Channel mask to layer

"Arnor Baldvinsson" wrote in message

Hi all,

I’m digging into channel masks etc. and so far so good. But in two cases I’ve hit exactly the same problem, so I’m asking for advise:)
What I do is:

1. I select some area on the image, feather it
2. I create a channel mask
3. I ctrl-click on the channel to select it
4. I get the ruby-reds over my selection
5. I create a new adjustment layer which now contains the same selection as the channel mask.

So far so good. I turn the channel mask off by clicking the "eye" next to it and go back to the layers. Here is the problem: Every time I click on _any_ layer, the ruby-reds appear over the selection making it difficult or impossible to see what I’m doing on the adjustment layer<g> The only way I can get the ruby to go away is to delete the alpha channel, which kind of defies the whole exercise<g> So, what am I doing wrong? TIA:)
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Arnor

It won’t print that way, (check out print with preview) you are seeing a "quickmask" version of the mask, after you have loaded the selection, just turn the mask layer off in the channels palette, it works for me. What are you trying to do? It sounds to me you should be working with layer masks, not channel mask. Channel masks are a way of saving a complex selection as a channel that can be used over and over again.

MH

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your comments:)

It won’t print that way, (check out print with preview) you are seeing a "quickmask" version of the mask, after you have loaded the selection, just turn the mask layer off in the channels palette, it works for me.

That’s what I do, but when I switch to the layer palette, the maks ruby comes back on. Even if I use the keyboard to turn it off, the moment I click on a layer, it’s back – see my message:

So far so good. I turn the channel mask off by clicking the "eye" next to it and go back to the layers.

What are you trying to do? It sounds to me you should be working with layer masks, not channel mask. Channel masks are a way of saving a complex selection as a channel that can be used over and over again.

That’s what I’m doing<g> except the selection isn’t complex. I’m simply learning how to use channel masks. I have worked with quickmask and layer masks and have no problems with those. I use qm a lot for selections and it works great. I also use layermasks quite a bit and have no problems with them. Sometimes you simply have to do the same selection many times and that’s where a channel mask comes in very handy. However with the ruby always coming over the selection when I click on a layer I don’t see the changes I make to the selection. I have done this before and had no problems with it and I’ve followed several tutorials but in the last two attempts I get this problem. I think I either miss a step, add a step or have some setting somewhere that is messing this up.

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Arnor Baldvinsson
San Antonio, Texas

"Arnor Baldvinsson" wrote in message

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your comments:)

It won’t print that way, (check out print with preview) you are seeing a "quickmask" version of the mask, after you have loaded the selection, just turn the mask layer off in the channels palette, it works for me.

That’s what I do, but when I switch to the layer palette, the maks ruby comes back on. Even if I use the keyboard to turn it off, the moment I click on a layer, it’s back – see my message:

So far so good. I turn the channel mask off by clicking the "eye" next to it and go back to the layers.

What are you trying to do? It sounds to me you should be working with layer masks, not channel mask. Channel masks are a way of saving a complex selection as a channel that can be used over and over again.

That’s what I’m doing<g> except the selection isn’t complex. I’m simply learning how to use channel masks. I have worked with quickmask and layer masks and have no problems with those. I use qm a lot for selections and it works great. I also use layermasks quite a bit and have no problems with them. Sometimes you simply have to do the same selection many times and that’s where a channel mask comes in very handy. However with the ruby always coming over the selection when I click on a layer I don’t see the changes I make to the selection. I have done this before and had no problems with it and I’ve followed several tutorials but in the last two attempts I get this problem. I think I either miss a step, add a step or have some setting somewhere that is messing this up.

A,
Are you working from a tutorial? If so can you send a link?. I read that you switched the mask off and the colour remained, which is weird. Are you making your seletion on a background layer, then going into the channel palette and creating the mask from the icon? It should apear "switched off" in the channels palette and you should not see any of the "rubies" until you switch it on.

MH

Hi Mike,

Are you working from a tutorial? If so can you send a link?. I read that you switched the mask off and the colour remained, which is weird. Are you making your seletion on a background layer, then going into the channel palette and creating the mask from the icon? It should apear "switched off" in the channels palette and you should not see any of the "rubies" until you switch it on.

Ah – found it! I was using Ctrl-Create Channel in the channel palette, not the "Save selection as channel" The first one creates a spot-channel not alpha-channel. Just me clicking the wrong button!!!<g> Thanks for the persistance:)

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Arnor Baldvinsson
San Antonio, Texas