI alphas?

I have read much so far on the subject and I am still banjaxed by it. Very frustrating indeed.

Grazie

FYI I use Lagarith codec (as advised by PI) with alpha channel ticked (and other tried configurations) but no luck even when applying (in Vegas) Straight Unmatted, Premultiplied (or dirty) to the imported PI clips I still have the (PI) black background....am i missing something or what?So, Lee, as you are following the advice and you aren't getting the alpha channel back in Vegas, then I guess we are both missing something fundamental. What and where are you locating your CODECS that give you the "Lagarith" - and yes I read that advise too.

Unless we both resort to PNGs and things, this remains an unknown.

Grazie

Howzit Grazie

Describe what you mean by mono tonal renders ‘’ black and white’’ or the RGB looks flat or other I am battling to visualise your issue

In Uncompressed it comes out as just a WHITE animating BLOB. Bob saw this on my monitor - over SKYPE. If you did Skype I could ALSO show you??

I was using "Turbulent Plasma" - it has many tendrils and shades of grey. I am ONLY getting the central mass, as a deforming spinning lumpen piece of - whatever - and no detail at all.

Grazie

Grazie

1 you need to choose a good icc profile for your screen as this will effect your render and how you see the visuals
Windows settings display ,advanced, colour management and choose one ie RGB color space profile
as PI uses this “so does your printer” use the same for your graphics editor in the preference settings
use the same for all your editors so what you see is what you get

2. in PI you can change the tonal depth of the particles in the particle colour settings

3. make your own shapes ie for flames I took a video clip of a flame 400x400 keyed out the black back
ran for a few frames ,copied that back to back in reverse so that your start frame and end frame are the same
render that out as a PNG SEQ, use that as your particles in PI

do the same for birds ,insects whatever your particle needs to be

When I render AVI uncompressed in PI and drop in Vegas alpha straight I don’t have a problem I get what I rendered in PI

BUT if you need close up stuff for pans and zooms into the clip I render out as graphic seq

Grazie thats not right you def have an issue somewhere

Would this hold true if I also did a PNG sequence? Would I need to change my monitor settings, and the rest of it?

And, yes of course, zooming-in would produce less than favourable results. AND I am not doing this either.

Now I don't have an ALPHA channel on uncomp! I have gone into Media settings in VEgas > "STRAIGHT" - still no alpha . . . .

Grazie

From Vegas side weather ICC profiles will effect output of PNG’s I don’t know.

From your last statement I doubt that this is your problem..do you have Nero 8 loaded?
This caused a few AVI issues for me so I bombed it and went back to Nero 5

Nero 7.

I can get PNG Alpha sequence in. Looks fine. Tried to make it less jerky, and screwed that up too.

Not getting back the alpha from uncomp is worrying me. I had this last week.

The solid white blob? MIA CULPA - I found out what I was doing wrong. I had View Alpha Channel engaged. What this meant was that I rendered the "alpha" mask only . . . sheesh . . . But now having rectified THAT blunder on my part, I can no longer get the uncomp alpha to be rendered in.

I am turning into a right miserable git!!

Am I correct in experiencing that I need to start a NEW project each and every time I CHANGE Project or Preference settings? Meaning do I need to start afresh?

Grazie

OK that makes sense!... you rendered out a matte….i didn’t think of that !! why do we always think the worst??

No your project settings will be effective immediately in your present project

ARGGH . .. .

1] Unchecked SHOW Alpha - still got solid animated mask

2] No ALPHA channel support - at all!

3] Installed Largarith CODEC - no ALPHA, even though I FORCE and check ALPHA in CODEC GUI.

Of course I am testing for alpha in Vegas - no-dice at all....

Oh yes "thinking" that I might have codec wars with Vegas, I tried with and without VEgas live. Both no Alpha options. I am testing using "STRAIGHT" and the other two too!

Grazie

You do know that you have to TELL Vegas that the clip is Alpha channel?

Right click the clip in the project media... go to properties and make sure the property box states "alpha". If not then change it.

You do know that you have to TELL Vegas that the clip is Alpha channel?
Yes & yes I did use:

Event Properties > Media > Alpha: Straight . Plus I tried the other flavours too.

Grazie

Interesting.
There must be something wrong with the media then Grazie. I've imported alpha channel before without issues (uncompressed avi)

I am rendering straight from Pi to open in Vegas. When I bring the SAME Pi rendered "Alpha" file back into Pi as a Layer - yes, you guessed correct! It IS transparent.

It is this transport from Pi to V that is crooking the matter.

Uncompressed rendering from within Vegas and setting to Premultiplied shows the Alpha. So, render and premul gets me Alpha.

Pi back to Pi gets me Alpha

V back to V gets me Alpha

Pi to V no Alpha

Grazie

Just before you render out in PI you get a "Output Option"settings window where you have to check "Save Alpha". That show further options "Remove black BG from RGB channels". I usualy uncheck this and and do the alpha settings in Vegas. If I check "Remove black......." then my output is very chunky.

LA. Just did your recommendation. Still no Alpha in Vegas.

Cheers though . .. .

Grazie