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photo shop cs -- background transparent

Tigerlady Jacobs
Ms. Tiger
Join date: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 86
07-30-2005 10:56
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
Malachi Petunia
Gentle Miscreant
Join date: 21 Sep 2003
Posts: 3,414
07-30-2005 12:04
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.
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Tigerlady Jacobs
Ms. Tiger
Join date: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 86
07-30-2005 12:10
thanks a bunch ! I will try it right now!
FlipperPA Peregrine
Magically Delicious!
Join date: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 3,703
08-04-2005 08:17
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
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Robin Sojourner
Registered User
Join date: 16 Sep 2004
Posts: 1,080
08-04-2005 12:14
And, if you like video tutorials, I have one here that uses CS2. (But the process is exactly the same for CS.)
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ReMzy Andrews
Registered User
Join date: 8 Jul 2005
Posts: 61
08-11-2005 06:49
hehehhe i needed that too.. thanks :)
Seola Sassoon
NCD owner
Join date: 13 Dec 2005
Posts: 1,036
Thanks!
01-06-2006 22:07
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! :)
Chosen Few
Alpha Channel Slave
Join date: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 7,496
01-07-2006 00:01
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.
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Seola Sassoon
NCD owner
Join date: 13 Dec 2005
Posts: 1,036
01-07-2006 01:07
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.
Robin Sojourner
Registered User
Join date: 16 Sep 2004
Posts: 1,080
01-07-2006 16:17
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. :D 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. :D

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.
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Lo Jacobs
Awesome Possum
Join date: 28 May 2004
Posts: 2,734
01-07-2006 16:19
There's also this file ...

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

/109/8b/48537/1.html
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Robin Sojourner
Registered User
Join date: 16 Sep 2004
Posts: 1,080
01-07-2006 16:27
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?
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Robin (Sojourner) Wood
www.robinwood.com

"Second Life ... is an Internet-based virtual world ... and a libertarian anarchy..." Wikipedia
Lo Jacobs
Awesome Possum
Join date: 28 May 2004
Posts: 2,734
01-07-2006 16:38
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.
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Robin Sojourner
Registered User
Join date: 16 Sep 2004
Posts: 1,080
01-08-2006 01:11
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;

1. When you use that plug-in, your alpha channel is pre-multiplied, which makes it invisible and un-editable. If you decide that you want to change something about the image transparency later, you can't do it, unless you saved a backup Photoshop file. (Something which I always recommend you do anyway; but sometimes things happen to saved files. This plug-in eliminates one safety net.)

2. Pre-multiplied alpha fades to black, not white, so you are getting black halos, not white ones. They aren't as noticeable in ordinary circumstances; but that doesn't mean that they aren't there. If you use an alpha channel, you can totally eliminate any halos.

3. Not all programs can correctly read files with pre-multiplied alphas. In those cases, the areas that you expect to be transparent will show as black, and it might be extremely difficult to extract your image from that black background. There was a whole thread about this recently in a different graphics forum, but I can't find it at the moment.


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. :D

1. From any multi-layered image at all, no matter how it's constructed, if you hold down Shift+Alt+Ctrl (Shift+Option+Command on a Mac) and tap the E key, you'll make a composite layer, with your whole image on it, including all the various kinds of transparency etc. (NOTE: if you are using a version of PS prior to CS2, make a new layer first, and select it before you use these keys, so the composite will be made in that layer. CS 2 makes a new layer automatically.)

2. Hold down Ctrl/Command, and click the thumbnail image for that composite layer. That selects the opaque pixels, according to their opacity. (Totally opaque are totally selected, 50% opaque are 50% selected, 0% opaque are not selected at all.)

3. Go to the Select menu, and Save Selection. Your alpha channel is made. You don't need to look at it, edit it, or interact with it in any way.

4. (Optional, but highly recommended.) If you want to totally eliminate any halos, just run the free Solidify filter from Flaming Pear on that composite layer after you've made the Alpha. Single mouse click, no chance of halos, no touching of the Alpha channel.


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. :D

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.
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Robin (Sojourner) Wood
www.robinwood.com

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