PS JavaScript how to paste into an alpha channel

[Mike.Kominek]

Hello,

I am trying to paste my current clipboard contents into a specific alpha channel.

say named "Alpha 6"

The document is likely to have your normal RGB + a number of alpha channels so I need to paste the contents into a specific one.

Doing it by hand works perfectly, no idea how to achieve it via script.

I already have quite a complex java script written that does a lot of things, this is just a extention of it I am trying to do and I just cant figure this bit out. So I do need to use Java for this.

Thanks for any help

[Mike.Kominek]

Or if there is a way to copy a LayerSet that is not necesarily on top in the document, into a alpha channel without the use of clipboard, that would be even more optimal. Thank you

[Stephen Marsh]

Can you share a screenshot of your layers panel with the targeted layer group/set expanded and visible?

[Stephen Marsh · Accepted solution]

For the clipboard to alpha, you can use this function:

function clipboardToAlpha(alphaName) {
	var c2t = function (s) {
		return app.charIDToTypeID(s);
	};
	var s2t = function (s) {
		return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
	};
	var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
	var descriptor2 = new ActionDescriptor();
	var reference = new ActionReference();
	reference.putName( s2t( "channel" ), alphaName );
	descriptor.putReference( c2t( "null" ), reference );
	executeAction( s2t( "select" ), descriptor, DialogModes.NO );
	descriptor2.putEnumerated( c2t( "AntA" ), s2t( "antiAliasType" ), s2t( "antiAliasNone" ));
	descriptor2.putClass( s2t( "as" ), s2t( "pixel" ));
	executeAction( s2t( "paste" ), descriptor2, DialogModes.NO );
}

Then call the function with the required alpha channel name as a parameter in double quotes:

clipboardToAlpha("Alpha 6"); // Alpha channel name

[Mike.Kominek]

This worked perfectly, thank you!