Second Life Forums Archive - No Alpha layer option when saving?

Niah Larsson

LMC Content Creator

Join date: 8 Mar 2008

Posts: 27

02-20-2009 01:30

I sell PSD templates for clothes creations and there never has been a real issue I wasnt able to solve by myself, but this time it's really strange.

The person purchased several different files and has numerous issues which I can't explain..

The issues are not on all files and vary, I will try to list them to see if any of you have an idea what the problem could be.

* some files blow up her PS when she tries to open them
* on some files she cannot save a selection as alpha channel, she gets a full red or clear screen instead.
* some files do not give her the option of checking the "Alpha layer" box when she tries to save as targa file

I did the usual troubleshoot, make sure theres only 1 alpha channel, that the selection is correct, etc. nothing helped.

I walked her through the process and from what I can say she took the right steps. All files work fine with me and noone else had any of those issues she is experiencing.

I am truely clueless and would appreciate any help !!

Thank you so much,
Niah

_____________________

Lilleth Mills Couture

Dekka Raymaker

thinking very hard

Join date: 4 Feb 2007

Posts: 3,898

02-20-2009 03:18

you say you don't have the same problems, but did you try the files in the exact same way she would have received them or did you use your master files, just something to check!

Did you see this, anything to do with the problem?

/109/2c/308130/1.html

Viktoria Dovgal

…

Join date: 29 Jul 2007

Posts: 3,593

02-20-2009 05:11

It sounds like that that customer is running into some different problem. The PS bug in that other thread will give you a TGA that looks terrible inside PS, but if it's saved back out in TGA format with alpha enabled it should be OK. The convert step, or alternatively copying the separate alpha over to a layer mask, is only needed to work around a different Photoshop inconsistency (it composites layer transparency and masks to create an alpha channel when exporting to PNG, but ignores that and instead relies on the presence of a separate channel when exporting to TGA). Those quirks can be unsettling to anyone who doesn't expect them and annoying to work around, but they shouldn't be crashers.

For crashers, a borked PS installation, borked plugins, PSD version mismatch, downloads that got corrupted are some of the possibilities there.

Niah Larsson

LMC Content Creator

Join date: 8 Mar 2008

Posts: 27

02-20-2009 05:33

Thanks,

it turned out it was an issue with her version of PS 7 .. she couldnt save Alpha channels on her own files either.

Still if anyone knows why .. do post

the other thread was mine too but was a different issue I had which I worked around.

_____________________

Lilleth Mills Couture

Viktoria Dovgal

…

Join date: 29 Jul 2007

Posts: 3,593

02-20-2009 06:17

PS7? Then probably:
http://nicolaescher.com/journal/article/20/photoshop-7-tga-plug-in-alpha-channel-bug

Rolig Loon

Not as dumb as I look

Join date: 22 Mar 2007

Posts: 2,482

02-20-2009 06:34

PS 7? Did she install the infamous plug-in? I quote from the Alpha and Transparency sticky at the top of this forum.....

From: someone

6. Once installed, that 7.0 plugin effectively destroys your ability ever again to work properly with real alpha channels should you ever choose to do so. Even if you remove it, PS won't behave entirely properly afterwards. The only recourse is to completely uninstall PS and then reinstall it all over again. What a pain.

7. Files containing embedded alphas are prone to sudden, irreversible data corruption. I have no idea why, but they often end up with colored lines spontaneously appearing across any white space in the image. Once that happens, the file is toast. You can manually erase the lines, but as soon as you close the file and reopen it, they come back.

In short, embedded alpha automation is bad news. Don’t use it. Read this guide, and learn to make proper alpha channels yourself.

Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

02-20-2009 09:43

If she's using PS 7.0, then that's the problem right there. That version cannot deal with alpha channels properly. Tell her to download and install the free 7.0.1 patch from adobe.com. It should solve the problem.

BTW, there's no such thing as an "alpha layer". It's alpha CHANNEL. Please don't mix up terminology. This sort of thing makes it extremely difficult for newbies to learn. Thanks.

_____________________

.

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Nieve Thor

Registered User

Join date: 11 May 2008

Posts: 41

03-02-2009 23:10

From: Chosen Few

If she's using PS 7.0, then that's the problem right there. That version cannot deal with alpha channels properly. Tell her to download and install the free 7.0.1 patch from adobe.com. It should solve the problem.

BTW, there's no such thing as an "alpha layer". It's alpha CHANNEL. Please don't mix up terminology. This sort of thing makes it extremely difficult for newbies to learn. Thanks.

sorry to crash in this thread. this problem does sound like my problem too. Is Photoshop CS4 = Photoshop 7.0? I'm a bit clueless when it comes to photoshop version. If it does I might try this option too.

_____________________

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Chosen Few

Alpha Channel Slave

Join date: 16 Jan 2004

Posts: 7,496

03-02-2009 23:30

No, Photoshop CS4 is Photshop CS4, not Photoshop 7.0. Technically CS4 is version 11, but Adobe hasn't used those kinds of numbers in their naming conventions since the first Creative Suite came out five years ago.

Almost all Adobe programs are now named for the Creative Suite version they come with, not the individual program version. The suites are the featured products. The company expects people will be using more than just one program at a time, and more often then not, they're right.

In any case, so you know, Photoshop 7.0 came out way back in 2002. It's now 7 years and 7 versions out of date.

Alpha channels in Photoshop CS4 work exactly the same way as they do in all other versions of Photoshop, except for 7.0.

