Motion doesn't export alpha?

I believe, in the past I was allowed to export a Motion project as 'proRes422/h264/color and alpha', and the resulting file, added to a FCPX project, offered transparency.

Actually, only 4444 transports the alpha ....


What do I wrong??? Wrong memory? Or app kaputt??

Hey Karsten,

Apple ProRes 4444 XQ: The highest-quality version of Apple ProRes for 4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels)...
Apple ProRes 4444: An extremely high-quality version of Apple ProRes for 4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels)...

Here is the white paper for for ProRes I hope this helps.

H.264, other flavored of ProRes, DVCPRO-HD, etc, none of them rever supported alpha channels. It is built into the codec, not some arbitrary thing Motion does. Always been like this.

BenB wrote: , none of them rever supported alpha channels. ....

I could swear I was able to exporth264 +alpha...

Will ask my doc to change my medicamentation no good for longterm memory.

thanks for clarifikation, Ben much appreciated!

Perhaps it was a file exported in animation codec. That would give you an alpha.

addendum:

hm..... then, this dialogue is a bit misleading, isn't it? :

Yes, it is. But it doesn't intelligently enable when the codec does or doesn't support it. One of the legacy things we all wish Motion would update. If the codec doesn't support alpha, you won't get alpha, and you're supposed to know, I guess. Fill out the feedback form. But then again, if you are working with alpha channels, I'd dare say you should educate yourself about them and the codecs that support them. On the other hand, this is a legacy thing that needs to be changed, I guess. Feedback page...

Misleading yes and no, you still can export alpha matte as ProRes by choosing only Alpha in the Color (Farbe) drop down menu.

Your right they could move Alpha option to another section or have it appear depending on the codec, not to confuse user that are not aware of the codecs abilities. Maybe in Motion 6?

Good point! I forgot about exporting just the matte. I used to do that a lot, but not in a long time. Yep, there's a good reason to keep it there.

Thanks, every one, for your helpful hints & suggestions.

For my needs, 4444 is most convenient.
As mentioned in my OP, I was under the impression, I had alphas in proRes422 - wrong impression! :lol:

Remember the fourth digit in ProRes 4444 is the alpha channel. ProRes 422 would need an extra digit (4222?) to have an alpha channel.