Welcome to the Second Life Forums Archive

These forums are CLOSED. Please visit the new forums HERE

Recently Upgraded from Photoshop7 to PhotoshopCS2 HELP!!!!

Sae Luan
Hardcore 4the Headstrong
Join date: 6 Feb 2006
Posts: 841
10-08-2006 11:10
I'm going to explain this in as much detail as I can so hopefully someone can help me figure the problem out.

Alright, I used PS 7 up until like yesterday. I never had a problem with alpha channels. What I would do was just select the edge guide as my alpha layer no matter the shape of the clothing and fill that area in white, with the rest of the space black. This would even work with partial transparencies, even though I had read that you needed to make that area gray on the alpha. I never did that and it worked beautifully. I have clothing I made with this steps that have partial transparencies that all came out right.

Now, I switched to PSCS2. When I do my alphas in that, no matter what I do, anywhere where there was not solid color on the actual clothing turns white when I upload it. I tried using a fade on the alpha to get a gray halo (in the alpha) for the glow, and it turns it from solid white around the clothing to a faded white around the clothing. This would be ok if all my partial transparencies were supposed to be white, but they are supposed to be orange. I went as far as checking to make sure I didn't make the glow white. It's definately orange.

Here's another thing that's confusing me. When I took the PSD file I made in PS CS2 (the exact same file including the same alpha) and open it in PS 7 and save that as a TGA, it works fine. Not one speck of white at all, no faded whites, and no solid white. I've checked that the TGAs are both 32 bit, non compressed. It works right in PS 7, but no PS CS2. On the PS previews, there's no white, but when I upload it to SL preview window, there are blocks of white *ONLY* where there were no solid colors...meaning anywhere where I had the orange glow is either a white block or a faded white edge depending on how I made my alpha (ie gray edge or solid white alpha). Basically, there is only no white if I make the white part of my alpha on line with my solid color. If I make it with the edge guide or using the glow path, I get either white blocks or white fades.

I hope I don't sound redundant or didn't give enough info...I'm really confused!

This is driving me crazy. Can someone please help me figure this out? Maybe there's a setting that needs to be changed in CS2 that didn't have to be for 7?
Raindrop Drinkwater
Globally Creative
Join date: 28 Jun 2006
Posts: 240
10-08-2006 11:40
Hello Sae.
Photoshop 7.0 was buggy, and the alpha channels created with this version are corrupted. I'm afraid you'll have to redo your textures. :(

For more information, read the sticky "Transparency Guide and Alpha Channels : The Definitive Guide". That will help you understand what went wrong, and will also teach you plenty of neat tricks about transparency.
Sae Luan
Hardcore 4the Headstrong
Join date: 6 Feb 2006
Posts: 841
10-08-2006 12:30
I thought I understood what you meant, but when I tried it, it also didn't work.

I thought you meant that any file created in 7, icluding PSDs, would not work properly in CS2. When I made an entirely new PSD in CS2 and did a simple yellow ball with an orange glow, it had a white ring where the glow should have been in the SL preview window. I'm going to reread that thread again, but this is driving me crazy. It's almost like my CS2 is somehow messed up or broken.
Robin Sojourner
Registered User
Join date: 16 Sep 2004
Posts: 1,080
10-08-2006 13:08
Hi Sae!

Your PS CS2 is fine. It was PS 7.0 that was "messed up or broken."

PS 7.0 used an embedded alpha channel that turned out to be incompatible with nearly everything. Adobe fixed it in a matter of weeks, but if you didn't happen to download and install the fix, you've been working with the embedded alpha which, for some reason, SL can read.

It didn't matter what you put in the Alpha channel; PS 7.0 ignored that, and made your alpha based on actual layer transparency.

Now you have real alpha channels, which gives you worlds of flexibility that you have never had before. However, I'm afraid that your old work habits aren't going to work with them.

It's extremely easy to fix, though. :D

Go to Flaming Pear, and download their Free Plugins (about 2/3 of the way to the bottom of the linked page.) Install them, following the directions they give.

Now, when you're all done, before you upload, make a composite layer that has everything in it. (Hold down Shift+Option+Command (Shift+alt+ctrl on a PC) and tap the E key.) Go to Filters > Flaming Pear and run the Solidify filter. (There are 3 of them; pick one.) That layer will become filled with color, and the Alpha channel will no longer flatten your image onto white (which is what was happening.)

Of course, you will also need to have Alpha channels that have gray where you need partial transparency. Since you're not used to that, it might take you some time to acclimate.

If you don't want to spend that time, and just want to get on with it, there's a very easy fix. I have made a bunch of actions that will make the Alpha channel, and use the Flaming Pear filter, in a single mouse click.

You can grab the one that uses the Flaming Pear plugin here, or if you prefer (for some reason) not to use it, you can get one that doesn't use the Flaming Pear plug-in here. Clicking the links starts the download, by the way, so be aware of that. :)

Hope this helps!

NOTE: For those reading this who might have downloaded these actions before, I've upgraded the Flaming Pear set, to include actions that make a copy of the file, make (or replace) the Alpha Channel, flatten the file, and run Flaming Pear Solidify B. It should have been in there before. I'm sorry about the oversight.
_____________________
Robin (Sojourner) Wood
www.robinwood.com

"Second Life ... is an Internet-based virtual world ... and a libertarian anarchy..." Wikipedia
Sae Luan
Hardcore 4the Headstrong
Join date: 6 Feb 2006
Posts: 841
10-08-2006 13:47
*sighs*

That figures lol. Why is it that the easier way (for me anyhow) was the broken way!?

Anyhow, I'm going to try what you said. It sounds a bit confusing heh heh...breaking old habbits is hard. ;p
Robin Sojourner
Registered User
Join date: 16 Sep 2004
Posts: 1,080
10-08-2006 13:58
As I said; download that action pack, and the free plug-in, and you'll find that it's even easier than it was!

A single mouse click will get you the alpha channel with no white halos, ready to upload.

It doesn't get any easier than that! :D
_____________________
Robin (Sojourner) Wood
www.robinwood.com

"Second Life ... is an Internet-based virtual world ... and a libertarian anarchy..." Wikipedia