photo shop cs -- background transparent

does anyone know how to save as background transparent using a .tga file in photoshop cs? I can do it in Photoshop7 but not in cs for some reason....

cry

You have to ensure that there is only one alpha channel or pshop (7.0.1, 8 & 9) gets confused about which alpha to use.

If you have adjustment layers with masks, each of those masks is an alpha channel; the best thing to do prior to TGA export is to Flatten Image check the channels to make sure there is one and only one alpha channel, Save As... TGA, remember to use the 32 bit mode with no compression.

If that doesn't work for you, you can send me a PSD at malachi.petunia on the gmail service and I'll take a look for you.

thanks a bunch ! I will try it right now!

Eboni's also done an excellent tutorial here:

http://www.sluniverse.com/kb/article.aspx?id=10199

I reverted to PS7 and PSCS had some major annoyances regarding its treatment of alphas. I prefer PS7 in just about every way with relation to alphas.

-Flip

And, if you like video tutorials, I have one here that uses CS2. (But the process is exactly the same for CS.)

hehehhe i needed that too.. thanks

Wow! I don't use the forums much except to get info on the game and search for tips, but I must say, late as it is, that video is GREAT! The biggest help by far for me!

Not sure how to feel 3 days after having spent 6 straight hours writing a definitive guide to transparency with answers to every FAQ on this board, 5 seperate tutorials, and links to the same videos as in this thread, only to find that people don't even notice it sitting on the front page, but somehow this 6-month-old thread gets dug up from the grave the first time the question comes up since the guide was posted. Nothing wrong with this thread, of course. Just venting here.

No worries, just did what every forum noob is supposed to do before anything else, which is use search and the parameters I used turned this post up.

It's okay, Chosen. That kind of thing happens to all of us all the time. I've found I can spend ages on a post, and it's mostly ignored. And then, when I least expect it, there it is on the front page again. Like the T-Shirt post, which I didn't think anyone was paying any attention to at all. Or the Photoshop Tips & Tricks post, which has hardly gotten any replies.

But if you look at "views," not "replies", you'll see that people are reading your guide. It's gotten 149 views in two days. They just aren't saying much.

However, as long as this thread has been brought back from the archives, I'd like to mention that layer masks aren't the same thing as Alpha Channels at all. Sure, if you are on a layer with a mask, you'll see that mask mentioned in the Channels palette; but it's temporary. If you move to a differnt layer, it goes away.

You'll also notice that the name is in italics.

The only things that are really channels have normal names, not italicized ones.

So there's no need to flatten your image, as stated in Post 2. You can have dozens of layer masks (and I often do,) and it won't confuse PS when it's making the 32 bit Targa.

Only actual Alpha Channels count. There can be only one of those.

There's also this file ...

It works a treat in both CS and CS2. I love it!

/109/8b/48537/1.html

Ummm, there are all kinds of reasons not to use that file. Adobe dropped the process of making the "embedded" alpha channels almost immeadiately, and for very good reasons.

Among other things, those files aren't necessarily compatible with other versions of Photoshop, or other programs that read .tga files.

Making an alpha is simple, painless, and assures compatibility and later editing if necessary. It only takes two mouse clicks. Why not just do it?

You know, I've read all the speeches against it in this forum, but it works great for me. I don't get white halos, or jagged edges or anything. I'm not really clear on why it isn't desireable.

It's really a matter of preference. I hate editing alpha channels. It's a huge drag, especially when it's a hand-drawn outfit, or when I want something sheer.

There are a number of problems with it, which is why Adobe abandoned that particular way of handling .tga files very quickly.

The Big Three, which come immediately to mind;



Given all of this, and the fact that you can make a real alpha channel in three or four mouse clicks, without ever opening the Channel palette, it makes sense to make real alphas.

I've said it dozens of times, and will probably say it dozens more. You don't need to edit alpha channels to have them. All you have to do is be able to hold down a key or two with one hand, and click with the other.



If you don't have layers in your image, it's even easier. If you have a mask, just do steps 2 and 3 above, but click on the Mask thumbnail, not the Image thumbnail, in step 2. Hold down the shift key and click the Mask to disable it, after you've made the alpha but before you save the .tga, and you'll not only have no chance of halos, but a backup of your image, saved in targa format on the SL servers.

If you don't have a mask or layers, then just do steps 2 and 3, and then run Solidify.

The thing is, there are problems with the old 7.0 plug-in, and making an alpha is extremely easy and requires no editing of alpha channels at all!

I'm not telling you that you have to switch methods, Lo. You're a grown-up. Do whatever you think is best for you.

I'm just interested in people making an informed choice. Here's the information. Everyone can now choose to do whatever they like with it.