Skip to main content
Semaphoric
Community Expert
SemaphoricCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 15, 2017
Answered

Visibility of new channels

  • June 15, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 1320 views

I'm working on a project where I am creating a number of Alpha Channels, which will subsequently be combined using Calculations. If I click on the New Channel icon in the Channels panel, I get a visible new channel, but all other channels become hidden. If I select New Channel from the Channels panel menu, the currently visible channels remain visible, but the new channel is hidden. How can I get a visible new channel with all the currently visible channels remaining so?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Chuck Uebele

    Try this script to create a new, blank channel.

    #target photoshop
    var doc = activeDocument;
    doc.channels.add();
    for(var i = 0;i<doc.channels.length;i++){
        doc.channels.visible = true;
        }

    3 replies

    Semaphoric
    Community Expert
    SemaphoricCommunity ExpertAuthor
    Community Expert
    June 16, 2017

    But like I said, you can store them in another doc, as long as both are open at the same time.

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 15, 2017

    Semaphoric  wrote

    I'm working on a project where I am creating a number of Alpha Channels,

    Be careful about the number of Alpha channels you create.  Delete any you will not use after you combine them.   Photoshop only support up to 53 Alpha channels.  I found that out the hard way my scripts failed when they they tried to create the 54 alpha channel. I had to add code to catch this limit.

    JJMack
    Semaphoric
    Community Expert
    SemaphoricCommunity ExpertAuthor
    Community Expert
    June 15, 2017

    That's good to know. I remember the old 100 layer limit, which turned out to be artificial. I wonder if 53 Alphas is, too.

    If needed, I suppose I could just use a second doc to store them.

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 15, 2017

    I found no way around the 53 Alpha channel limit.  I based my Photo Collage Toolkit on my  simple template design. Templates simple to create that would be populated automatically withe the toolkit's scripts. Image were simply mapped by Alpha Channels.  These Alpha channels bounds were used to scale the Placed smart Object image layers transform to size aligned to the alpha  channel and than mask to its shaped.  Everything work great till I tried to create a collage with more than 53 images. I had to note the 53 limit and change the scripts to catch the limit.  The only script capable of more than 53 images in my toolkit is PasteImageroll. It does not use a template it can populate any number of image  and create a document canvas size the selected images will fit in. The image are fitted and masked to a tile size you set.

    53 Alpha channels is Photoshop's limit....

    JJMack
    Chuck Uebele
    Community Expert
    Chuck UebeleCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    June 15, 2017

    Try this script to create a new, blank channel.

    #target photoshop
    var doc = activeDocument;
    doc.channels.add();
    for(var i = 0;i<doc.channels.length;i++){
        doc.channels.visible = true;
        }
    Semaphoric
    Community Expert
    SemaphoricCommunity ExpertAuthor
    Community Expert
    June 15, 2017

    Great! Can it be made so "Color indicates Selected Area", rather than Masked Area?

    Chuck Uebele
    Community Expert
    Chuck UebeleCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 15, 2017

    I'm not sure. I'll have to look into that. that might be a pref outside of the script.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices