Photoshop Question

[korimickster]

This could be in the Photoshop thread, but it is more of a special effect in FCP.

I made a nice lower third in Photoshop, but when I import it into Final Cut, the gradient fill is gone and only my vector shap (filled with white) appears.

Anybody know of a better way to save the file? Right now it is a .psd straight from Photoshop.

EDIT: I ended up filling in my transparent layer (where my subject is) with green and color keying it out. There must be a better way of doing this.

[Matt Grunau]

Dont import vectored layers into programs other than Premiere or After Effects. FCP is simply not recognizing it properly.

There's no reason to retain the vector shape, especially if it is only being used to house a gradient.

Click on your vector layer and then go to Layer>Rasterize>Shape.

Then save as a 32 bit .tga, .png, or any other file type that suports an alpha channel, and is resterized/bitmapped instead of vector.

[korimickster]

That worked great, Matt.

Thank you so much!

[Matt Grunau]

your welcome.

Remember, with Photoshop CS2, you have the option under File>Export>Video Preview to send it via firewire and your camera to your TV. With all the graphcs people use P-shop for, specifically video oriented, this is a very handy thing indeed. I have mine set up with the hot keys of Shift+Ctrl+Alt+z.

Works fantastic. an immediate preview on your TV of what the graphic will look like.

[korimickster]

That is insane... I had no idea you could do that.

Do you find yourself deinterlacing a lot of your graphics? I am wondering if it will have much impact especially on moving Photoshop images and text.

[Matt Grunau]

I never interlace my graphics. If I need a still from my NLE of choice, I export it as a .jpg or .png.

When you put a graphic from Phototshop into you NLE, if you chhose to interlace your output, it will do it for you. Thre is no real practical was I know of to interlace in Photoshop, and I can't think of why you would want to.

The Interlace filter under Video in the effects, is a deinterlacer. It isn't a true deinterlacer, as there are no frames befor or after it to form the complete frame. So using that filter effecively cuts you resolution in half.

Any text and graphics you create in Photoshop which will be moved in your NLE will do so just fine as progrssive. Make sure they are being interpreted as progressive, and there wont be a problem.

Vegas sometime has the annoying habit even when rendering as Best quality to leave interlaced artifacts in there. So, I don't use that to get frames I plan to use.

[griffin]

What about creating a blank layer underneath the layer w/ the vector shape on it and then merging down (CTRL E, I think). I know that works with text w/ a drop shadow, stroke, bevel, etc on it. But don't know whether or not I've done it w/ vector shapes for FCP.