Desperate need of help

[bmacior]

I just started taking a class in photoshop. I'm working in colorizing a grey scale image. I've made a channel and colored the dress. Another channel and colored the face. Made a third channel for the hair (duplicated the face channel) and now I need to add the dress selection to the hair channel. (When the teacher did this, the blue dress went pink). I can't get the face and dress selections to combine on hair channel.

[TommyO]

Might you be referring to "layers", not "channels"?
If so, check you blending mode for each layer. To get the colors to blend together nicely, blend modes other than "normal" should be used - "color" blend mode being the most popular. Otherwise, your only option is to lower the opacity of the layers.

If you were referring to "channels", the only instance in which they turn red/pink is when a newly added channel is selected at the same time as the RGB composite channel.

[bmacior]

I'm not referring to layers. All work is being done in channels to mask unwanted areas. When I have just what I want to colorize left unmasked, then I create a layer for that area and fill it with color. I have a channel unmasked for the dress. Another channel unmasked for the face. I need to combine these two channels (then invert) for the hair. By combining the two channels the marching ants are in exactly the same location for starting the masking on the hair channel. My teacher did this and the face turned from a skin color to a orangish color and the blue dress turned pink (on the hair channel), the grey "wall" stayed grey. He's teaching this class without a textbook and without handouts (this is at a state school)and told me he's not going to show me again (showed me 3 times, guess I'm dense-or at least he thinks so). I need this figured out so I can continue to work on my assignment. I don't want to go back class without something more done. If I can learn this, I should be able to complete the assignment this weekend. Help!

[mistermonday]

Welcome to RP bmacior!
There are a number of ways to do this. Select the composite image then go to the Select menu and choose Load Selection. From the pull down menu select the channel or alpha mask that you want. Then do the same thing again and select a different channel. You will now be offered more options; Choose :Add to Selection". Keep doing this until you have selected all of the channels you need, then do Select > Save Selection and save the composite as a new channel.

Another method is to Select>LOad Selection and choose Save Selection and choose one of the other channels and the Add to Selection option box and it will add the two channels together.

Another method is to open the channels palette and ctrl+Click on the thumbnail to load the selection. Then do Select>Save Selection and coode the destination channel. You can add, subtract and intersect.

Good luck with your assignment.
Regards, Murray

[TommyO]

Thanks for explaining in more detail.
That sounds like a great teacher.

In addition to Murray's recommendations, you may also want to see if the teach was using Apply Image.

Another method of combining channels is with the Image>Apply Image command. It is hard to find later, and somewhat hard to remember or understand. It is also similar, and ofter referred to as calculations. Although, the Calculations command is a bit different. It is not used as part of selections, but basically combines one entire channel with another, using blending mode of your choice.

You can take a look and see if this was used at all.

[bmacior]

Thank you thank you thank you! Don't know what I was doing but that add button was never"available". If you don't do things just right, they don't work. Been in class for 2 weeks and I leave just about every class on a downer. It's going to be a long year. I am learning though.

This site is going to be a god send. Please bear with me. I'm sure I'll be coming here all the time.

Thanks again so much!