Load to Background Alpha Question

[inquire]

Question about this: 

In Poser, I can save a rendered image as either a .PNG file or a .PSD file. I've rendered the images with only characters, no backgrounds. When I open a .PNG file in AffinityPhoto 1.5, it opens with a transparent background, as it should. If I open a .PSD file in AffinityPhoto, the background is colored and solid.

I posted a question about this in a Poser forum. I got the following answer:

Hi. To get the transparency when using a PSD file in Affinity Photo. On the Channels panel go to the very bottom where it says Alpha, right mouse click and select - Load to Background Alpha.

 

There were even images to illustrate this. I did open the Channels panel and went to the very bottom where it says Alpha. I'm on a Macintosh, so I tried Control-->Click, and then Option-->Click, and even Command-->Click, but no dialog box showed up which allowed me to select "Load to Background Alpha" and make the background transparent. 

 

I've tried watching Tutorials here on Channels. I still don't get it. Is there a way to do this and turn the "colored background" transparent? The image, again, has been rendered with no background and does show up fine if I open the .PNG version in AffinityPhoto.

 

[R C-R]

For this to work, you must first select a layer in the Layers panel. If you do not, you just get the composite channels in the Channels panel. Selecting a layer should add another set of channels you can choose from, named for the layer name.

[inquire]

Yes, I've done that. Still doesn't work. There is only one layer, though, in the Layers panel. IS that it: there is no separate alpha layer? The PDF file I've inserted is supposedly giving me the instruction.

The screen shot shows that the file loads with only one layer.

Transparency with PSD file in AffinityPhoto.pdf

[R C-R]

It would help if you would attach a sample pdf file you exported from Poser, but in your screenshot it appears there is a spare channel at the bottom named Alpha. I don't know if that is something you created or what but if you right click on that, you should get the "Load to Background Alpha" option mentioned in the Poser forum. From the spare channel's thumbnail, it looks like it is indeed an alpha channel transparency mask that would mask out the parts of your pdf file that are not part of your Poser figure.

 

However, it may be much simpler than that, depending on how Poser exports the pdf file: Go to the Document menu & see if the "Transparent background" menu item has a checkmark. If not, select it.

[inquire]

OK, here's a  .PSD file with No Background. I also saved it as a .PNG file, just to check and see that other than the central figure, the file is transparent. I've tried opening the file in AffinityPhoto 1.5. This is on a Macintosh Pro, running OS X 10.12.6, the latest OS. As above, I see all of these channels. I have Control-Clicked, and Command-Clicked, and Option-Clicked. Nothing! It's supposed to be Control-Click, is that correct? Anyway, it does not happen.

There is no option for "Transparent Background" in the Poser menu.

So, I don't get it, why doesn't it work?

I'll try to load up the .PSD file (just a simple one) and a screen shot of this file opened in AffinityPhoto.

No Background.psd

[MEB]

Hi inquire,

Check the clip below (no sound).

[inquire]

No, I'm sorry., This is not working for me. Now, I don't have the Navigator, Transform, History, and Channels options showing on the right side of AffinityPhoto. I go to View-->Studio-->Channels. Does that make a difference? I can see that you are doing it. It does not work for me.

[MEB]

Hi inquire,

Go go to menu View ▸ Studio ▸ Reset Studio. Also make sure you have Show Right Studio ticked in the same menu (View ▸ Studio).

Which OS version are you running?

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, inquire said:

No, I'm sorry., This is not working for me. Now, I don't have the Navigator, Transform, History, and Channels options showing on the right side of AffinityPhoto. I go to View-->Studio-->Channels. Does that make a difference? I can see that you are doing it. It does not work for me.

For what it is worth, I normally have the Channels panel set to float as an independent window (like in MEB's clip after he drags it out of the Right Studio). For me, it works the same wherever the Channels panel is visible, whether in the Right or Left Studio or undocked: just like in the clip, if I right-click on the "Alpha" spare channel, I get the options in the popup menu, including "Load to Background Alpha."

 

Regular (left) clicks with a modifier keyboard key (CMD, Option, etc.) held down do not work -- as with many other modern Mac apps the modifier keyboard keys together with a left (button 1) click no longer will emulate a right (button 2) click.

[inquire]

Well, I did the Reset Studio thing. Still doesn't work. I've read the above response about this Control-Click no longer emulating a right click. Originally, at least, AffinityPhoto was written for the Macintosh. Does this mean there is no way to accomplish this on a Macintosh? Maybe with a Wacom tablet? Actually, I have one, but I don't like it because several times the driver didn't work. Is there no Macintosh way to do this? If that is the case, it looks like AffinityPhoto is leaning towards being another Windows only app.

[MEB]

Hi inquire,

You mean the panel is still not available or that right-clicking the channel does nothing?

To access the right-click menu even with one button mouse, press and hold ⌃(ctrl) then click between the channel thumbnail and it's name (try more than one time if needed). Seems this is the only place where it currently works and what's causing you trouble. I've logged this issue with the dev team.

 

If you can't still see the Channel panel, reset the app, pressing ⌃(ctrl) while launching it from Launchpad then selecting Clear from the dialog that will open.

[R C-R]

@inquire, what kind of pointing device (mouse, trackpad, etc.) do you use with your Mac? How many buttons or button equivalents does it have? Every Mac sold for the last decade or so except the Mac Mini comes with a pointing device with at least 2 buttons, or the equivalent (two finger click, etc.). The second button function is typically referred to as a right click because in System Preferences > Mouse one of the options for a two button mouse is to choose between the 'left' & 'right' button to use as the "primary" mouse button, making it button 1 & the other one button 2. The default is for the left button to be the primary one.

 

So can you right click or not with whatever pointing device you use?

[inquire]

OOPS! Sorry. I didn't even realize this. OK, I made one of the two buttons a "secondary" button (the right one), and now I can right-click to make the background transparent.