Cannot save alpha channel as PNG. need help.

[linzilu2011]

Hi, I am running PS CS5. I am working on my business logo and love the way it has turned out with a texture I added as a new channel (alpha channel). I am using a transparent background on my image, the only compatible way to save is PNG format.(and this is the only way to go with my website restrictions) So when I go to save as a PNG it isnt saving the new channel I have made. Is there any way around this? Any suggestions would be very helpful. I worked all day on this logo only to find that I cant save it the way I like it. frustrating..................

Linz

[Mylenium]

PNGs have no Alpha, they have genuine transparency, that is their 24bit variety has. Therefore you simply work using PS' native transparency and just enable the transparency options on save. If you're talking about 8bit PNG, then there can ever only be one transparent color and that is handled just the same as in GIFs - you define it in the Save for Web dialog by letting PS know you want to use the native transparency again, a matte color or manually setting any of the palette colors to be tagged as "transpoarent". In any case, none of that requires creating an extra channel. It's simply not relevant for this particular image format.

Mylenium

[linzilu2011]

[linzilu2011]

[linzilu2011]

[linzilu2011]

Ok, I have posted 3 screenshots. One of the channels pallet. One of the layers pallet, and the other of the window that pops up when I select "save for web and devices". I have tried so many things in this window and cannot get my alpha channel to appear. I am new to Photoshop, so I guess I dont understand all the talk about genuine transparency, etc.......

Thanks!!

[Mylenium]

I'm not sure what you are hoping to achieve here. The Save for Web dialog in your screenshot works as it should and correctly assigns 1 palettized transparency color in your 8bit PNG and it would correctly also create antialaiased transparency if you saved a 24bit PNG. Whether Word would actually use it, is a whole different matter, but it should do so correctly ever since Office 2003 and the described workflow has worked for me ever since so I don't see a problem there, either, you may just need to check the graphics properties....

Mylenium

[linzilu2011]

I took the screenshot of the "save for web" window because I need help knowing what options to choose under PNG 8. If you could step by step tell me what options to choose under what drop down that would help me out alot. Once again, I am new to PS. Everything I have tried thus far is not saving the alpha channel.

[linzilu2011]

Also, I am not using Word for my workflow. I only used it to upload my screenshots.

[Mylenium]

Okay, let's do a reset here. You are still confusing Alpha channels and transparency. Please read my initial reply again - it is not necessary for the PNG file format if you want to produce simple overlay transparency and the way Save for Web is meant to work, is to exclude custom channels, which is all that it is. If you need the Alpha, then save using Save As... and it will be retained as a custom channel, but that doesn't mean that it will actually be used somewhere to render the transparency. Neither web browsers nor office apps care. Custom channels are just an alternate way of storing info that may be used to edit and process files, nothing more. Many programs may use Alpha channels as transparency, but again, this is dependent on specific implementation and file format and not relevant here.

Mylenium

[linzilu2011]

Ok, I was able to figure it out on my own. I had to copy my 'texture' channel and add as a layer mask, saved as PNG, went and looked at the file and sure enough the distressed look was there! Yae-

[Chris Cox]

You've got transparency in the image - there is no need for an extra channel.

You're saving PNG-8, and SFW can currently only write out a single transparent value. But it does write transparency, just like your preview shows.

If you want smoother results, you could save as PNG-24/32 and include transparency -- so you can get a full range of partial transparent values.

After you save the image, are you not seeing the transparent result in another application?  (most likely it will be composited over the background)

Are you getting an error in another application?

Why do you think that it is not saving correctly?

[linzilu2011]

Ok, maybe this will help matters. In the beginning I did a google search on how to get the "distressed" look on my logo, this is the link I found, I did all that he said and did acquire the look I want, now I am having trouble saving as a PNG. When I choose to save as a PNG the alpha channel does not save (when I open the saved PNG file the alpha channel is unchecked). I dont know a whole lot about PS, I am new and dont understand alot of the lingo that alot of you are using, but maybe if you see the steps I took on this link then possibly someone may be able to help me. Thanks

http://www.promotinggroup.com/design-tips/distressed-effect-photoshop/

[Noel Carboni]

Stop worrying about saving the alpha channel for now.

In your Save for Web & Devices dialog, change the PNG-8 to PNG-24 and I think you'll be closer to what you want.

-Noel

[Noel Carboni]

Mylennium has assumed that it's the transparency you can't get to save properly...  Is this true?  This alpha channel texture you've added is gauging the transparency?

If not, a screenshot of your layers panel might be helpful here.

-Noel

[shwills]

Yeah, you have to "apply" the selection to the image (as displayed in the window) for it to work.

PNG24 isn't it.

So you have created your alpha mask (as a separate channel) in the CHANNELS menu

Flip back to the RGB view of your original image, (so the alpha channel mask you've made isn't showing) and click SELECT > LOAD SELECTION ...

Load the "Alpha 1" mask you have made

PRESS DELETE to apply it to the image

Now the image appears ghosty where you intended it, and if you Save it as a PNG, the transparency will be "baked in"

See http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshop/l/blrbps_2fwks.htm