EQInterface Forums - transparencies

08-02-2002, 06:53 PM	#1
Veirna An Icepaw Kobold Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 86	transparencies can't figure out how to get the tga to show transparencies, i've done the whole alpha channel save as tga, close, open, redo alpha, save la ti da.. but i still get a white area where its supposed to be transparent =X __________________

08-02-2002, 06:58 PM	#2
guice Keeper of the Hampster Join Date: Jul 2002 Server: Mithaniel Marr Posts: 598	What image Application are you using? __________________ Sithr, 65th Transcendent Officer/Leader of Chronology Mithaniel Marr http://www.chronology-guild.org/

08-02-2002, 07:12 PM	#3
Veirna An Icepaw Kobold Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 86	photoshop 6.0

08-02-2002, 08:54 PM	#4
Nennayan A Shissar Disciple Join Date: Jul 2002 Server: Brell Serilis Posts: 147	This is how I do it: Use the magic wand tool, set the tolerance to 0. Click on the black area, or whatever you want to be transparent, then hold shift and click in any other areas you need to make transparent. When you're done, right click, save selection, save as new channel. When you open the channels window and look at it by itself, all the areas you had selected should be black now. Oh yeah, before you do this: MAKE SURE YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE AN ALPHA CHANNEL! Once you've got it, save your file. I dunno about photoshop 6, but in photoshop 5 you have to save it as 32 bit to save the alpha channel. The file is actually saved as 24 bit with alpha. Make sure it's uncompressed btw, EQ hates RLE compression. __________________

08-02-2002, 09:32 PM	#5
guice Keeper of the Hampster Join Date: Jul 2002 Server: Mithaniel Marr Posts: 598	I just Cntl-Click on the Layer in the Layers Window. Then Select -> Save Selection and hit 'Okay' Simpler, eh? After that, just save it. I use PS7, and I know at 24 or 32, either works for me. Not sure if that got added/fixed in PS6 as well. Just save it at 32 to be safe.

08-02-2002, 09:53 PM	#6
*Dolby* Lord Dolby of Veeshan Join Date: Jul 2002 Server: Veeshan Posts: 2,397	I use PS7... I create a new image selecting "transparent background". I then make what ever graphics and layers I wish. Then when it comes to saveing it to tga I link all the layers and hit "merge linked" using Flatten image wont work. Then save the file as a tga and your ready to use it in EQ

08-02-2002, 10:54 PM

Nennayan

A Shissar Disciple

Join Date: Jul 2002

Server: Brell Serilis

Posts: 147

Quote:

Originally posted by guice
I just Cntl-Click on the Layer in the Layers Window. Then Select -> Save Selection and hit 'Okay'

Simpler, eh?

After that, just save it. I use PS7, and I know at 24 or 32, either works for me.

Not sure if that got added/fixed in PS6 as well. Just save it at 32 to be safe.

I should probably mention that I use photoshop 5. In photoshop 5.0, you can't Ctrl click the layer in the layers window, and even if you select the entire layer manually then save selection, you get a solid alpha layer instead of a partially transparent alpha layer, and you have to draw in the transparent areas manually.

The method I posted above is the only method I know of for Photoshop 5.

08-02-2002, 11:54 PM	#8
guice Keeper of the Hampster Join Date: Jul 2002 Server: Mithaniel Marr Posts: 598	Ah . I do know that ability is in 6.0. I used it all the time. Wasn't aware it's not in 5.0, thought it was. Been too long since I used that.

08-03-2002, 06:44 PM	#9
Mafoo A Shissar Disciple Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 108	WElll! if you cannot afford to get your hands on this app tryout the gimp it has been cross compiled for many OS's but started on linux look at www.tucows.com they have it tucked away under multimedia!

08-03-2002, 10:26 PM	#10
Nennayan A Shissar Disciple Join Date: Jul 2002 Server: Brell Serilis Posts: 147	Well, I finally figured out how to ctrl click a channel in photoshop 5. You have to be using the select tool to ctrl click a channel. I tried it a few times but I didn't like how it only selects part of the channel. Now I use a completely different method: 1. Open a tga file or make a new one. 2. If you don't have an alpha channel then make one by clicking the new channel button (it's small) at the bottom of the channels window. 3. Select the rgb channel, right click on the picture, then select all. 4. Copy, select the alpha channel, and paste. Your alpha channel should now be a monochrome copy of the rgb channel, allowing maximum flexibility for transparency editing. I doubt this will be useful to anyone who reads it, but at least it's here, right?