Preserved Topic: created beautiful alpha channel and then????

Hi everybody, I got stuck in PS6 after buying Corel knockOut 1.5, fantastic software. It masked my model and then created a very detailed Alpha channel, especially in the hair area (all the various strands of hair in a light grey). Exporting it in PS6 I now have an Alpha channel BUT, when clicking at the bottom of the channels palette, to 'load channel as selection', the selection is VERY poor, it ignores the grey-ish strands of hair, basically defeating the object of doing all that effort with KnockOut! With the selection active I would go back to the Layers palette and click on Add Mask and, in theory, I should be ready to change the backgroung behind the model, having masked the actual original background. Please have a look at: http://www.ivanoconfalone.com/alpha/index.html
What am I doing wrong? There must be a better technique.Ideally I would like to copy the whole of the alpha channel as it is into a layer mask on the main model layer, but PS does not let me do it (or can it?). What's the best way of using this very detailed Alpha channel? Please help, I I spent good money on KnockOut 1.5!!!!!!

Well, I'm not as up on KnockOut as I should be, but if you have that fine an alpha we should be able to get it going.

If your goal is to get a layer mask, there are two ways I can think of off the top of my head. (plus a thrid bonus at the end!)

Go th the channels palette. With the alpha channel active, select all, copy to clip board. Click the composite RGB channel and return to the layers palette. If the image to mask is the background layer, duplicate it to a new layer. Fill the original background with whatever you want the final image's background to be - another scene, or a solid tone or whatever. Now activate the new layer. Click the layer mask icon at the bottom of the layer palette and paste the contents of the clipboard.

Opton 2, less memory consumed: Again, duplicate the layer to a new layer and fill the original background with whatever. Switch to the channels palette. On a Mac, command + click the Knockout generated alpha. On a PC I guess you would control + click. Return to the layers palette. With the top layer active, click the layer mask icon.

Third option. Make a new file with the new background. Return to the original file. Command/Control + click the alpha channel. Switch to the move tool if it's not already active. Drag the selected image of the girl across to the new file and she should arrive masked with the Knockout generated alpha.

However you do it, show us the end result!

How about adjusting curves/levels to make it a pure black and white channel?
PS should have no problem converting the channel to a selection, and if you do it right, you could probably end up with every individual strand of hair to boot as well....


Atleast I think that should work - I'll fiddle with it when I'm done with this coding...



.. One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor ..

aerosoul:

I think Ivono is going to need the gray areas in the alpha channel...

Welcome ivan. The alpha you posted does not have real claenedges. Is that the effect you wanted ?
With a little brush work, it could be a nice tight mask. As is it roughs up the edges, cuts off part of her torso, and leaves a little hole by her ear.

Steve, I tried your first technique, and PS6 pastes the alpha into a new layer instead of the mask. Did I miss something ?



Everybody has the right to no taste

Alt + click the Layer mask. That will bring it up raw you can paste to it.

~cough~

THANKS! The very first suggestion from Aerosoul seems to have worked. The only thing that needs to be added is the tip from Vogonpoet for copying the alpha channel to a layer mask directly. The other tips are valid but they would defeat the purpose of using KnockOut (which generates masks in a matter of seconds!) and make good use of those subtler grey-ish areas of the mask. Cheers from a London friend.

I'm doing it again, aren't I?

huh?

Well I'g glad VP got the credit, since I'm sure he richly deserves it.

And DB ------



Ack. Guess I was doing this in my head and not for real. You have to do the "option/alt + click on the layer mask in order to be able to edit it with pasting, right?

Ouch, ouch. My bad. Sorry.

~hands Steve back the bouquet and choccies~

And a moon size cookie.

WJ : yes, you are. You get a cookie, too.

I'll just follow the crumb trail.

Ummm...about it ignoring the strands of hair, it may not have. PS alhpa channels work on the principal that the closer to white the given pixel is, the higher the opacity of the selection. It never displays any area of selection whose opacity is less than 50%. That is where your problem of not hair appearing on the selection may crop up from.

"That is where your problem of not hair appearing on the selection may crop up from."

Aiiii !!!!!!!!!!!!

Aiiii !!!!!!!

Aiii !!!!


See, this is why I don't allow my children to drink fermented beverages.



(That, an' the fact that there's more left for me )

Yeah guys.....what skaaarrjjj said.......

To expound slightly - regardless how much of the selection is visible, setting it as a mask or filling it will result in all of the original detail of the channel intact.

yup yup.


now excuse me while I drink some of steve's fermented beverages