[APh] Adjustment layers don't have effect on a pixel layer

[Alex_M]

I'm unable to apply adjustment layers to a specific pixel layer. This is the first time I have this problem. Please check the screenshot below. This is a photo of smoke with transparency. No matter what adjustments I apply on top, they don't have any effect on this layer. In the example I've used Recolor but others don't work too (exposure, levels, curves, brightness etc..).

Any help is appreciated, I need to make this work quite urgently.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I've just found out that they start working if I fill the transparent background with color or put another pixel layer underneath. WHY? Can't I modify the smoke's colors without adding another layers underneath? I absolutely need the background to be transparent!

[smadell]

Alex -- are you sure that your document isn't a greyscale image? If it is, that would go a long way toward explaining the problem. Convert the document to RGB 16 bit, and see if the Recolor adjustment works.

[Alex_M]

Yes, I'm positive it's not grayscale. It's RGB 16 bit, I triple checked. I've attached the document if you want to have a look.

smoke.afphoto

[smadell]

Alex - I think I know what the problem is, but I have no good clue how to solve it easily.

If you open the Info panel and click one of the top icons so that you're displaying HSL, as you move the cursor over the image you'll see that it actually doesn't contain any color whatsoever. It's all alpha channel. That's why your Fill Layer, placed underneath, is letting you see color.

I'm not sure if you can make colored pixels out of a purely alpha channel (someone on this Forum will certainly know how to do it). But, you can get the result you want by (1) adding a White fill layer underneath the smoke layer; (2) setting your Recolor adjustment as you'd like it; (3) doing a Merge Visible; and (4) choosing Filters > Colors > Erase White Paper.

[Alex_M]

The Erase white paper trick worked, thanks! I would still like to know if there's a more direct way of doing this. Also, the smoke is a pixel layer, it's not an alpha channel. You can see that it says "pixel" right on the layer in the stack.

[smadell]

Yes, the smoke layer is a Pixel layer. And it is filled to the brim with pixels. However, every pixel has 4 channels - Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha. And the pixels in your smoke have only alpha components. All of the pixels have no hue, no saturation, and no luminance. For all intent and purpose, your smoke layer is varying degrees of transparency without any color.

[lepr]

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[Alex_M]

Ok, this sounds way too complicated than I expected but I might give it a try, thanks. Or just use the erase white paper filter since it worked well too.

[lepr]

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[Alex_M]

The color overlay effect works too. Thanks a bunch!!!

[lettergothic]

Hi, 

I have the same problem as Alex_m and I can't get it to work at all—in Photo (or in Designer, for that matter). 

My image is a trans. PNG of an ink smudge texture, rather than smoke. I want to make it a color, instead of grayscale. No matter what I do—like adding an fx "color overlay" layer, Re: owenr"s suggestion—all i get are greyscale sliders—and no option (that I can find) to change the black to a color. Despite the sentiment that "it's not complicated at all", it's apparently too complicated for me. Perhaps someone could list for me the steps involved in this process so I can figure out what I'm doing wrong?

thanks,

lettergothic

[lepr]

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[lettergothic]

Thanks, owenr. I appreciate the response.

Unfortunately, I still can't get it to work. I went to Document > Colour Format > RGB (16 bit). I went to Layer Effects and chose Color Overlay, selected a model and then a color. I tried RGB, CMYK and PMS. The swatch(es) is/are in the color panel and show(s) as the fill color. The PNG smudge object is selected but refuses to be anything but black.  

thanks,

lettergothic

[lepr]

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[lettergothic]

hey owenr,

Thanks for responding. I've attached the PNG smudge file. I'm not using it in a project. It's just a random texture file that I chose in order to teach myself (HA!) how to change the color in Af. It's kind of seeming to me that such a common graphic designer task as this shouldn't be this hard to accomplish. Over the years, I've done this more times than I can count, just not in Af Photo or Designer. Speaking of Af Designer, can the desired effect be accomplished in Designer as well?

Thanks again,

lettergothic 

[lepr]

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[lettergothic]

owenr,

Fabulous! That's what I'm looking for. It's clear that you can do it. I followed the directions that you sent as best I could. When I couldn't get it to work, I screwed around with it a bunch—also to no avail. So, i'm not sure what else to try. Maybe you could list the steps—if they're any different that what you've already said . . .

thanks again,

lettergothic

[h_d]

Works for me too:

 

 

Before you start, make sure that you have the background layer selected in the layers palette. Then, when you enable the Layer effect, you'll get an "fx" marker next to the name of the layer.

Click the colour swatch in the Layer Effects panel to choose your colour. Make sure that Opacity in the Layer Effects panel is set to 100% and that the Blend Mode is set to Normal.

 

[lepr]

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