Loss of alpha transparency if using nested adjustment layer

Hey guys,

Frustrating issue here: I use adjustment layers with effect keyframes to speed up workflow significantly, and I don't think there is any other way to save keyframe presets. Since adjustment layers can currently only affect everything underneath them, I have to put the footage I want to use FX on in a nested timeline and use an adjustment layer there. If I use Transform on an adjustment layer to make my footage smaller and move it around though- the now empty area remains black back in the master timeline that this nested timeline exists in. I have tried adding an alpha output to every clip and adjustment layer via the Color tab but I simply cannot get this to work.

If I use direct Transform FX on my clip with no use of an adjustment layer, but still in a nested timeline- the alpha channel works as expected. Sadly, manually keyframing this repeatedly for the foreseeable future is not an option. I'm ripping my hair out. If anyone has a solution I would be eternally grateful.

Have you tried "Paste Attributes"?

Have you tried "Paste Attributes"?

Interesting, I didn't know it would actually copy keyframes! So in this scenario I would put an adjustment layer with my keyframes on it into my Power Bin, drag it somewhere on the timeline, copy it, paste attributes, then delete it. A bit convoluted but it'll have to do if I want to get around this bug for now. Thanks for showing me that, I have no doubt it will come in handy in the future.

Paste Attributes will paste keyframes to all selected clips. You can choose "keep time" or "stretch time"

By saving your Adjustment Layer to a PowerBin I suppose is an interesting way of saving the animation properties off in a "container" for future use between projects on that database.

May try to copy your Adjustment Layer that is in the PowerBin and then Paste Attributes, instead of dragging it to your timeline. Worth a try.

Update: I've discovered that applying the exact same Transform FX to the adjustment layer via Fusion instead of dragging onto the clip and adjusting with inspector works. Weird bug.

It looks as though an Adjustment Layer is resolution independent. So its alpha channel would not have any definitive edges and is infinitely white. This characteristic is inherited by everything below it, so when animating position or zoom properties, you will never expose an end of frame.

Now, if your content has an alpha channel already, this is respected and beyond the bounds of your clip becomes infinitely black instead of white. - transparency is respected.

Should your contents alpha channel be 100% white (no transparency information) then this layers alpha expands to infinitely white.

You can give the Adjustment Layer an Alpha Channel by using a TrackMatte operation. However, because your Alpha Matte lives underneath the adjustment layer, adding keyframes to the Adjustment layer puts you back at the start of this loop.

A way around this, when your content has no alpha channel. Place your clip in a compound clips and zoom out 1 pixel exposing the clips bounds. Now the adjustment layer respects the compound clips alpha channel

I'm pretty sure this may be the reason Adobe Premier places the transparency layer/alpha layer of a trackmatte operation above a video layer and not below it.


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Layers don't expand to infinity, rather the logic is inverted: any sample requested outside image bounding box gets actually sampled from image itself by a set logic, which usually are clamp to edge, tile, mirror and force to specific color. Looks like Resolve uses clamp at least in some situations, which gives any out of bbox pixel the values from closest edge pixel. If that has solid alpha, anything outside will also become solid.

Layers don't expand to infinity, rather the logic is inverted: any sample requested outside image bounding box gets actually sampled from image itself by a set logic, which usually are clamp to edge, tile, mirror and force to specific color. Looks like Resolve uses clamp at least in some situations, which gives any out of bbox pixel the values from closest edge pixel. If that has solid alpha, anything outside will also become solid.

I was going to say "repeat edge" and chose infinitely. The Adjustment Layer is still not dependent on Resolution.

I don't know the deep technical words in forming my explanation just used what I could in order to explain the behavior I'm seeing with this process.

Thank you for the proper explanation.
Makes sense.


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Not sure how proper it is in Resolve context, only BMD engineers know that. Whole resolution independence concept makes my head hurt though. Sounds good on paper, helluva mess in reality.

Hey guys,

Frustrating issue here: I use adjustment layers with effect keyframes to speed up workflow significantly, and I don't think there is any other way to save keyframe presets. Since adjustment layers can currently only affect everything underneath them…

I think the idea is that you should use Fusion templates to build re-usable effects. And if you’re not into building them yourself, they’ve added template bundles to make it easier for creators to distribute pre-packaged ones, which are easier for users to install.

At least, that’s the theory. I think they might see wider adoption if they made some kind of template bundle store.