John... I think I remember it involving alpha channels...  http://voices.yahoo.com/using-transparency-photoshop-png-vs-tga-3493255.html

Take a look here and see if this is of any help:  http://tutorials.robbiegee.com/ps_tga.htm

You also might take a look at http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSEC964A47-477C-4487-8CF4-332F92636117a.html#WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-7764a

At any rate, adobe.com might have your answer in this search I did...

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?loc=en_us&term=saving%20transparency%20as%20tga%20files&cat=all

Hmm, thanks Doc, but no help there I'm afraid...

Skinstudio uses TGA for its file format, most people convert to PNG, I prefer, and it is quicker to stay strictly with TGA...

Unfortunately Abobe dropped support for transparency in the TGA format ages ago, this could be remedied in later versions by overwriting the file format with the Targa.8bi file from Photoshop 7.

Unfortunately this does not seem to work in the most recent incarnations of PS.

I was hoping Neil might have an answer.

Yeah, I just tried that, didn't work. 

tga remains a problematic file format... sorry, John. I have no use for it myself... hoped something in there would help. Guess not.

I just spent 2 1/2 hours trying to find out since almost when this thread started as I could use it also. Adobe forums and looking any place I could. No luck yet and have tried everything anyone posted that might work.

John... I asked a real Ps guru... Lesa Snider. If anyone knows, she does. Waiting for an answer.

Photoshop CS6 saves transparent TGAs just fine. 

save it as 32-bit with an alpha-channel.

the alpha-channel is where it stores the transparency information.

as i guess you guys do not know what the easiest way to create an alpha-channel from the transparency of your image is, here's how:

- choose Calculations from the Image menu

- Source 1 is your image

- for Layer choose "Merged"

- for Channel choose "Transparency"

- Source 2 does not matter

- for Blending choose "Normal"

- and for Result choose "New Channel"

You need the plugin file from a previous PS edition. I can send it to you if you'd like......just say the word.

ah...looks like you have tried that:

no, they didn't. they just do no longer provide a plugin that makes working with TGAs more convenient. Photoshop never stopped opening and saving transparent TGAs.

the first link of DrJBL may help you to understand what this alpha-channel is all about. it's a pretty good article (except that it claims " a .png file preserves the transparency right on the image without any additional layers, channels or work involved.". that's bullshit, of course tansparent PNG files do have an alpha-channel.)

...

moshi,

here's the thing... When one chooses to open Skinstudio graphics as a tga (do not convert to Png) option.. In older versions of Ps, as long as one continued to use the Ps 7 Targa.8bi the tga would open, with any transparency..intact.

Then, one would be able to modify, and save directly into the skins folder, overwriting the image, and applying it to the theme. Couple of clicks, done.

I realize tga can still be saved with transparency, utilizing several extra steps, which the old Targa format did automatically.

In Cs6 ( I bypassed 4 and 5) Photoshop no longer even has a Targa.8bi... so.. no way to overwrite and continue using the Legacy Targa.8bi.

They apparently have a new type of file that writes tga files, not named.. Targa.8bi...which cannot be replaced with the legacy format.

Its ok, I'll either go back to using pngs, saving to desktop and re-importing, or.. continue to use CS3 for skinning work.

Like you said, it's no longer more convenient than using Png's.

Sucks really..

the transparency is still intact. you just choose Load Selection from the Select menu and choose "Alpha 1" as channel.

the easiest way however would be to save all images as PNG and do a batch conversion with XnView.

well, batch convert isn't really an option as we, skinners typically work on one image at a time and adjust it sometimes dozens of times and overwrite, apply....before its right.

So, as it stands, looks like I will just go back to using Png, then auto-overwrite in SKS as opposed to just resaving the tga directly over the one in the skin folder.

Thanks for your input tho

actually that's exactly when a batch conversion would be handy.

you only have to create a script for a certain folder once and pin it to the taskbar.

then every time before you switch from Photoshop to Skinstudio you click it. you have to move your mouse to the taskbar anyways.

About the changes on Adobe's TGA plugin, they had a reason for that, you can search "TGA plugin" at Adobe forums to find out.

But anyway, you can leave with PNG's just fine, here is how:

• open SkinStudio, go to the settings and make sure you check the option

to convert PNG into TGA.

• open the folder for the skin you're editing, create a folder there called PNG (just PNG not

variations like PNG_xx or something else)

• save all the new skin graphics you want to change or edit into this folder, as .png format

• on SkinStudio, go to any section you want to edit and use the arrow button right after the Import

button on the images area (see the screenshot bellow) and choose the graphic you saved on the PNG folder

mentioned above.

• after you use the import function, you can quick changing the graphics and click the link "Force image reimport"

at the top right of SkinStudio interface (also see screenshot bellow)

I know that reading the instructions, it does sound fancy but it's not, I will make a video showing this process and

post a link in here tomorrow to help more.

--------------------------------

--------------------------------

- Force image reimport

Nice tut, Dani!!

Thanks Danno... look forward to that vid.

Hello. Here is the quick video showing the process.

Please also note that once you imported any image for any section once, you can

keep modifying the image and then only click the "Force image reimport" to

refresh the graphic and see the changes, no need to keep reimporting the image. (also show in the video)

If anyone still have doubts about this, just send me a message and I'll try to help.

Regards,

Dani