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[Tim_LIVID]

Hi guys

I know this isn't really a rendering question but it's still a major obstacle to my new showreel.

I have rendered out some .tiff's

Fcheck can read them fine, but when I set my folder to thumbnail Windows can't see anything. Also when I import them into Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 it doesn't see them either.

I have opened the animation in Fcheck and re saved them as different things (.tga)

I will try some experiments like re-rendering certain bits but if someone can tell me why this is happening that would be great.

I don't really want to re-render the whole lot again to be honest.

Also, I have attached one of the offending .tif files to see if it works for you guys.

Cheers in advance.

[Alan]

You have no alpha channel that's why. You need to go in and set the alpha to pure white across the whole tiff in shake or After Effects or even a batch job in photoshop.


Alan

[Tim_LIVID]

Bugger, guess I am a bit rusty.

Does that mean I have to go into Maya and set that and then re-render the lot.

If that's what has to be done the fair enough.

Cheers

[Alan]

no not at all. Re-read my post. You can do it as an offline thing. What apps do you have apart from premier? Photoshop?Shake?After Effects?

Alan

[Tim_LIVID]

I have After Effects

[Alan]

so do it in that, just add an alpha and re-save

Alan

[Tim_LIVID]

Cheers for that mate, i'll get on that right away.

:attn:

[wasatch5_sparticus]

OR, it recognizes .iff files, they are of good quality and they render quickly.

Sparticus

[mirek03]

if you are using AE 7 read no further.., if under that version AE will not read native maya files (iffs) unless you open and change 'all recognisable files' to 'all files' and then tick the force sequence box (bit rusty on 6.5 but you will see what I mean) as far as the alpha.., just press 'best guess' when the files open

[Tim_LIVID]

Well I have seam to run into the same problem with another scene.

I turned on the Alpha channel in the render globals but I still get no alpha channel when I render a frame.

This may sound really silly but is there another place where I need to setting the alpha channel?

Cheers

[gster123]

Are you rendering with mental Ray? (I assume you are cos of the lovely ambient occlusion render that youve done.

In the render globals, I think its in custom entities (in the mental Ray Tab) theres an option, something like Pass custom Surface to alpha check that and it should be fine and render out the alpha channel

[mirek03]

Tim, Im no expert thats for sure. you need to be working in 32 bit, thats 8 bits each for RGB and another 8 bits for alpha. on import you should have an option box come up (in After effects) that asks if you want to ignore the alpha ( other questions too but you know what they are). should be no problem??

this must be a maya question, how to get alpha tiffs out of maya?? after effects shouldn't give you grief. if so let us know. all I can suggest is look at the help files (if this is a maya question) other than that have you looked at the stacking order of your layers?? the alpha lays on top (I think?? Id have to go in and have a look, some things we do end up becoming automatic or juist 'do this and see what happens')
M

not enough info here for me (not that I think I could help much but one never knows)

Steve and me must have been witting at the same time.

[Alan]

you dont need to be working at 32bit at all! 8bit tiffs can have alpha channels! I'm not 100% sure but I think gster123's response will be what you need to do. It's not about bit depth.
Alan

[Tim_LIVID]

Thanks to all.

gster123's suggestion worked and I now have a lovely alpha channel.

I always love posting my problems here. Such a wealth of knowledge.

Thanks again.

[mirek03]

i thought the question related to rendering a sequence in another app.., I know very little about the alpha channel in maya except there is one

it matters a lot in a graphics app.., 8 bits a channel.., i think its common knowledge for those using any adobe product or graphics app.. I would have thought it mattered on import to a compositing app.., but in maya.., a mystery to me