photoshop automatically flattening my transparent images

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

when I drag a transparent png into photoshop it is automatically flattening the transparent portion to a solid white. how in the world do I undo this horrible horrible thing and keep my transparency.

Note: I can drag and drop my image again and have the transparency.

[J E L]

jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com Can I ask what you are dragging and dropping the transparent PNG into? A layer in a JPG or PSD file? Into an empty PSD file? Does the same thing happen if you File > Place Embedded or Place Linked?

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

I did some more testing after my panic post and found that it was only this one particular file that a third party had prepped for an email. I tried 5 different methods of pulling the file into photoshop (shown in the screenshot). The only way I could get the transparency to show is to pull in the file with any method into photoshop (which would flatten it), and then pull in the image again by copy/pasting it from Finder.

My guess would be that it has to do with how the third party saved it out to begin with?

[CShubert]

Hi,

When you drag a transparent PNG file into a Photoshop document window it should place a smart object that will allow you to accept via the checkmark or cancel.

If this is not happening for you, please share your workflow and screenshots showing your process so others can try to see what else is happening.

Thank you,

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

Thanks Cory, I posted above in the thread with my testing/workflow etc.

[Earth Oliver]

why didn't you just use File>Open?

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

dang, forgot one haha. same issue

[CShubert]

Hi,

If you can share the file you are having issues with, we can try and see if we all get the same issue.  As @Earth Oliver  mentioned, have you tried File/Open in the workflow and does the same issue with the same file happen?

Thank you,

[Leslie Moak Murray]

I saved it to my computer, went to Photoshop (CS6), opened it. It has the transparency:

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Interesting. I tried the exact same thing in case it was a version issue, and my CS6 opens it opaque.

[CShubert]

Hi,

Did a file open as well as drag on top of the file and all show transparancy.

Hate to ask the obvious, but have you restarted your computer? Sorry, just trying to get to square one to see what might be happening.

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

Thanks for checking.
Ha all good, restarted and still having the same issue.  Photoshop 22.5.1 on MacOS Big Sur 11.5.2

[Jeff Arola]

Just got the same result as jamesveinberg on Windows 11 and Photoshop 22.5.1 when dragging from the Windows File Explorer Downloads folder to Photoshop to create a new document. That is there is no transparency.

[CShubert]

Hi, the original post was on Mac OS, so now we have both Mac and Windows with this issue? Both of us that tested were on Mac, so just making sure we are looking at the same thing but on different platforms...

Thanks.

[Jeff Arola]

Using firefox 93.0 if i use the blue download button in the preview window, that version has no transparency, however right clicking the image in the preview window and doing Save Imge As results in an image with transparency. Also the images are two different sizes.

The results above apply to both dragging to photoshop from windows file explorer and using File>Open from within photoshop.

right click and Save Image As results in transparency

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

I looked at it in another program (in my case, Graphic Converter) and it opens fine, but the File Info on it does not show an Alpha Channel as existing at all but it is spec'd for Transparency on all pure white pixels. My guess is PS is taking the info that it's just RGB instead of ARGB to heart. However if I simply resave the file from a GC, it's corrected and opens fine.

before/After:

As another test, I tried a plugin called SuperPNG and it opens correctly.

Weird

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

I would assume thats why PS doesnt like it. Would an image compressor used outside of PS possibly be the culprit? I tested a few but wasnt able to recreate the issue

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse · Accepted solution]

I did a deeper dive into this and have found the OP's file is using an indexed-color transparency attribute set for any white pixel to be transparent. According to the official specification for PNG, this is all well and good (it uses a flag at the head of the file: "tRNS"). What it requires, however, is a preceding flag "PLTE" which defines the color mode. Without it, it seems Photoshop is (properly?) strictly ignoring the "tRNS' flag altogether and opening the file as RGB without Transparency. This file is indeed missing the PLTE attribute.

If you open the file in Preview or any other program and resave out, it will work fine.

All this to say: it's not you, it's the file. Have them resave a different way.

[jamesveinbergs1@gmail.com]

Thank you very much for diving into this further. ill be sure and post back on here if I ever find out on how it was originally saved out.