How do I make a Tga-bitmap with Alpha Channel and Transparancy?

[BenUgly]

Hi,

I'm trying to skin my Windows and I saw some realy beautiful Skins with gaps and transparancy in it.

I'd like to make my own but I don't know how to get in these gaps and transparancy.
I learned that I have to have a tga-file with Alpha Chanels and transparancy in it,but I don't know how to do it.
I have Xara Xtreme Pro 4 and Photoshop CS3.
With Xara I have the most experience wich I don't have with Photoshop.
In Xara I can't find how to ad an Alpha Channel to the tga-file.The 32bit-section is also not available.
In Photoshop I thought I managed to create it,but after saving the file as tga with alpha-channels, 32-bit and RLE-compresion,the alpha channels are not recognized in e.g. Stardocks SkinStudio.I use this program for skinning Windows.
Importing a png-file into Skinstudio doesn't work either.No alpha-channels.

I'm doing something wrong and/or I'm forgetting something.......but what!?

I tried to find some tutorials on the Internet,but they al begin from a file with alpha channels already in it.

Would anybody help me out in easy therms?Like I mentioned,I'm a newbe with Photoshop and most of al,I would like to create it with Xara.


Sincerely Ben

[handrawn]

Hi welcome to TG

Firstly xara xtreme does not do tga format with alpha channel period.

Re Photoshop CS3 here is a quote from the help [alpha channels > file formats for saving]

Note: As long as you save a file in a format supporting the image’s color mode, the color channels are preserved. Alpha channels are preserved only when you save a file in Photoshop, PDF, PICT, Pixar, TIFF, PSB, or raw formats. DCS 2.0 format preserves only spot channels. Saving in other formats may cause channel information to be discarded.

[iamtheblues]

If it helps, you can export a bitmap as .png file with alpha channel transparency in Xara Xtreme.
Saludos,
Bob.

[BobInce]

Yeah, my workflow is to export as png with alpha, then a quick load/save-as-TGA in The Gimp.

[handrawn]

Gimp yes - thanks that saves me looking it up - I knew there was a program that would do it, that I'd used - just couldnt remember which

[BenUgly]

Thank you all for your thoughts.You helped me real great.

In Xara I exported the image as a png-file.At first I couldn't find where to setup the alpha-channel.Later I discovered that it has to be done in the first Palette Option-tab under Colour depth.Choose for True colour + Alpha.
This png-file could be imported in Stardock SkinStudio were it was converted to tga.
It works fine now.The only thing I have to find out is how to alter the transparenty between 100% transparant to 100% opaque.

The idea to try Gimp is OK.I will try a.s.a.p.

In the meanwhile I learned that each colour from the RGB-palette is a channel and it is 8 bit.So 3 colours is 24 bit and tga/pgn can have an extra channel wich is called the alpha-channel.So 4 channels would make it 32 bit.This extra channel, the alpha channel, isn't visible but acts as a mask to make certain areas of the image transparent in software that recognizes alpha channels.
Knowing these helps to understand how things work.

The rest like how to alter the transparenty between 100% transparant to 100% opaque,I have to work on.

Maybe one of you knows.

Again many thanks for helping me out.

Sincerely Ben

[steve.ledger]

It works fine now.The only thing I have to find out is how to alter the transparenty between 100% transparant to 100% opaque.

You could adjust the opacity/transparency in Xtreme with the Transparency Tool (F6) before you export to PNG+Alpha.

[raynerj1]

I have not used TGA, but if I want something to go from 100% transparent to 100% opaque I would just use a transparency other than flat. Xara can do several types of tranparencies, the other programs might or might not. I would try a linear transparency first.

[Mike Bailey]

The rest like how to alter the transparenty between 100% transparant to 100% opaque,

You can vary transparency by using shades of gray on the transparency (alpha channel) map.
White = 0% transparency
Black = 100% transparency
Gray scale = every thing in between.

[alexbozhenov]

Ben,

Please don't forget to show your skin when you finish it )) We will be glad to see it.