How Do I Cut Out a Special Shape?

I hope someone can help me.... I have PS7 and when using the custom shape and not have a style fill it how do I cut it out so that it is transparent like a cut out instead of a filled shape on the piece of clothing? I Have tried and everytime is fills with the color that is in the color box and I have style turned off. Thanks

Double click *the thumbnail* of your layer in the layer palette--it's probably called 'Background' now and is locked. Double clicking the layer unlocks it and makes it a floating layer (Called Layer 0). Thereafter, deleting anything from it will result in transparency rather than a fill.

Note that if you click near the layer name rather than on the thumbnail, you'll bring up layer styles (drop shadow, etc) instead.

Another way to do it is to copy everything and paste it into a new transparent document. I got into this habit through doing a lot of image editing and a constant fear of saving over an original file

Do you understand Alpha Channels, Zazas?

If not, start with Chosen Few's most excellent guide.

OK - now that you know how to use the alpha channel, you should realise that you can (and should) leave the clothing layer(s) untouched. Don't cut out a hole, don't fill it in with a colour, just leave the fabric as is.

Then go to your alpha channel, and use your custom shape to fill in the area with black. This black shape will appear transparent when you upload to SL. (Just make sure you export your file to a 32-bit TGA)

Well Ben I really dont and I have a few medical reasons that make it hard to comprehend things that i used to do so easily. Also I have 7.0 and yes I already know I should download the patch and learn to make alphas but am unable to do either so i am stuck with the old "not good auto alpha" and probably doing PS and designing harder then it could be. I do appreciate all the help tho and if there is a way anyone can tell me in simple terms how to do something it would be great I do know that the alpha is black and even tho I have made a special character on a piece of clothing and uploaded it and it not being transparent I will keep trying and hope either I figure out a way or finally understand what I'm doing wrong or how to do it

Thanks E1 for trying to help and if there is anyone or any other ways please let me know

I dont know if I am understanding well, since I know only a bit of psp 7. If you mean like a "space" in the middle of a shirt for example? What I do I just press my little brush tool, to the left, then I go on the top where it says Mode and scroll down and select "Clear" and draw with that "Clear" brush and do what ever shape I want. Is like erasing. In all this well my layers have the background "transparent" from the beginning.

But I dont know if that is what you need.

It is very hard to understand for me too. I try to follow construction. Wish some one can help me also

since i am an avid ps7.0 user maby i can help

1 to cut out the shape in the fabric try this create your shape with the fill color over the layer you want to have the hole in.

2 right click in the shape thumbnail and chose "select layer transparency"

3 click on the layer in the layers tab you want to have the hole in so it is highlighted and the shape layer is no longer highlighted

4 in the edit menu click clear this will clear the area of the shape in the fabric

i would recommend you make a duplicate layer of the fabric layer before doing this for ease of doing it again

i hope this helps

TYTYTY!! I appreciate all the help from e1 will give it a try and see if i can do it

Just a note tho, you can't make alphas in .tga with photoshop 7.0 unless you download the update on adobe.com
Its a flaw in the program.

Oh and I know there must be some people out there using the unofficial version of photoshop 7.0. You may aswell forget it. Cause an illegal version can't be updated.