Alpha Transparency in MOV
Hello TechSmith Community!
With the release of Camtasia 9, Quicktime was removed from the product due to Apple’s decision to end support of Quicktime for Windows and the related security vulnerabilities with the last version of Quicktime for Windows. As a result, Camtasia 9 is unable to decode alpha transparency in MOV files. TechSmith understands the importance of this functionality and has investigated ways to bring back alpha transparency support in Camtasia 9 without the need for Quicktime. We believe we have discovered a viable solution and we are testing it to ensure stability and reliability. We will provide updates to the community once a solution is available. Thank you for your patience.
- Team TechSmith
With the release of Camtasia 9, Quicktime was removed from the product due to Apple’s decision to end support of Quicktime for Windows and the related security vulnerabilities with the last version of Quicktime for Windows. As a result, Camtasia 9 is unable to decode alpha transparency in MOV files. TechSmith understands the importance of this functionality and has investigated ways to bring back alpha transparency support in Camtasia 9 without the need for Quicktime. We believe we have discovered a viable solution and we are testing it to ensure stability and reliability. We will provide updates to the community once a solution is available. Thank you for your patience.
- Team TechSmith
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This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Why did you remove support for .mov files in Camtasia 9? - That was a bad idea.
Look don't get me wrong, I am your biggest fan AND your biggest nemesis. I will also be aggressive / passive. :-) I have always had a love / hate relationship with Camtasia. I still have nightmares from the constant crashes. I know there are others out here in Camtasia-land that share my sentiment. Seriously, I am very excited to use version 9 - but now all my .mov files are no longer recognized. I understand you removed support because Apple is no longer providing updates to Quicktime, but now all my un-finished projects that used .mov files do not work. I wanted to take advantage of the cool new features. I have to go back to boring, crashy version 8 and finish those projects up. Renaming .mov to .mp4 does not always work - as I use Adobe After Effects for animations and compositing with their Animation codec that supports Alpha Transparency with .mov files. Now I need to re-render all my AE stuff using AVI (supports Alpha) - BUT it creates files almost 8 times the original size of a .mov file. <sigh> - look I am a community moderator for Qlik and their Community video guy - I love posts like these in my Community as I share them with the developers to help improve the user experience. Please share this with your R&D team. Also if I am wrong, tell me please and provide any suggestions that will allow me to easily use .mov files in Camtasia 9. Now I'll stop complaining - thanks for the hard work and long awaited 64-bit version. Regards, Mike0 -
Hello please also plan to bring back the mp3 feature while producing videos.
Thanks0 -
Off-topic comment.
Please reference the new conversation here: Hello please also plan to bring back the mp3 feature while producing videos.0 -
If you want help testing anything, I was in the beta program and happy to help.
Following this post!
Thanks,
- Lon Naylor0 -
Fantastic! We have so many overlays that we are using in Camtasia 8.x still, look forward to moving most post-production of short help videos to Camtasia 9. 0 -
urgghhh why oh why is this not integrated yet it fucks me up 0 -
I'm rather surprised that Techsmith hasn't updated this thread?
Alpha channel support for MOV files that are made with the PNG encoding now work in the latest Camtasia 9 update (9.0.4) released April 18th, 2017.
Unfortunately, to really make a dent in the issue, we also need support for at least the Animation codec since it is also heavily used...
Thanks0 -
Same here with Lon. I used often with Camtasia 8 - MOV files with Animation+ codec.
Always wonder its not available in the new version.
Hope it will be updated soon.
Best,1 -
Hi there;
The primary drive behind the lack of support with the MOV file format in Camtasia 9 has to do with Apple deprecating support for the Quicktime on Windows which has lead to some pretty hefty security concerns. As such we removed support until we could come up with a solution and as Camtasia continues to evolve, further support for the format may (or may not) be implemented. What I can say though, is that there are no plans to add in support for the older animation in the immediate future.
That said, is there a particular reason you are using the older legacy Animation codec, rather than the newer PNG codec for the MOV container?
