What is the best way in Avid to use lower 3rds (Titles) created in photoshop? 

I have a video project with pre-created lower 3rds made in Photoshop.  I want to use them in Avid in excellent resolution and the intended transparency.  Using Import, with all sorts of different setting combinations, and Avid Pan & Zoom is not working for me.  The stills look terrible no matter what I try and I can only get the transparency to work with image Import settings such as inverting Alpha.  I've been working on this for a couple hours now.

This should be a simple matter, but seems not to be with Avid.   

Please Help.

Hi,

What are the details of the Photoshop files (file type, H x W, color space) and what kind of project are you trying to import into (NTSC?  PAL?  SD?  HD?)?  And it is Import you want, not Pan & Zoom.

good luck,
Carl

 OK, when you import lower 3rds your options should be: Aspect ratio = 601, Color Levels = RGB, Field File Order = non-interlaced, and USUALLY alpha is set to inverted. If the alpha does not come through properly, try again and choose "use existing". Now here's the rub about pan and zoom. It does NOT work with imported images converted into Avid media files. Rather, it points to a high resolution file on your desktop. I'm not in front of my Avid right now to try this out, but I don't think pan and zoom when pointing to a photoshop file will see the alpha channel. I could be wrong about that. But if P & Z w/alpha does work, keep in mind that those photoshop files MUST remain on the platform for the life of the project, even after effects are rendered. Furthermore, if the project is moved to a different platform, those files must be moved as well and a path defined for them on the target platform.

For transparency and better edges save a a .png file.

For quality make the file at exactly the right pixel dimenson for your project type.

Newer Photoshop versions have most standard video sizes as blank templates. (available when opening a new graphic.)

 And if you do choose the import into Avid route, you can promote the created effects clip to 3D (if Xpress Studio has that option) which will give you many more parameter options for movement.

 Check your media creation tool for imports. Is it set to the resolution you want, which I would assume would be 1:1, the highest? That's were the resolution of the imported clip is determined.

 OK, when you import lower 3rds your options should be: Aspect ratio = 601, Color Levels = RGB, Field File Order = non-interlaced, and USUALLY alpha is set to inverted.

Yeah I figured this out earlier today.  This does allow the Transparency to work.

Now here's the rub about pan and zoom. It does NOT work with imported images converted into Avid media files. Rather, it points to a high resolution file on your desktop.

Pan & Zoom does not work with Alpha channels.

 For transparency and better edges save a a .png file.

yeah did this.  I used to do this in FCP, but in Avid it looks terrible.

hamstertamer:

it looks terrible

Hi,

As Larry mentioned, it could be a resolution problem.  What resolution is your project in Avid?  What resolution are you importing the lower thirds as?

good luck,
Carl

Check your media creation tool for imports. Is it set to the resolution you want, which I would assume would be 1:1, the highest? That's were the resolution of the imported clip is determined.

My options are DV 25 411 OMF, DV 50 OMF, or 15:1s OMF.

DV 25 is full resolution?

DV 50 is for HD?

15:1 is low resolution?

 I keep forgetting this is Xpress Studio, not XPRO. Of those choices, DV 50 would be the highest resolution available to you on that platform. But it is by no means the highest resolution Avid offers. You might want to look into the upgrade options being offered by Avid at this particular time. However, even at DV 25, you should get acceptable video quality on import as long as your Photoshop composition is sized appropriately. We do it all the time, because in a tapeless file exchange environment, everything must be converted to DV 25.

 as long as your Photoshop composition is sized appropriately.

So 720 x 480 is correct then for NTSC DV project on Avid?

 Yes, that is the correct frame size for NTSC standard definition DV. So if I understand you correctly, the photoshop composition is clear and acceptable in quality when displayed in photoshop or some other picture viewer, but is unacceptable after import. Can you post some screen shots, if this is the case? Perhaps that will give us some clues.

After exporting a quicktime reference movie I could see the true resolution of the lower 3rd.  I am working without a moniter right now, and the best I can get is 1/4 frame real-time effects playback.  For some reason the text of the lower 3rds appears  more terrible looking than they really were.  In the Ref movie they looked fine. 

Is there a way to preview a sequence at full resolution without creating a movie file or hooking up a moniter?