Transparency

[Triple_X]

hi folks

i'm trying to make a shadow but my new photoshop cs3 isn't saving the transparency sometimes when i choose the .tga section the alpha channels are unavailable and sometimes it is , i save them with 32 bits but still when i click ok the image looses the transparency it's strange . This thing never happened with 7.0

any idea ?

[HummersRock]

Recently I have been using Paint.Net for textures when I need transparency and it makes the TGA autmatically. Unfortunately it doesn't look like you can ever edit it though.

So as long as what you want to be invisible doesn't exist (meaning: not white, but completely erased) then paint.net will make the tga.

Now with Photoshop, as far as I know/experienced, if you have something that you want to have an alpha channel you have to save the image first as a 32bit tga, close it, and then reopen it. Then you can edit it. I never had any trouble with it though in CS3.

Maybe this will help.

[Triple_X]

i wanted to get paint.net but the new version only supports sp3 and that thing with photoshop isn't working right now

[Kunal2045]

I have Windows Vista SP2, and the latest version of Paint.NET works for me. Whats your OS?

[Triple_X]

XP of course it works on vista plz don't go off topic

[HummersRock]

i wanted to get paint.net but the new version only supports sp3 and that thing with photoshop isn't working right now

Well if Photoshop never works for you, try downloading an older version of Paint.net from filehippo or oldversion.

[Franch88]

I use Photoshop CS, and with more recent versions of this program there should be differences in saving this type of image file. Weird that the alpha channel isn't there saving correctly the .tga file with 32 bit. To see if it always happen, try to save as copy a .tga file with already the alpha channel, and also, check the possible saving options.
You can't install the SP3 to your Windows XP installed copy?

[Triple_X]

i can install it but i don't want to , my PC is really old and i don't think it can handle it

i'll check those link HR if nothing works

[HummersRock]

i can install it but i don't want to , my PC is really old and i don't think it can handle it

Well as far as performance, I am almost positive I installed it on my old single core computer years ago (around when it was first released) and, if it did had any effect on performance, it was positive.

[Riva]

I got the same feeling with the latest CS version. I'm still using PS7 but I don't see the famous damier when I want to see what are the alpha layers of a specific texture. No problem when I start a new texture (w/ a transparent background) but I'm not able to see what are the transparent layers when I open an existent texture.

PS7 : Forza texture



PS7 : new transparent texture



CS5 : Forza texture



CS5 : new transparent texture



Any idea ?

[HummersRock]

Yeah, as far as I know Photoshop never makes invisible parts actually...invisible like PS7 or Paint.net. What CS5 it does is turn the invisible parts a dark red color and the visible parts light-red. But you must click on the channels tab and click on the alpha channel. Then you can edit it, paying attention to what is dark red (invisible) and what is light-red (visible).

[Riva]

Ha yeah, indeed there's a channel called "alpha" (w/ full RGB).

Kinda disapointed without the damier.

[Triple_X]

so what to do ?

i save the image .gif with indexed color and the transparency is saved but when i save them as tga the transparency is removed

and i don't have space in my PC to install Photoshop 7.0 + cs3 so what to do ?

[Riva]

Well, I found a fantastic solution.

If I'm using CS5 (CS3 before) it's only because the version 7.0 don't support the layers made by Turn 10 Studios (Paint.NET no more) so, I've uninstalled Photoshop, I cleaned my hard disk and now, PS7 works fine. I want to get this checkerboard/damier like PS7 do.

To get perfectly the Forza 3 textures, I'm using now a free software called TGA Viewer (google it, v3.2). By saving the TGA textures as PNG (w/o alpha layers like the Forza wheels or sometimes, the interior/nodamage parts), you can then open it from PS7 and save it again as a TGA 24 bits.

Works like a charm.

[Triple_X]

so now you only use Photoshop 7.0 and to remove the transparency you use that program tga viewer ? did i get it right ?