Graphics

I'm trying to grab a still(export a jpg) of a graphic on my channel 1 output.. when I export to jpg(in sequencer, rt click the item) and select single frame, it creates a jpg but it's black.. if on my output i have a photo or anything that isn't moving video it captures correctly but when I have video clip it doesn't seem to see it.. am I missing something in the settings tab? Same thing happens when I try to export to AVI, it's creates an AVI that is just black.

chris

Hi Chris

What version of Xpression are you running? Help > About > Xpression Studio 3.x Build xxxx

For capturing on the AVI output: Is the video shader on the material set to 'Auto Start' and 'Free Running'? If the shader is not set to that it will only capture black on the AVI file because the video clip is not actually playing on the output, just paused at the beginning.

For the image capture: Again check to make sure the video shader is set correctly (although I don't think that is the root of the problem). When you select 'Single Frame' in the 'Export to Images' window are you inputting a value into the 'Frame Start' column? If you do not set a value for the frame start it will only capture frame '00:00:00.00' of the scene, just black.

Garner

#XPression

Hi Chris,

Alternatively, if your video-background isn't a loop, set Auto Start to Off and, instead, drag the material on a track of the Scene Director.

I prefer this methode above Auto Start anyway, because you can skip through the Scene Director while your video-background keeps sync, allowing you to sync your character animations to the actual video. The additional advantage, however, is that this also improves the export to an image/video.

Mind you: in older releases of XPression I had problems exporting scenes with video-materials even when I used the method I described above, but in more recent releases this has been solved.

Kind regards,

Gerard

#XPression

Thanks for the response Gamer.. I'm using 3.20 build 1767. It seems I wasn't entering a start frame so by default it was capturing frame zero, which is nothing.. you'd think it should default at frame 1 or the last frame? Also, when I export this way, when i'm ready and hit export.. it never says it's finished.. i have to cancel then go to where I put the grab and see if it worked.. sometime's a file there and sometimes not.. certain projects I need stills of all the graphics I build and when I have a hundred graphics it would take forever to do it this way.. i wonder if there is a way to automate it..

Gerard.. thanks for your response.. when i set a movie file to autostart off and drag the material on a track in the scene director.. i'm able to 'scrub' through the movie file and find a point I want to grab, once I find that point how do you export? since I didn't call the graphic to an output channel via the sequencer, when I go to sequencer there is no take item to right click onto that's on my output.. can i grab a still from the design mode (f3)? Also, when dragging a scene to the avi output, i don't get a onscreen progress window.. the only way I can tell xpressions is doing something is by looking at the performance bar.. which is well over 200%

Any way to export as a quicktime movie..

thanks guys for your input..

#XPression

Hi Chris,

In the Layout (F3) scrub the scene until you find the image you want to export, than select the "View"-menuitem in the menubar of your viewport-window and select either "Export to Image" or "Export to Image (premuliplied)".

#XPression