alpha channel issues

When I am playing around in photoshop (I have photo shop C2C) using a tutorial to try and create things I am having issues trying to get my file to save so that I can use it in DAZ studio as what i want it to be. I noticed when I uploaded the template it has various designs with an alpha channel on the layer section as well as in the section named alpha channel. I am so lost on how to do this and would adore any help as I am eager to desgin. When I did try to save it it saved as solid color, not a tatoo, or shirt ect. Thanks for the help guys I am so lost

Hi Katinza. Welcome to SL.

I would highly recommend reading through the transparency guide, stickied at the top of this forum. The FAQ section will answer your questions about alpha channels, and the tutorial section will teach you how to make them. The guide contains five different step-by-step tutorials for creating alpha channels in Photoshop. Just pick one, and follow along. If there's anything you can't follow, or that you don't understand, let me know (by posting here on the forums, NOT by contacting me inworld, thanks).

As for why there are layers called alpha on the various templates, those are just samples. In order to use one, you would copy it from the layer to an actual alpha channel. The reason they're stored as layers instead of as channels is so they don't interfere with your own alpha channel if you're not using them. TGA format only supports one alpha channel. If all those samples were saved as channels, you'd have to delete them all before saving every time. By putting them on hidden layers, LL made them totally benign and harmless if you're not using them. You can just leave them alone and they won't cause any trouble.