-Robert0 -
Hi Robert - thanks for your additional comment. I just tried with the latest version of Camtasia and the PNG codec and it worked well. That is great to use when creating new assets, however, I know that many royalty-free footage / sites like pond5 and videoblocks - create videos (.mov) Alpha Transparency that use the Animation codec, so depending on the footage you need - one may not be able to use it. Thanks for the update. 1 -
Thanks Robert,
Yes...LOTS of existing assets use the Animation codec. I think we all understand at this point why Techsmith removed the QuickTime support.
There are a few other codecs used for alpha channel but PNG & Animation would go a LONG way.
Thanks again.
- Lon Naylor1 -
The QuickTime Codecs are not a security risk to Windows Computers and NEVER WERE!
The QuickTime Player is the security risk that got everyone's tongues wagging. So Uninstalling it makes sense.
TechSmith dropped support for QuickTime codecs in Camtasia 9. They shouldn't have done that.
You can still install the QuickTime codecs with COMPLETE SAFETY. Then, you can still edit mov's with transparency in Camtasia 8.
Here's a great explanation of how why it's safe to do.
And how to install them properly.
Regards,Joe0 -
I guess it's debatable whether it's just QuickTime Player that is a security risk. The codecs are still available from Apple but are clearly labeled as unsupported: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL837?locale=en_US From a developer perspective, this
wasn't much of a surprise; updates had been stagnant since 2009 and a 64-bit version never came to pass.
Without QuickTime, we were able to add support for the PNG codec back in, since the frames are encoded in a well-known format. Others codecs are proprietary to Apple. There is a third-party licensing option for the ProRes codec https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT200321 We weren't able to complete that licensing process in time for 9.0.4 or 9.0.5 but hope to have that completed soon. That will clear the way for the necessary development and QA work. We don't expect that to be a large effort, but can't comment at this time on when that will be available in Camtasia.
-Kevin0 -
So Kevin,
Ive never downloaded and installed security updates for my codecs before. Have you?
How often do codecs morph into something malicious?
Should I be concerned that h264 or some other codec has become compromised and placed my computer in jeopardy? How do I know if the latest security updates have been installed for all of my "Codecs"?
Have you read any Horror Stories related to people whose codecs breached the security on Windows machines?
The following programs currently support QuickTime. I'm sure there are more. These are the ones I'm aware of.
Premiere Pro, After Effects,Sony Vegas Pro,HitFilm Pro, Davinci Resolve.
I know I'm not the brightest bulb in the package.
However, if you download the QuickTime installer from Apple, then it shouldn't carry a virus.
The QuickTime player, Web plug-in,Pitcher Viewer and QuickTime for Java.I believe, all connect to the internet.SO without security updates, all those "Programs" can be exploited and put your computer at risk.
Selecting the "QuickTime Essentials" installs just the codecs.
What nefarious things are going to happen when you install just the QuickTime codecs?
Can a codec actually steal information from your computer?
Can it connect itself to the internet and share that information?
Can a codec erase your hard drive?
Could a codec crash your operation system?
Could a codec shut down your cooling fans and lay a CPU and related components to waste by overheating them?
Could it make the volume of your speakers reverberate wildly without warning?
So seriously. There's a reason these other software manufactures still support QuickTime. Their customers still use it and need it.
Regards,Joe1 -
I totally agree with Joe Morgan above...
A codec exploit isn't available for mov with alpha channel.
If Its exist - what are the implication of it -- common?
Its so ackward that I need to use Camtasia 8 for the mov alpha channel.
I would like to have happy customers compare to 0.0000005% that the codec will have weakness for security reasons.
Please bring the Mov with alpha channel back....
And also consider adding HTML5 - H264 supporting transparent as well.
Best,
Tom1 -
Any updates with Camtasia 9 and supporting MOV with alpha?
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I tried the PNG seqeunce option after export it from After Effect but the Software crash...
In version 8 its working like a charm.
Looking forward to work with the amazing Camtasia 9 supporting MOV with alpha....
Please update,
Tom0 -
Mov Format Problem - Solution
Hello
If you can't solve your problem, I still leave a solution for you here. I hope it helps.
Note: It is the definitive alternative solution that works for all camtasia versions.0
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