copy channel and paste into new layer?

[anderson234]

Hi all,
Very often I ctrl+A and ctrl+C a channel, come back to layers, ctrl+V.
Sometimes I get a NEW gray scale layer, that's what I wanted.
But sometimes it just pastes into the current layer, make it gray scale. How come? I can not find the pattern.

Another question: about copying a channel, do I have to avoid starting from an adjustment layer? ---- if it's an adjustment layer, seems I can see normal channels contents, but I just copy and paste total black. Am I right?

[klev]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

Channels are somewhat specific to the layers themselves. Adjustment layers can only receive alpha channels. RGB channels are the same way. Each individual channel represents one value per pixel. When you cut and paste that, photoshop is programmed to represent such data as a greyscale. There are no deeper theoretical properties there. It's simply a reasonable way to handle things in the absence of an obvious and efficient one.

[anderson234]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

Channels are somewhat specific to the layers themselves. Adjustment layers can only receive alpha channels. RGB channels are the same way. Each individual channel represents one value per pixel. When you cut and paste that, photoshop is programmed to represent such data as a greyscale. There are no deeper theoretical properties there. It's simply a reasonable way to handle things in the absence of an obvious and efficient one.

Thanks for your help. What about the new layer/current layer thing?

[klev]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

I don't understand what you mean by new/current layer. If you make a new blank layer, that's a raster layer. Fill and adjustment layers typically start off with an alpha channel selected, which is why you don't really get anything from them.

[anderson234]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

I don't understand what you mean by new/current layer....

I mean: if I paste, sometimes I got a new layer, sometimes it just was pasted into the current layer, covering the current layer.

[John Wheeler]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

Hi Anderson

I know of a couple cases where this an occur yet here is one of those possibilities - human error if you are moving fast (not sure this is the actual problem for you)

When you go to channels and select the channel you want to copy, a critical step is that you need to turn all channels back on before pasting.

If you don't, switch to Layers panel without looking at the image and do a quick paste, yes indeed the image is gray scale yet not because of a paste, only because the single channel is turned on.

Again, not sure that is your issue yet is easy to check and see if it is. After you see this problem, go back to the Channels panel and just verify all channels are turned on.

Here is another case

If for some reason you have created an empty Layer and it is the one selected, yet your image looks there (from the Layers below), if you copy and paste as you indicated, no new layer is created and it puts the grayscale just into the empty Layer.

There are likely other ways this can occur yet not sure. These are worth checking if for nothing else to rule them out.

You have quite the mystery.

[anderson234]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

Hi Anderson

I know of a couple cases where this an occur yet here is one of those possibilities - human error if you are moving fast (not sure this is the actual problem for you)

When you go to channels and select the channel you want to copy, a critical step is that you need to turn all channels back on before pasting.

If you don't, switch to Layers panel without looking at the image and do a quick paste, yes indeed the image is gray scale yet not because of a paste, only because the single channel is turned on.

Again, not sure that is your issue yet is easy to check and see if it is. After you see this problem, go back to the Channels panel and just verify all channels are turned on.

Here is another case

If for some reason you have created an empty Layer and it is the one selected, yet your image looks there (from the Layers below), if you copy and paste as you indicated, no new layer is created and it puts the grayscale just into the empty Layer.

There are likely other ways this can occur yet not sure. These are worth checking if for nothing else to rule them out.

You have quite the mystery.

Thank you so much, sir. That explained every thing! Perfect!

[John Wheeler]

Re: copy channel and paste into new layer?

You're welcome Anderson. Glad those cases explained your issue.