Thanks for the info. I'm using Win7 64. Basically, since this does not seem to be possible in PS CS4... I will simply have to be rendering to a PNG without transparency or a different format that uses alpha channel (such as TGA, etc.) where this is not an issue in PS CS4. (For my animation work, I tend to render to PNGs (and default to rendering with alpha present since all my compositing apps can easily choose whether to use it or not).  I just assumed that PS (my old version) had the option to use or not use the alpha/transparency. Thanks again. Mike ... View more

Sorry, you seem to be assuming what I expect.  I don't expect anything. I came here to the forum to ask a question (after searching the net first) as to whether the current version of PS that I have (PS CS4), if there was a setting or method  (somewhere in PS CS4) of turning OFF the use of a transparency channel in a PNG... (there does not appear to be a way to do this). (I'm sure there are many wonderful new features in the newer versions). Thanks again. Mike ... View more

Thanks for the ideas. I'm sorry, the screengrab image above may not be conveying all I want to convey. I don't want to make the image have a white background. Behind the checkerboard shown in the screengrab... there already IS a background image. You just can't see it because PS defaults to using the transparency in the PNG rather than giving the user the OPTION to turn OFF (disregard) the transparency and see the existing (desired) background. Here's a screengrab from an app that handles this situation better and allows you to see the full RGB image (including background) by disabling the use of the alpha channel (which causes the background pixels NOT to be knocked out and replace with a checkerboard): Oh, and that background is NOT black... there is a gradient to it. Sadly, it seems at this point, that PS CS4 can NOT give the user the option to use or not use the transparency in a PNG which contains transparency. Thanks again. Mike ... View more

Thanks for the ideas! You can see the checkerboard displayed rather than the actual background.  I want to see the object and the actual background... not the checkerboard. Here is a screengrab of the layers dialog: 'From Transparency' is not available in the Layer Mask menu on PS CS4. Thanks again. Mike ... View more