Photoshop Elements 4.0.1 Question

Does anyone know how I can save .tga files with Photoshop Elements 4? I just purchased this version from a retailer and now see there's a 6.0 version but Adobe want's another chunk of dough to upgrade. Is there a way to save .tga's with this version?

Thanks

file>save as, select .tga. At least that is how it is with me elements 3.0. And then it pops up a window for details on the save, such as 23/32 bit, etc.

Thanks, but this doesn't work in 4.0.1. You can type in .tga but no option comes up and the file is actually a photoshop file. I should have added, I'm using the Mac version of Photoshop Elements. It has no option of saving a TGA file. Are there any other Photoshop Elements Mac users who can provide some perspective? Thanks!

Do you see "Targa" as a choice? It's the same thing as *.tga format, and most of my Mac applications call it Targa rather than TGA.

Photoshop Elements 4.0.1 for the Mac only offers Photoshop EPS, PDF, 2.0, RAW along with Pict File, Pict Resource, Scitex.ct and Tiff files. Targa nor .tga are show as a file it will save.
Searching Targa or .tag on the The Adobe website for Photoshop Elements 4.0.1 for the Mac i get no results returned. If you want to ask Adobe for help, you must call them and pay $29.00. Geez. Thought someone here might have an answer.

Well, from the list you just gave, the answer is "No, PS Elements 4 can't save TGA's.". Saving as jpeg will allow you to import textures that have no transparency, but for textures that need an alpha channel (transparency in any part of the texture), you'll have to upgrade or switch to a more powerful application.

PS Elements is a very limited subset of Photoshop, meant primarily for first time Tablet users and for people looking to touch up scanned photos. It isn't intended for higher-end use.

How unfortunate that a newer version offers less options then an older one. I use PSE V2.0 and the "Save As" menu offers a lot more options (16) then you listed, including Targa. I'm surprised it does not include png files, which I'm told also work for alphas.

You can get GraphicConverter shareware for the Mac and use it to create Targas. It is free to try out, just has a slow to close pop-up window when you first start it. GC is an really useful graphics tool, but unfortunatly it lacks layers. You can use PSE to work with layers then convert it into a Targa using GC.

Here is a post I wrote on using it to make targa files.

/109/32/80851/8.html#post1583807

The solution here is really simple, guys. From the list of file types you posted, Denny, it sounds to me like you're just working in the wrong color space (mode). Those are all file types that will work with CMYK. You've got none of the RGB-specific file types on your list. TGA requires RGB color space, as do BMP, PNG, and many other formats.


So you know, you should only ever use CMYK mode for images meant to be printed. CMYK sands for Cyan Magenta Yellow Black, the four colors of ink you'll find in an inkjet printer.

For images that are meant to be displayed on-screen (textures, Web page pics, GUI elements, etc.), always work in RGB mode. RGB stands for Red Green Blue, the three primary colors that make up everything you see on computer monitors and TV screens. As a 3D artist, almost everything you do is for the screen, so you'll almost never use any other mode than RGB.



To change your working document to RGB mode, do this:

1. Go Image -> Mode -> RGB.

2. I'm not sure if PSE allows you to set the bits per channel or not, but if it does, the command sequence you want would be Image -> Mode -> 8 Bits/Channel. If it doesn't have a bits/channel setting, then don't worry about it. 8 is the most common setting, and is what nearly all graphics programs will be at by default.

3. Go File -> Save as. You should now see a whole bunch of image formats available you couldn't see before, including TGA.

4. If you need help learning how to make alpha channels in PSE, see the stickied transparency guide at the top of the forum. There's a tutorial for PSE just below all the Photoshop tutorials. Also, read through the FAQ section at the top before you do anything. There's a lot of need-to-know information in there.

I've been trying out both Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements, both in trial version. I'm currently messing around with PSE v.6. My question is, how can one create an alpha channel in Elements, or is it even possible? I've also been messing around with GIMP and all I've ended up with is a shirt I wouldn't even let my dog wear. So far, the easiest for me has been Photoshop CS3, but if I can do the same thing with Elements..eg...alpha channel, etc then I'll just go for that version...