_____________________

.

Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.

No Alpha layer option when saving?
Niah Larsson LMC Content Creator Join date: 8 Mar 2008 Posts: 27	02-20-2009 01:30 I sell PSD templates for clothes creations and there never has been a real issue I wasnt able to solve by myself, but this time it's really strange. The person purchased several different files and has numerous issues which I can't explain.. The issues are not on all files and vary, I will try to list them to see if any of you have an idea what the problem could be. * some files blow up her PS when she tries to open them * on some files she cannot save a selection as alpha channel, she gets a full red or clear screen instead. * some files do not give her the option of checking the "Alpha layer" box when she tries to save as targa file I did the usual troubleshoot, make sure theres only 1 alpha channel, that the selection is correct, etc. nothing helped. I walked her through the process and from what I can say she took the right steps. All files work fine with me and noone else had any of those issues she is experiencing. I am truely clueless and would appreciate any help !! Thank you so much, Niah _____________________ Lilleth Mills Couture
Dekka Raymaker thinking very hard Join date: 4 Feb 2007 Posts: 3,898	02-20-2009 03:18 you say you don't have the same problems, but did you try the files in the exact same way she would have received them or did you use your master files, just something to check! Did you see this, anything to do with the problem? /109/2c/308130/1.html
Viktoria Dovgal … Join date: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 3,593	02-20-2009 05:11 It sounds like that that customer is running into some different problem. The PS bug in that other thread will give you a TGA that looks terrible inside PS, but if it's saved back out in TGA format with alpha enabled it should be OK. The convert step, or alternatively copying the separate alpha over to a layer mask, is only needed to work around a different Photoshop inconsistency (it composites layer transparency and masks to create an alpha channel when exporting to PNG, but ignores that and instead relies on the presence of a separate channel when exporting to TGA). Those quirks can be unsettling to anyone who doesn't expect them and annoying to work around, but they shouldn't be crashers. For crashers, a borked PS installation, borked plugins, PSD version mismatch, downloads that got corrupted are some of the possibilities there.
Niah Larsson LMC Content Creator Join date: 8 Mar 2008 Posts: 27	02-20-2009 05:33 Thanks, it turned out it was an issue with her version of PS 7 .. she couldnt save Alpha channels on her own files either. Still if anyone knows why .. do post the other thread was mine too but was a different issue I had which I worked around. _____________________ Lilleth Mills Couture
Viktoria Dovgal … Join date: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 3,593	02-20-2009 06:17 PS7? Then probably: http://nicolaescher.com/journal/article/20/photoshop-7-tga-plug-in-alpha-channel-bug
Rolig Loon Not as dumb as I look Join date: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2,482	02-20-2009 06:34 PS 7? Did she install the infamous plug-in? I quote from the Alpha and Transparency sticky at the top of this forum..... From: someone 6. Once installed, that 7.0 plugin effectively destroys your ability ever again to work properly with real alpha channels should you ever choose to do so. Even if you remove it, PS won't behave entirely properly afterwards. The only recourse is to completely uninstall PS and then reinstall it all over again. What a pain. 7. Files containing embedded alphas are prone to sudden, irreversible data corruption. I have no idea why, but they often end up with colored lines spontaneously appearing across any white space in the image. Once that happens, the file is toast. You can manually erase the lines, but as soon as you close the file and reopen it, they come back. In short, embedded alpha automation is bad news. Don’t use it. Read this guide, and learn to make proper alpha channels yourself.
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	02-20-2009 09:43 If she's using PS 7.0, then that's the problem right there. That version cannot deal with alpha channels properly. Tell her to download and install the free 7.0.1 patch from adobe.com. It should solve the problem. BTW, there's no such thing as an "alpha layer". It's alpha CHANNEL. Please don't mix up terminology. This sort of thing makes it extremely difficult for newbies to learn. Thanks. _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
Nieve Thor Registered User Join date: 11 May 2008 Posts: 41	03-02-2009 23:10 From: Chosen Few If she's using PS 7.0, then that's the problem right there. That version cannot deal with alpha channels properly. Tell her to download and install the free 7.0.1 patch from adobe.com. It should solve the problem. BTW, there's no such thing as an "alpha layer". It's alpha CHANNEL. Please don't mix up terminology. This sort of thing makes it extremely difficult for newbies to learn. Thanks. sorry to crash in this thread. this problem does sound like my problem too. Is Photoshop CS4 = Photoshop 7.0? I'm a bit clueless when it comes to photoshop version. If it does I might try this option too. _____________________ CHANTEQ: It's not just an ordinary pretty word SLX : http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=214410 In-World : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Liberty%20Shores/200/74/22
Chosen Few Alpha Channel Slave Join date: 16 Jan 2004 Posts: 7,496	03-02-2009 23:30 No, Photoshop CS4 is Photshop CS4, not Photoshop 7.0. Technically CS4 is version 11, but Adobe hasn't used those kinds of numbers in their naming conventions since the first Creative Suite came out five years ago. Almost all Adobe programs are now named for the Creative Suite version they come with, not the individual program version. The suites are the featured products. The company expects people will be using more than just one program at a time, and more often then not, they're right. In any case, so you know, Photoshop 7.0 came out way back in 2002. It's now 7 years and 7 versions out of date. Alpha channels in Photoshop CS4 work exactly the same way as they do in all other versions of Photoshop, except for 7.0. _____________________ . Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.

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No Alpha layer option when saving?