Alpha channels in bitmaps

[dragonflightdesign 98]

I've followed Engauged's tutorial for adding alpha channels to bitmaps using Imagetool and Photoshop, but whenever I run a psd conversion in Imagetool, it comes back with a nice little bitmap complaining about unconverted layers in the psd. The psd file has two layers in it; the basic bitmap layer is the lowest layer and the required alpha channel is the one above. Colour depth is 24-bit and I'm using PhotoshopCS; has anyone any idea where I'm making a mess of this?Thank you.-Dai

[Guest Patrick_Waugh]

Yeap.A "channel" is NOT "above" a layer, but rather a channel, which is a layer on the channels palette, not a layer on the layers palette.While you might create it initially as a layer, often modifying an existing layer, you then need to save or copy it to a channel layer, and then get rid of the layer version.Read the help about creating an alpha channel for details.

[n4gix 4,954]

Dai, since you are using Photoshop CS, click on the Channels tab, create an empty Alpha Channel, then cut-and-paste your layer from the Layer tab to the Alpha Channel. Delete the unneeded layer, save the .psd and then use ImageTool.exe as described.

[dragonflightdesign 98]

Thanks guys - both of your replies were much appreciated and very enlightening!-Dai