Importing and Exporting Keyer Setups

The Keyer setups you create in combustion are compatible with the Keyer setups in the following Discreet systems: effect option 3, flint®, flame®, inferno®, smoke®, and fire®.

After you key a clip, you can export a Keyer setup for the footage and import the setup into the other software. You can also import the setup into another combustion workspace (for example, to key the same footage in another workspace).

Exported setups are saved as ASCII files with a .key file extension. To use a Keyer setup on a Discreet SGI-based system, transfer the setup file over the network (using an FTP utility, for example), and copy it to the appropriate directory. In the UNIX hierarchy, the Keyer setup files are usually saved in the directory named "key" in the project folder.

Note: In the UNIX operating system, you must have the correct permissions to be able to move, copy, or otherwise alter a file. You may need to change read, write, and execute privileges, or to change ownership on the setup before transferring it.

You can import Keyer setups from other combustion workspaces, or from other Discreet systems.

To export a Keyer setup:

1. Pull the key as described in this chapter.
2. In the Setup controls, click Export.

The Export Keyer Setup dialog appears.

3. Specify a location and name for the Keyer setup file, and click Save.

Warning: The UNIX operating system does not support spaces in filenames, and may refuse to recognize characters such as the asterisk (*), which is a meta-character in UNIX. For that reason, use only alpha-numeric (letters, numbers, and underscoring instead of spacing) characters in files destined for a UNIX system.

To import a Keyer setup:

1. Apply a Keyer operator to a clip.
2. In the Setup controls, click Import.

The Import Keyer Setup dialog appears.

3. Locate the Keyer setup file you want to import, and click Open.

The clip is keyed using the Keyer parameters in the imported setup file.