Easiest way to put 3 separate grayscale images into the RGB channels of a document

[Pixel and Poly]

So I'm just trying to find an easy way to take a grayscale image and put it into one of the RGB channels of a different document. I figured out a method but it takes many steps for each channel and I'm assuming there is a much easier way that I'm missing.

I was hoping that I could simply copy a grayscale image; go to a specific RGB channel and paste it into that channel but that just creates a whole new pixel layer.

Any suggestions are appreciated! Cheers!

[NotMyFault]

Pasting into channels has been requested repeatedly, unfortunately it is not available. Affinity always creates new layers when pasting, and ignores channels panel settings.

 

It requires at least 2 steps, but totally depends on how often do you want to do this, and what color formats the different documents have.

The basic workflow:

1. have the source image within your document (paste, place, …), and layer selected in layer stack
2. choose channels panel, choose one of the color channels, create spare channel
3. Select destination layer in layer stack
4. choose channels panel, choose spare channel, and click „load to layer R/G/B“

[NotMyFault]

If you need this edit steps more frequent, a non-destructive workflow could be faster, as you can save some assets and adjustment layers as presets / templates.

Assuming you have only the src and dst layer in the document, covering the full canvas:

1. add a channels mixer adjustment nested to lower dst layer. The CM should zero out the target color channel. You can save this as preset.
2. add the src layer on top. Set blend mode to add.
3. add another CM adjustment to src layer, zero out the 2 other color channels.

Now the blend results is visible. If you need this as one single layer: merge visible, or flatten document.

you can record macros to do all steps in once.

[Pixel and Poly]

1 hour ago, NotMyFault said:

Pasting into channels has been requested repeatedly, unfortunately it is not available. Affinity always creates new layers when pasting, and ignores channels panel settings.

 

It requires at least 2 steps, but totally depends on how often do you want to do this, and what color formats the different documents have.

The basic workflow:

1. have the source image within your document (paste, place, …), and layer selected in layer stack
2. choose channels panel, choose one of the color channels, create spare channel
3. Select destination layer in layer stack
4. choose channels panel, choose spare channel, and click „load to layer R/G/B“

Hi, Thanks for the quick reply! I was kind of hoping there was a 'paste into channel' option that I was missing somewhere. Your first method is the one that I did figure out and currently use but was hoping there would be a quicker method somehow. I might just make a macro that will do these steps for me in the end. I have three different types of grayscale texture maps that I need to place into a single RGB document to use in a game engine where I will be accessing each of the channels separately for their desired purpose. I think I will just make a macro for each color channel.

[NotMyFault]

If you have a „deconstructed“ workflow, meaning you need to manage the 3 color channels individually, it could make sense to keep the channels totally separate during edits in 3 groups, all containing one channel, and use blend mode add to combine.

When exporting to a bitmap format, the channels will be combined automatically.

This is similar to trichromatic, but you can skip the initial stacking, and replace it by a macro to deconstruct the original 3 channel image and build the groups, set blend mode, and add channel mixer.

Or simply use the example file and just replace the pixel layers in the groups.

This workflow allows you to easily edit channels individually, including copy &  paste of complete layers. The result is always combined automatically and can be exported to bitmap, without any need to combine them manually. 
 

Further edits intended to work in classical way can be added on top of the 3 groups.

It will take some time to adjust your style to this non-destructive approach, but then produce results faster and more reliable. It does not make sense to use Affinity apps „against the system“, sticking to destructive workflows which worked great in other apps.

 

 

[AffinityMakesMeSad]

11 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

If you need this edit steps more frequent, a non-destructive workflow could be faster, as you can save some assets and adjustment layers as presets / templates.

Assuming you have only the src and dst layer in the document, covering the full canvas:

1. add a channels mixer adjustment nested to lower dst layer. The CM should zero out the target color channel. You can save this as preset.
2. add the src layer on top. Set blend mode to add.
3. add another CM adjustment to src layer, zero out the 2 other color channels.

Now the blend results is visible. If you need this as one single layer: merge visible, or flatten document.

you can record macros to do all steps in once.

As I see here, this is only an desktop feature to be achieved - the command “Load to RGB” is missing on the iPad version of Affinity Photo 2.10 beta 1742…

[Komatös]

1 hour ago, AffinityMakesMeSmile said:

As I see here, this is only an desktop feature to be achieved - the command “Load to RGB” is missing on the iPad version of Affinity Photo 2.10 beta 1742…

Do you remember that I once wrote that there are some features for the desktop programs of the Affinity Suite, but not for the iPad version?

Maybe that's one of them.

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, AffinityMakesMeSmile said:

As I see here, this is only an desktop feature to be achieved - the command “Load to RGB” is missing on the iPad version of Affinity Photo 2.10 beta 1742…

Perhaps I'm confused, but I see this when operating on a Spare Channel in Photo 2.1.0.1742 on iPad. Isn't this the same thing?

[AffinityMakesMeSad]

9 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Perhaps I'm confused, but I see this when operating on a Spare Channel in Photo 2.1.0.1742 on iPad. Isn't this the same thing?

Sorry guys, but when I tested @NotMyFault and his tips, my document was stucked in CMYK color mode 😞

When switching to RGB mode my iPad had this features also…

Getting old and confused…

[NotMyFault]

2 hours ago, AffinityMakesMeSmile said:

As I see here, this is only an desktop feature to be achieved - the command “Load to RGB” is missing on the iPad version of Affinity Photo 2.10 beta 1742…

As @walt.farrell already pointed out:

the function is available on iPad. But the menu is context-sensitive and only available on spare channels, not for „composite …“ or „pixel layer …“ channels.

node tool join bug ipad 2.0.4.afdesign

[Pixel and Poly]

9 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

If you have a „deconstructed“ workflow, meaning you need to manage the 3 color channels individually, it could make sense to keep the channels totally separate during edits in 3 groups, all containing one channel, and use blend mode add to combine.

It will take some time to adjust your style to this non-destructive approach, but then produce results faster and more reliable. It does not make sense to use Affinity apps „against the system“, sticking to destructive workflows which worked great in other apps.

 

I'll take a look at that file and workflow. I feel like it might just be easier to use macros to insert the grayscale images into the single document over this method but I do appreciate it and will feel it out!