Video Overlay

[jmarkt]

I'm attempting to save a animation project to use in a movie as a video overlay. It was created using a chroma key color as background, and is only 120 frames. When saving, I selected EXPORT AS VIDEO OVERLAY. At that point, I have no codec options other than default in Cool 3DPS to "save as". When the "finished project is opened with GSpot (to get DV file info), it says is is uncompressedRGB32. The saved project will not open in Canopus to do any necessary conversion.

I want to utilize PICVideoMJPEG codec so it will open in Pinnacle; Virtual Dub will open it, but the chroma key green does not appear - only a black background as the animation plays, precluding my using it as a video overlay.

Anyone have any ideas how to correctly save or convert an animation project from Cool 3DPS as a DV Type II with codec PICVideoMJPEG??

[htchien]

To have overlay video you must save the video in 32bit RGB data type. If the video is saved in 32bit RGB data type, the video background will become transparent and the video will be an overlay video.

To save your overlay video in some specific codec, you will need to use File->Create Video File->Options and select AVI->Compression to select the codec you wish to use, then check if the codec supports 32bit color data type. If the codec supports 32bit color data type, then you can export overlay videos with the codec in COOL 3D/COOL 3D Production Studio.

For video editors that can support to edit overlay videos, you can check Ulead VideoStudio or Ulead MediaStudio Pro.

Hope this helps.

H.T.

[jmarkt]

H.T. - I did follow the process you outlined; however, 32 bit was not an option when selecting PICVideo MJPEG as the codec to use. The only codec that reflected 32 bit as an option was Techsmith Screen Capture, which is support for the program SnagIt, and my video editor doesn't recognize it.

I was able to use the PICVideo MJPEG codec with Macromedia to create an overlay AVI using the same animation, and the chroma-key worked well in my video editor. During the creating process, I couldn't tell if it was 32 bit or not, but it did work well.

I would rather use Cool3DPS to create this animation, as it has some other features I want to apply; however, I can't figure out how to create it as a video overlay with the chroma-key background?????

[OinkyPig]

To have overlay video you must save the video in 32bit RGB data type. If the video is saved in 32bit RGB data type, the video background will become transparent and the video will be an overlay video. If your video editor cannot support 32bit data type transparent background video (which means it does not support to edit overlay video), then the background will become black color only.

To save your overlay video in some specific codec, you will need to use File->Create Video File->Options and select AVI->Compression to select the codec you wish to use, then check if the codec supports 32bit color data type. If the codec supports 32bit color data type, then you can export overlay videos with the codec in COOL 3D/COOL 3D Production Studio.

For video editors that can support to edit overlay videos, you can check Ulead VideoStudio or Ulead MediaStudio Pro.

Hope this helps.

H.T.

Hi HTChien and jmart,
To be honest, I did my animation project's output using 32 bit RGB type.
I didn't know that that the background was supposed to be 'transparent'.
It turned out black background, which in my video editor (sorry, it's not a ULEAD product) I chromakeyed 'black' to make the video overlay 'transparent'.

That's an interesting input which I would try, don't really know if my video editor supports 32 bit RGB data, but I do know my 100 frame animation output in 32 bit RGB takes about 200 MB.

[jmarkt]

OinkyPig - I tried that, as my video editor also will normally chroma-key any color, in this case, black. However, it didn't work with my project.

Did you save it from EXPORT VIDEO OVERLAY or CREATE VIDEO? And, did you select NO COMPRESSION?

Thanks,

[OinkyPig]

OinkyPig - I tried that, as my video editor also will normally chroma-key any color, in this case, black. However, it didn't work with my project.

Did you save it from EXPORT VIDEO OVERLAY or CREATE VIDEO? And, did you select NO COMPRESSION?

Thanks,

I "create video", created AVI file 32 bit uncompressed.
That did the trick.

AVI 32 bit RGB uncompressed format takes up 200 MB for something 10 secs... and a very long time.
If my editor is unable to just cannot it, then I would rather do it on a 16/24 bit level, takes less time and space.

[htchien]

I was heart that Adobe Premiere and Canopus softwares can support 32bit RGB data type overlay video and can use the Overlay Video from COOL 3D, however I do not have them installed in my system so I cannot try it. I use Ulead MediaStudio Pro and Ulead VideoStudio and Overlay Video from COOL 3D is working properly with them.

Maybe you can go to http://www.jonesgroup.net/media to ask Jerry Jones, who is an export in video editing and DVD authoring. I think he might be able to help you on this Overlay Video/Chromakey problem in non-Ulead video editor.

Hope this helps.

H.T.

[jmarkt]

Perhaps it will help someone else, but my problem was resolved by using CREATE VIDEO, and then selecting 24 bit (not 32 bit), and using NO COMPRESSION, with a green background. My video editing program then handled the chroma-key green, and the animation worked perfectly.

Thanks to HT and Oinky for the help!

[OinkyPig]

No problem jmart,
I originally did one output file with 36 bit settings for one of my projects, it turned up a black background even though my background was green.

HTChien let me in that if we use 16 bit, the background would turn up on the output file.

So we are learning all the time....

[htchien]

Glad your problem is solved.

Have a nice day.

H.T.