Photoshop Channel Tips

The Skill channel (Channel) has always been a headache for beginners using Photoshop, and its understanding is not very deep, not to mention skill. So, what exactly does the channel occupy in Photoshop? That said, it was one of the most important techniques in Photoshop before the 5.0 release. Many special effects, such as advanced color adjustment, image synthesis and so on need to use the layer, It's not so important to start with version 5.0, many of the special effects that can be made in the channel, in the new version, as long as the use of a few simple layer effects on the line, the 6.0 version, this trend is more intensified, basically the channel can do with the layer can do, but the channel still has its unique advantages in Photoshop, than such as storage selection range, use special color, etc. So, it's still the basic skill of photoshop that we can't do. OK, let's take a look at some of the tricks in the aisle.

Because many friends are not very familiar with the channel, we still have to briefly introduce the basic channel concept. There are three channels in Photoshop, one is to store the color information in the image Color channel (color Channel), the second is to store the selection of alpha channel (Alpha Channel), there is a storage of special color information of the spot channel. For basic functionality, see related Photoshop articles.



We often want to save the selection when editing the image, when the alpha channel comes in handy, it can store and edit the selection for later invocation. We can use the following methods to make the alpha channel.
First make a selection range. Then press the record selection field at the bottom of the channel panel to the channel (Save Selection as Channel) button so that a new alpha channel appears on the channel panel and, of course, you can make advanced storage choices. The same is the first to create a selection field, and then on the menu to perform select (selection)-save Selection (storage selection) instructions, will pop up a dialog box, you can make advanced settings. Focus on the following two points, nothing else.

Document: You can choose to store the alpha channel in the current file, the same size open file, or a new file.

Channel: Select the alpha channel location to which the selection will be stored. You can save it as a new alpha channel or join an existing alpha channel, or you can make a layer mask (a fairly practical feature, about layer masks, which will be described in the Layer tips chapter).

Now that your selection has been stored, click on the new alpha channel, and you will see your choice. To recall the selection, just click the load Channel as Selection at the bottom of the Channel Control Panel (bring up the channel to select Domain) button. Your field of choice is back on paper again.

Hold down the Ctrl+shift key and click the alpha channel to add the selection to the existing selection range.

Hold down the Ctrl+alt key and click the alpha channel, from the existing selection, subtract the loaded selection

and hold down the Ctrl+alt+shift key and then click the alpha channel, where you can intersect the selected range of the load on the existing selection.

In addition to storing the existing selection, we can create a new alpha channel and color it to select a range. The

Special color channel. Well, I finally talked about the brilliant place, why did you pick it up? Hey, you'll know when you're going to print the image. In the image to print, we must use CMYK mode, and there are many colors are CMYK can not be reflected, you can not print them out, at this time, the special color channel to make up for the lack of CMYK. So how do you add a special color? Don't worry, here's an introduction to this important technique.

First, we select the new Spot Channel (new special color Channel) command in the Channel Panel pop-up menu, and the new Special Color Channel dialog box appears.

Click on the color behind the Swatch, the Color dialog box appears, click Custom (Custom) button, enter the custom Color dialog box.



In the book (color table) There are many color labels, choose the most commonly used Pantone coated color, and then select a special color, click OK. Go back to the new Special Color Channel dialog box and set the special color preview opacity in the solidity bar. What is preview opacity? This is actually a special color opacity, but it doesn't affect the actual print effect, it just appears as a preview on the screen.

Click OK after a blank special color channel, we can in the special color channel with a variety of fill tools for coloring, black means opaque, white to show transparency, and gray for special color shading. OK, after a variety of edits, we will combine this special color with the other CMYK four channels, so that the special color can be truly dissolved. Click to select a special color channel, then execute the merge Spot Channel on the channel Panel's menu (merge special color channel), the special color will be fused to the other four color channels respectively. We can also transform the alpha channel into a special color channel by double-clicking the alpha channel to be transformed, selecting spot Channel (special color Channel) in the dialog box that appears, and clicking OK to convert the alpha channel to a special color channel.

After this chapter of study, we have mastered the two most important channels of the function. In fact, do not think the passage so deep, it is so simple, we easily mastered. In the next chapter, we'll show you the most exciting part of Photoshop-layer techniques.