Help ! CS3 images w/white backround

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out why everytime I upload a clothing image created in Photoshop CS3, the targa (32 bit ) image comes out with a white background, even though the overlay and background are not selected. This never happened when I was using PS 7. If anyone has any ideas as to why this is happening, please tell me, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Kaiya

CS3 handles alpha channels differently than 7 did (it uses them correctly where 7 actually didn't). You need to manually create the alpha channel before saving as a 32bit TGA. A simple way to do it is to duplicate your document (so you can leave all the layers intact on the original), turn off the background layer, merge the remaining visible layers, load the transparency of the merged layer as a selection, then save that selection. If you don't have any other saved selections it will automatically become the alpha channel.

Thank you for the the information on alpha channels. This was helpful.

Kaiya

I just started playing with this, and something I like to do is create a "Cutouts" layer over the other layers. Then I go through the layers, selecting the unused areas, adding each to the previous selection. Then I go to the "cutouts" layer and do Edit > Fill > Black. Then Select the inverse, and Save Selection ... if there's already an Alpha 1, I overwrite; otherwise just saving the selection as a new channel makes it the Alpha Channel.


The thing I want to know is how to do semi-transparent...

gray

Exactly. Open your alpha channel, so you can work directly on it, and fill or paint the areas that you want to be semi-transparent with gray instead of black. The lighter the gray, the more opaque an area will be. Remember, you are "painting" the alpha channel with opacity. A totally opaque alpha channel looks white, a totally transparent one looks black. So, for a lacy bodice you might want, say, a 60% gray. Read Robin Sojourner's (Wood's) recent post for an excellent overview.