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated...


EDIT.... I've only just noticed that my questions is sure to be answered in the sticky at the top of the page.....

Yup. It's in there. Below the Photoshop tutorials, there's one for PSE. It's very non-obvious since PSE lacks a channels palette, but the program can create images with alpha channels in them.

Thanks for all the tips Chosen......they are invaluable and you've obviously gone to a lot of trouble in creating them...very much appreciated.

I've been trying out various other editing programs, but I've come to the conclusion that I'm a Photoshop fanatic at heart. It's what I'm most comfortable using. My RL brother who actually teaches Photoshop has kindly offered to do a few masterclasses with me.....

Having said all that, I'm still determined to master GIMP even if it kills me...which it probably will ......

btw....you'd think the stingy folks at Photoshop would put a bloody channels palette in PSE.....

Hi Pocket, if you can afford to buy PS CS3, get it!

It has a whole raft of things that Elements (all versions) lack, that will make your clothing creation much, much simpler and easier.

Even if you can't afford the Extended version, which lets you preview your creations in nearly real time while you draw them. (You have to Save to see it, and you can't paint directly on the model, but it's still Really Nice.)

Things like Smart Objects, Smart Filters, and some Extraction goodies that aren't in earlier versions of PS, and will probably never be in PSE. PS is just a zillion times more powerful.

Being able to see the Channels palette isn't trivial, either. It can be used for a lot more than making Alphas.

For instance, if you have the Channels palette, you can use it to extract a figure from a green screen or blue screen background.

I don't know how you'd do that, without one. But with one, it's really simple. (Let me know if anyone would like directions.)

So.. ummm.. yeah. Get the full version if you can.

Sure, either of them can be used to make clothing for SL.

You can make a cake with a Mix Master or a bowl and a wooden spoon, too.

If you only make one or two cakes a year, you probably won't care much which you use. But if you're trying to make them at a production level, it would be silly to say, "Well, they both work, so I guess I'll get the spoon. It's less expensive."

Hope this helps!

Since you mentioned it, Robin -- I would LOVE to have your directions on how to do this!

Hiya Robin.....I would really appreciate any pointers you'd be willing to give... I'd have to sing an awful lot of songs to afford CS3 but I wholeheartedly agree with you about the benefits. I'd dowloaded the trial version of CS3 thinking to myself that I'd probably never get the hang of it, but I used it every chance I got, and I really don't think that I can do without it....(alas the trial is over ) I've tried PSE, followed the tutorial on the sticky, it worked for me the first time, but now it seems to have gone bonkers on me! I get my image but with a grey background when uploading. I've tried Gimp & Gimp-shop......I just don't get them at all. I figured if I could teach myself PS then I could do the same with Gimp.....how wrong I was.

Hi Nissa!

Here's the mini-tut about using the Channels to extract semi-transparent edges shot against a blue or green screen. We're having some issues with our ISP, and I can't upload any textures to my website to put in here just now; so I'm going to try to attach them instead.

I have no idea how that will work out, but it's my only choice at the moment, I'm afraid.

But here goes;

*****************************

How to use the Channels Palette to extract a photo from a Blue or Green Screen.

The procedure is the same, whichever one you use. Use one that contrasts most strongly with the image you're photographing; most specifically with the semi-transparent part you'll be wanting to extract. You can even use a Red Screen, if the semi-transparent part is all blues and greens. Just make sure it's one of the primary colors (RGB).

Start by making your background, if you haven't already. It needs to be pure Green or Blue, that's 255 on the color picker, with zero in the other two. We're going to be using a Blue screen, so we'll set it to R=0, G=0, B=255. Turn Full Bright on, to eliminate any SL light from contaminating your pure color.

