Best Way To Export Alpha Channels In Davinci Resolve 19 With SMALL FILE SIZES

Nov 21

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Best Way To Export Alpha Channels In Davinci Resolve 19 With SMALL FILE SIZES - In this video editing tutorial video, Will teaches you how to export alpha channels with small file sizes in DaVinci Resolve 19. Alpha channels have transparent background and are great for working with motion graphics and lower thirds titles.

In this video, I'm going to teach you how to export alpha channels using DaVinci Resolve. It's fairly straightforward, but there are definitely a few settings that you need to make sure you have correct in order for it to work.

Alpha channels are great when you want to superimpose things over your footage, such as a lower thirds title, an effect, or even when you're using green screen footage and want to place something over an existing layer. If you're new here, we have over 200 videography-related videos on the channel, so there's lots of content for you to learn from. If you're interested in any of the equipment or the music we use to make our videos, all links are in the description.

All right, let's jump in.

I'm in the Edit page in Resolve, and I have some footage loaded. I also have a lower thirds title that I created, and it has some animation. You'll see that it is superimposed over the background footage. Even if we bring it over here, it exists by itself and has a transparent background. That transparent background is called an alpha channel, and it's something you have to add to your motion graphic if you want it to have a transparent background and be able to be used in this way where it's superimposed over footage.

Having this type of workflow can be incredibly beneficial when you're doing more complex edits. It's what visual effects artists, motion graphics artists, or editors use constantly in their video projects. Now that you have an understanding of what an alpha channel is—essentially, a transparent background—let's head over to the Deliver page, and I'll show you an updated, newer way to get really small file sizes.

Previously, you'd have to choose ProRes, make sure you're in the QuickTime format codec, and change the type from 422 HQ to ProRes 4444. This would enable the "Export Alpha" option, which is how you get the transparent background. However, the ProRes codec creates massive file sizes. While it's much easier to work with in editing programs, we're on the newer M-series Macs, and the systems are very fast. This means we’re not limited to using proxy files or ProRes for our exports or alpha channels.

If we go to H.264, you'll see that no matter what we do, there's no option for alpha channels. This is because H.264 does not allow it. It's just an older format that doesn't allow higher bit depth or alpha channels. It's great for smaller file sizes and has been the go-to for many years for web uploads. But now, under the H.265 option, we do have "Export Alpha."

In previous versions of Resolve, H.265 was available, but the "Export Alpha" option didn’t actually work. We reported this bug to the Resolve team, and they ended up fixing it, which is really cool. Now, it is an option, and it works within the MP4 format if you ensure it’s under H.265.

Since it’s H.265, you get quality similar to ProRes but with file sizes smaller than H.264. That’s what you want if you have a fast computer—especially if you're shooting on, say, Sony cameras like we are, which actually shoot in H.265. The entire workflow of our edits can stay within H.265. We save a lot of hard drive space, experience no slowdown, and don’t need to work with proxies. We can export all our motion graphics, making it a much more efficient way to edit now that everything works within H.265, including uploading to YouTube. Previously, YouTube did not allow uploads in H.265, so that’s also a cool note.

Of course, I should say that if you have footage behind your motion graphic, even if you choose "Export Alpha," you’re going to bake in that background footage. You won’t actually get a transparent background. Make sure that in your Edit page, you’re moving the graphic off to the side or ensuring there’s no other footage. Then, make your selection so that you’re rendering the in-and-out range of only your motion graphic without any footage in the background.

From there, you can follow the normal steps: choose a file name, select a location, add it to the render queue, and you’re good to go.

That’s it for this video on exporting alpha channels in DaVinci Resolve. I hope it was helpful! If you liked it, give it a thumbs up and subscribe to see more videos from us in the future. We have over 200 videography-related videos, so there’s lots of content for you to learn from. Thanks so much, and we’ll see you next time!

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Alli and Will https://alliandwill.com

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