If you've ever dipped your toes in making videos with alpha channels for transparency, you know it can get hairy.

Good news: With Rotato, it's as simple as any other video. Let's do it.

But first, make sure you check out our complete guide to transparency in videos, including how to use them on the web (which is a little tricky, but unlike what some people think, not at all impossible)

How to do it

1. Click the checkered background color in the Looks side bar
2. Click the Render Movie button and choose a destination
3. Click Render

That's it. You just made transparency happen!

Double checking your work

It always makes sense to to be sure. But, if you open the video in Quicktime or most other players, the transparency will look like a black background - even if it does indeed have an alpha channel.

Here's a quick way to check:

1. Find your video file in Finder and select it
2. Press the Space bar to open the video in QuickLook
3. If you can see the background blurred in your video, that means it is a video with an alpha channel and the background will be transparent. Here's what it looks like:

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Choosing a codec

You may have noticed that there were a couple of options when you were getting ready to render your movie. Let's take a look at what they mean. For a deeper look at codecs, check our guide here.

• HEVC with alpha is when you don't need to edit your video after rendering
• ProRes is when do need to edit your, e.g. in Final Cut Pro

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What about GIF?

As you may know, GIFs are going away. They're too big, the quality is way behind. So is there a way you can make GIFs with transparency with Rotato? 

Sure. Here's how:

1. Export your video like described above
2. Get your hands on the free GIF maker Gifski
3. Open your video in Gifski and create your GIF.

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