Anyone out there that uses PSP? if so can you Please help me?

need help using the psp to make clothes..stuck on dial up can't go anywhere..so i would like to try to make some clothes...thanks...please someone help me!!!

Uh, you realize the question is a bit vague, right? Blanketly asking how do I make clothes is like asking how do I cook food. The question is just too broad to answer. Without knowing what you are trying to make and what step of the process you don't understand it's impossible to just say "Here's how you cook".

Have you downloaded the templates? Do you already know how to use your raster program (in this case, PSP)? Have you read LL's little getting started tutorial? Have you read any of the numerous fansite tutorials? Do you know what specifically you need help with?

yes i have downloaded the templates
yes i have read the tutorial...ok heres my problem..i'm trying to figure out how to get my transparent things...like the layers and stuff for the templates...i get white in the background..i have no idea what i'm doing..i save the stuff as tga but its not going transparent i have white in the background

Julzz,

Are you able to send messages back and forth inworld? I'll watch this for an answer, and either message in world with some help or here...we could also do yahoo or one of the other im programs.

btw, the water is boiling! [Blanketly asking how do I make clothes is like asking how do I cook food. ]


Have a great one, Julzz!

In PSP you have to create the mask, then make sure you save to Alpha Channel. Then save the image as a tga file. If you forget to save the mask to alpha channel it does not get saved with the rest of the layers.

ty...now i have another question.. where am i getting the alpha channel from? when i use the templates the only ones that even have a alpha channel are the upper body and the lower not sure about the head...but i know the skirt doesn't have a alpha layer..ok..and how exactly do i do a mask..i mean i know how to get it but what is its purpose...i want to understand what i'm doing...thank you.....

lol...cooking is easy to learn all you have to do is read the directions then add on your own...if there was some instructions that i could read on making the stuff and getting the transparency to work..that would be great.but alas thats why i was askin in here..so i can read..i dont really need help making clothes i need help with the transperancy...being able to save it and be transparent and not have a white background...

read this tutorial cris put together. there are many ways to do alphas in PSP, but this one is the best i think

http://www.sluniverse.com/kb/article.aspx?id=10190



this method also allows you to do partial-transparency in PSP, if you want to have a see-thru fabric for example. If you set your layer at 50% and create your mask based on source opacity, your alpha will 50% transparency that section.

Okay, so transparency is your specific question. Now we're getting somewhere. Let me explain how channels (including alpha channels) work.

1. Color Theory & Channels
Images designed to be shown on a color screen are comprised three colors (red, green, & blue). The relative brightness of each of these primary colors in each pixel determines each pixel's actual color. For example, a pixel comprised of equal values of red and blue without any green would appear to be purple.

When taken seperately, the individual values for red, green, or blue are represented by a grayscale image called a channel. In an individual channel, white represents the maximum possible concentration of color and black represents the absense of color. Shades of gray represent amounts of color that are less than the maximum. The darker the gray, the lesser the concentration of color. The lighter the gray, the more color is present.

2. Channels & Transparency (Alpha Channels)
Images that have transparency have the same three primary color channels and also have a fourth channel, called Alpha, which represents opacity. In the alpha channel, white represents comlete opacity and black represents the absense of opacity (transparency). Shades of gray represent semi-transparency. The darker the gray, the more transparent. The lighter the gray, the more opaque.

So, for example, if you are making a bikini top for your avatar, the alpha channel would be white in the shape of the bikini top, and black everywhere else. The white part makes the bikini top 100% opaque so that you won't be able to see through it when it's on the av, and the black part makes the rest of the image invisible so that there appears to be nothing on the av's arms, stomach, etc.

3. Your Questions
You asked where to "get" the alpha channel from. The answer is you make it. Determine which areas you want to be invisible, and paint them black on the alpha. Determine which areas you want to be opaque and paint them white on the alpha. If you have any areas that you want to be semi-transparent (like maybe stockings), paint those areas gray on the alpha.

You also seem to be a bit perplexed as to the purpose of the layers labelled "alpha" in the upper and lower body templates. These are only there to serve as examples of what the alpha channel should be for the garments they correspond with. As layers, they serve no purpose of their own, but copy one of them into a channel and you'll have a ready-made transparency map for a particular garment.

4. Creating Your Alpha Channel
Okay, now for the how-to's. I should preface this by saying my PSP skills are pretty weak compared to my Photoshop skills, but I think I can talk you through it. Just keep in mind it's been a while since I've used PSP. If any of this is inacurate or has changed since I last used it, hopefully someone else will correct me. I think everything is acurate though.

In Photoshop you would be able to manipulate the alpha channel directly, but in PSP you have to use a tool called a mask to serve as a proxy for what will in the end become the alpha channel. To start, go to the Mask menu and select New Mask -> Show All. The new mask will be all white (no transparency yet). Go to Masks -> Edit Mask. Now you'll have a grayscale palette window so you can paint the mask varying shades of gray. As I said earlier, paint the areas you want to be invisible black, paint the areas you want semi-transparent gray, and leave the areas you want completely opaque white. When you're finished, go to Mask -> Save to Alpha Channel, and then delete the mask (DELETE it, do not merge it). If you need to edit the alpha later, go Mask -> Load From Alpha Channel.

Save your file as a 32 bit TGA and you should be all set.



See how easy it is when you're specific about what you need? If you have any additional questions, fire away. Good luck.

ok problem can't save as 32 in psp9 you can only save as 24 thats as high as it goes

Don't worry about that - you will have no probelms - it works fine with 24 bit.

You're welcome. So nice to be thanked after spending 2 or 3 days getting to the root of your problem and then writing an in depth guide to help you solve it. You may not have said thank you but you were thinking it, right?

Anyway, PSP may not differentiate bit depth the way Photoshop does. It's been too long since I've used it to remember. It may well be that if you have an alpha channel present at the time you save to TGA, PSP automatically includes it, giving you no choice other than 32 bit, despite what the Save As dialog might say. Reading through Christiano's tutortial, this appears to be the case.

Just so you know, the reason it is 32 bit is because it has 4 channels. Each channel contains 8 bits. An RGBA image is 32 bits, an RGB image is 24 bits, a grayscale image is 16 bits, and a black & white image is 8 bits. It's just that in Photoshop, you have your choice of bit depth at the time of save, giving you the option to instantly override whaterver you may have done procedurally when it renders out the final formatted file, and in PSP this doesn't appear to be the case. Apparently in PSP what you make along the way is the only thing you can get in the end. Just save as TGA as Christiano said, and everything should be peachy.

i am so sorry and yes i meant to say thank you...i'm not an ungrateful person..i haven't tried this yet what you have told me but i'm going to work on it and see if it helps me out..thanks very much and sorry about not saying thank you...i really do appreciate everyones help..and thanks for being patient with my vague questions....