Alpha Channel

MG
Posted By
Mal_Greenberg
Nov 5, 2003
Views
332
Replies
3
Status
Closed
Photoshop 7 with Windows XP. Figure created in 3D program (Poser 5)and rendered into TIFF with alpha channel saved. Opened in PShop to be sure alpha channel was there (it was) and resaved from Pshop. Then tried placing this file into Illustrator (version 8) and the background showed up as white over a blue filled box in Illustrator. Then saved it as an EPS. Same thing. Tried copy and paste and the white background showed up again, but smaller than the whole frame.

Finally tried "Export transparent Image" in the Help menu and that seemed to work, but in a clumsy way. It brings in a box for the alpha information.

My goal is to create large (24" x 30") posters in PDF format. It needs to be at a 150 dpi resolution for production on a plotter. I’ve done several through Illustrator and need several more. The only work-arounds I see is to use Photoshop for the entire format or use Illustrator with the clumsy guide box.

Are there any other, more user frendly, methods to use?

Mal Greenberg
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alpha channel

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L
LenHewitt
Nov 5, 2003
Mal,

What vesrsion of Ill?

If 9 or 10, then open the tiff, load the alpha as a selection, rename your b/g layer to something other than "Background", hit tyhe delete key to give you true transparency and Save As PSD. Place the PSD in Illustrator and transparency will be retained.

If an earlier version of Illustrator, the only ‘transparency’ that will be recognized is a clipping path in an EPS or by creating a clkipping mask in Illustrator (you can of course exportt a clipping path from Photoshop – Export Paths to Illustrator – and use that as you clipping mask in Illustrator)
MG
Mal_Greenberg
Nov 6, 2003
This sounds like a plan. But if the file is saved as a PSD, then brought into Illustator, will it retain its 150 DPI resolution for productionon a plotter? These are large posters and a lower resolution for the output would not be acceptable.
L
LenHewitt
Nov 6, 2003
Mal,

will it retain its 150 DPI resolution for productionon a plotter?<<

If you save at 150 ppi and don’t re-size in Ill then it will stay at 150 ppi (as will any raster format)

[NOTE: PSD not PDF if you were thinking along the lines of PDF re-sampling]

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