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Split a video's transparency into two files and rebuild it with FFmpeg
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What this guide covers
For editors and pipeline builders whose storage or review step cannot carry transparency. They end up with a plain colour video plus a grayscale matte video, and a way to rebuild one clip with alpha. Based on the FFmpeg manual and source; no command was run.
More about this guide
Guide ID: art_01M6WD97MR52DWDFFK27R5QRV6
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Guide title
Split a video's transparency into two files and rebuild it with FFmpeg
Coverage
For editors and pipeline builders whose storage or review step cannot carry transparency. They end up with a plain colour video plus a grayscale matte video, and a way to rebuild one clip with alpha. Based on the FFmpeg manual and source; no command was run.
Example
Hypothetical and not run: a lower-third graphic with alpha is split into two ordinary files, passed through a pipeline without alpha support, and rebuilt, then compared over a coloured background.
Useful starting points
- The colour video and the matte must have identical width and height, or the merge stops with a size-mismatch error.
- Store the matte losslessly and in full range; a limited-range matte makes FFmpeg warn that the output will be wrong.
- Confirm the rebuilt file really has an alpha pixel format before trusting it, and check a frame over a solid colour.
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