Using Alpha Channel

Now we have stored the various selections, we can use them back.
We open our, in my case, TIFF image and click “Select” – “Load Selection” …in the menu bar.
This opens the “Load Selection” dialog.
In the “Channel” box we click the downward pointing arrow and from the dropdown menu we select the Alpha Channel that we want to load.
Click the OK button.
A much quicker way to load an Alpha Channel is by clicking on the Alpha Channel in the “Channel Palette”, with the Ctrl key pressed.

First I’m going to edit the “glasses” Alpha Channel, so I click Ctrl + the “glasses” channel in the Channel palette.
I open the Layer Palette and see that the glasses are selected.
Now I want to make this selection a new layer, then I do not have to worry about the original picture.
The easiest and quickest way to create a layer from a selection is by clicking on the buttons “Ctrl” plus “J” on your keyboard.
This makes the new layer, double click the name of the new layer and give it an appropriate name.
In the figure below, you can not see much of the contents of the new layer, but believe me, the glasses are definitely in there.

With our new layer selected, we click the fx button at the bottom of the “Layers” palette and choose “Inner Glow” from the dropdown list.
This opens the dialog “Inner Glow”.

Now I can tell you what you need to set here, but this is different for each photo.
So you need to decide what is right for yourself.
What I did was to set the “Opacity” to 80%, I made the color orange, used “centre” for the “Source” (this gives the glow from the inside out again) and “Size” at 6 pixels.
Check the box to preview, you can see what you’re doing.
Click OK when you are satisfied.
That small one is already beginning to look cool.

I am satisfied with the result, so we merge our layers.
Click on “Layer” – “Merge Down” from the menu bar.

Now we use our two other Alpha Channels.
First I load the Alpha Channel “left glass” by clicking on the “Ctrl” on my keyboard and selecting the “left glass” channel in the channel palette.

I make the selection of a layer by clicking on the buttons”Alt” plus “Ctrl” plus “J” on the keyboard.
Why the Alt key I hear you say. Well I can give a name to the layer immediately in the dialog.
I call this “glass 1” and click OK.
I open the “Layers” palette and select the newly created layer “glass 1”.
To soften the transition from the edges of this layer, I first apply a “Blur Box” effect.
I choose “Filter” – “Blur” – “Blur Box” in the menu bar.
This does not necessary have to be the “Blur Box” effect, but I think this is good for what I want to achieve.
Then I click the fx button at the bottom of the Layers palette, choose “Color Overlay”.
In the dialog, I choose “Screen” in the “Blend Mode” and I set “Opacity” to 50%.
I do the same for the “glass 2” layer.

I want the tip of my key to glow, so I shall first add an Alpha Channel.
We do this in the same way as our previous Channels, I make a selection from the tip of the key in the “Channels” palette. ! Note that the RGB channel is selected.
And click the “Save selection as channel” at the bottom of the “Channel” palette.

We switch back over to our “Layer” Palette and load this last selection made.
Click to “Select” – “Load selection” … in the menu bar.
Make this selection a layer by clicking on the buttons “Alt” plus “Ctrl” plus “J” on the keyboard.
Give the layer a name, “key” and click OK.
With the “key” layer selected, I click the FX button at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose “Outer Glow”.
In the “Outer Glow” dialog box that appears, give “Screen” in the “Blend Mode”, “Opacity” at 100%, the color yellow and 16 in the “Size”. (This may vary from picture to picture)
If you are satisfied with the settings in the “Outer Glow” dialog box, right click on the “Color Overlay” window.
In the “Color Overlay”, I give the following settings:
“Vivid Light Blend Mode” =
= An orange color (the key is glowing)
“Opacity” 70%
Of course you can choose your settings.
Click OK when you’re happy with your settings.


P.S. as you notice in the different layers, I had somewhat adapted the shape of Alpha Channels so I saved it as a layer.

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