Solidify Add-on for PS

Hello all you clothing makers out there...

I'm having a problem and I don't know if it's just me or what...but I've been using the Flaming Pear add-on, Solidify to remove the annoying white halo around my clothing. (Thank you to Robin Sojourner-Wood for this tip btw. ) Anyway, it's worked out really well and I haven't had any problems so far....that is, until the new update.

I hadn't been working on anything until just the last two days. I go through the whole bit, doing the solidify as the last step before saving as 32-b targa...upload to preview box.

Now usually, it will show the piece of clothing in the preview box with the alpha'd sections around it...now it's uploading the solidify colors as well.

Did LL do something wrong? Or am I? LOL, I've been doing this since February or so with no problems. Help!

Elle74

I uploaded 3 alpha textures today with no problems, so I'd assume the problem's on your end. Are you certain you saved as 32-bit and not 24-bit, and that you made your alpha channel prior to applying the Solidify filter?

Also, just so I can say I said it, if you're using Photoshop 7.0, upgrade to at least 7.0.1 immediately. You can get 7.0.1 update free on adobe.com. From your post, I'd guess you're not using 7.0, but to be thorough, I figured it was worth at least mentioning. TGA's generated in 7.0 are quite unique, and SL's ability to read them could chage at any time. TGA's from all other versions are universal.

Hi Chosen,

Thanks for replying as I'm tearing my hair out here, lol.

No, I use CS2 and yes, I am *definitely* saving it as a 32-bit tga. And yes, I make an alpha first before I save anything.

*cries*

Hmm. That's odd then.

Off the top of my head, the next most common cause for alpha data not saving is having more than one alpha channel present. Other than that, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Sorry you're having so much trouble.

Out of curiosity, what happens when you try to upload an alpha texture without using Solidify?

Hmm..yes I also only have one alpha channel only.

It's fine...but I use drop shadow a lot for around the necklines and such and sometimes that will make it so there is a white halo...and I also do some lace and solidify really is awesome for those.

*sighs*

Anyone else have this happen to them lately?

So if I'm reading you right, when you make an alpha texture without applying Solidify, you can upload it, and it works just fine (not counting the halo), but anything you use Soidify on loses its transparency data? That's really odd. There shouldn't be any way a filter applied to a layer can affect the alpha channel in any way.

Did you ever at any time install any alpha channel automation tools? Most of those automation utilities just replace your properly functioning TGA saver with the one from PS7, and from the sound of it, that's exactly how your Photoshop is behaving. It sounds like it's taking visual layer data to assign transparency values instead of using the alpha channel.

Actually I did...a long time ago...and it did what it's doing now.

And all it did was add two .TGA extensions to my SAVE AS list. The old one is the lower of the two and since finding out that the download didn't work, always conciously pick the lower one.

Hmm...maybe it's changed positions...let me do an upload using the upper .tga extension and I'll let u know if that fixed it.

Thanks again Chosen.

Chosen...I tried the other .tga extension and it works now.

Would u know how to remove the other one that doesn't work?

And to figure out which one it is that is the wrong one in the Adobe folder?

Anyone? Not just asking Chosen here.

Thanks again!!! You've been a lifesaver...

Glad to hear it's working. Sounds like maybe since as you say you hadn't been working on anything in a while, maybe you incorrectly remembered the order they appear in you file format list on the save dialog. I've done stuff like that before, where I swear I remember something having been in a certain order, and it's just not that way. I bame it on all those times I was kidnapped by aliens. They like to mess with your memory (which of course is how I know I was kidnapped by aliens in the first place. You see, when they kidnap you, they erase your memory of having been kidnapped, and since I don't remember ever having been kidnapped by aliens... well, you get the logic.)

In any case, to remove the offending file, make sure PS is not running, go to your Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS2\Plug-Ins\File Formats\ folder and look for a file called Targa.8BI. I'm guessing you probably have two of those. To see which one is right, compare the date modified with the other files in the folder. Any files that were included with your original PS installation should all have the same mod date.

If you want to make absolutely certain, just move one of the Targa.8BI files to a different folder, start PS, do a test save, and see if the file reads properly in SL. If it does, you're all set. If it doesn't, switch the two files, and it should.

If all else fails, simply uninstall and reinstall Photoshop.

Those damn aliens, I told them to stop coming by already, my brain's scrambled enough as it is. >

Thanks for the instructions. i'll work on it as soon as I can manage to tear myself away from PS. I've been on a "making" kick these last few days.

Have a great day!