Then take your shots. (See picture ExtractChannel-01-Snap.jpg)

When you open them in PS, take a look at the Channels Palette. You'll notice that your image has a totally white background in that channel. For instance, this was shot with a blue screen. The Blue channel has the darkest hair, against pure white. Since what we want is to keep the feathering of the hair, this is the one we're going to use. (If you are seeing your channels in color, you'll need to go to Preferences > Interface, and uncheck "Show Channels in Color". They *must* be black and white, for this to work.

1. Isolate that channel by clicking on the Channel name. (ExtractChannel-02-BlueChannel.jpg)

2. Select All, and copy.

3. Click the RGB at the top of the Channels Palette, to return to Full Color.

4. Return to the Layers Palette, and tap Command/ctrl J to make a duplicate layer above the Background layer.

5. Click the "Add layer mask" button at the bottom of the Layers palette, to add a mask to the duplicate layer.

6. Hold down the Option/alt key, and click on the white thumbnail of that mask, to show it.

7. Paste. The image from the Channels palette will now be used as a mask.

8. Invert the mask (Command/ctrl I) so that the background will be masked, not the foreground.

9. Click the thumbnail, to return to the Image. You should now be looking at a full-color picture.

10. Click the eyeball icon next to the Background layer to hide it, so you can see what you've got. (ExtractChannel-03-AsMask.jpg)

11. Click the Layer Mask thumbnail to select it again.

12. Hold down Command/ctrl and tap L to get the Levels dialog. Adjust the levels to further isolate the hair. (Ignore what this might do to the face, we aren't concerned with anything that's fully opaque; just the things that are semi-transparent. Try to get them looking as much like you'd like as possible. Don't worry about overflow color; we'll fix that later. Just get the transparency right.) (There was another illo here, but it wasn't that different from the one before, and we're only allowed five, so it got the ax.)

13. Click the eyeball next to the Background layer to make it visible again.

14. Hold down Option/alt, and click on the Background layer to "float" it, and make it a true layer.

15. Hide the layer with the mask, so you can see the background in isolation.

16. Use the Magic Wand to quickly select and eliminate the blue background.

17. Then erase any semi-transparent parts, so that only things that are completely opaque are left on this layer. (This is the only part that takes any deft brush handling; you might want to do the "erasing" using a mask, if it's tricky. In this case, it wasn't.) (ExtractChannel-05-EraseBackground.jpg)

18. Make the Masked Layer visible, and you should see your feathered edges on a solid ground, just the way you need them to be. However, you might have some color over-run around the edges.

19. If you do, use the Eyedropper (I) to pick up the predominant color in the area, (dark auburn in this case,) set the Brush Mode to Color (in the Options bar for PS CSn,) lock the transparency of the layer (in the Layers palette,) and just run over the color with the brush to eliminate it.

20. Merge the Layers (Command/ctrl E) and you're done. (ExtractChannel-06-MergeLayers.jpg)

The image is now ready to drop onto any background you like, with all the semi-transparency preserved, as if it had been shot against that background to begin with. (ExtractChannel-07-NewBackgound.jpg)

Like so many other things, by the way, this takes less time to do than it does to read it through, in most cases. (Unless the stuff in step 17 is very tricky, in which case you might want to use a different extraction method to extract it, instead of just painting it out. But those are beyond the scope of this mini-tut. )

Hope this helps!

Robin

Hi Pocket!

Ummm.. pointers about what?

The PSE problem sounds to me like you now have more than one Alpha channel. The thing about Alpha Channels in SL is that they're like the Highlander. There can be only one.

Of course, you can't just look and see how many you have, in PSE, but you can see how many "Saved Selections" you have. Since each one is a channel, you'll know right away if that's the problem.

However, I can't my copy of PSE 4.0 to run, and I can't download a Mac trial version of 6.0, or any other Elements, because there isn't one. So you'll have to find the menus yourself.

But, someplace, there's a menu that lets you look at the Selections you have saved. If there's more than one of them in there, that's the problem. Delete all but the one you need. (Or all of them, and make a fresh one, if you're not sure which was the "right" one.)

If I can get PSE running again, I'll be more specific.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Robin, I'll give that a try.....

thanks for the great instructions!! can't wait to give it a try. I appreciate your time

Nissa