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linzilu2011
Participating Frequently
June 13, 2011
Question

Cannot save alpha channel as PNG. need help.

  • June 13, 2011
  • 3 replies
  • 26955 views

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

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    3 replies

    S
    shwills
    Participant
    December 1, 2011

    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

    Noel Carboni
    Noel Carboni
    Legend
    June 13, 2011

    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

    Mylenium
    Mylenium
    Legend
    June 13, 2011

    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

    L
    linzilu2011Author
    Participating Frequently
    June 13, 2011

    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
    Mylenium
    Legend
    June 13, 2011

    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

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