Help with Photoshop Please

I am trying to make an alpha channel in photoshop for a headboard for a bed. I am following tutorial, but when it says to click on the channel tab in the layers pallette, i don't have the channel tab. How do i get this to show up? I'm totally stumped.

Thanks for your help,
Trinity

From the menu bar, Windows->Channels.

This does not smack you in the face if you haven't seen it before.

added: oh and Photoshop is one of those rare programs that has help which is actually helpful (at least from version 6 and above, I don't know prior to that). Also, Photoshop Elements is a stripped down version of Photoshop, so the above may not apply.

You don't have a Channels tab in the Layers palette, because Channels are channels, and Layers are layers (and don't let Chosen see you confusing them! )

But the Channels palette is in the same section as the Layers palette by default, in full versions of Photoshop.

In Photoshop Elements, though, there isn't a Channels palette. You can still make channels, you just can't see them. If you are using Elements, you need to Save Selection instead. (You can do that in Photoshop, too.)

Please let me know which program you are working with.

And yeah, as Introvert said, if you're having problem finding something in an Adobe product, check the Help. It's very helpful.