Photoshop, TGA and Alpha channels [Resolved]

[cyborg]

Hi...

I just started working with TGA files in my game and i have some problems loading the alpha channel, and because im really new to Photoshop i dont know if my TGA files even has an alpha channel.

How do i create a TGA file in Photoshop that will use an alpha channel, and how do i edit that channel?

[cyborg]

From the photoshop 7.0 help file
Note: As long as you save a file in a format supporting the image's color mode,
the color channels are preserved. Alpha channels are preserved only when you save
a file in Adobe Photoshop, PDF, PICT, Pixar, TIFF, or Raw formats. DCS 2.0 format
only preserves spot channels. Saving in other formats may cause channel information
to be discarded. (See About file formats.)

i headed on to "About file formats" and clicked "Targa" (TGA)

From the photoshop 7.0 help file
TGA (Targa®) format is designed for systems using the Truevision® video board
and is commonly supported by MS-DOS color applications. Targa format supports
16-bit RGB images (5 bits x 3 color channels, plus one unused bit), 24-bit RGB
images (8 bits x 3 color channels), and 32-bit RGB images (8 bits x 3 color
channels plus a single 8-bit alpha channel). Targa format also supports
indexed-color and grayscale images without alpha channels. When saving an RGB
image in this format, you can choose a pixel depth and select RLE encoding to
compress the image

First part tells me that TGA can't save alpha channels, next part tells me it can.

I dont know what to believe...

When i add a channel to my psd-file it's automaticly named "Alpha 1", and when i try to save it to the TGA format, it shows that the alpha channel will be lost.

Please help me with this!

[cyborg]

anyone?

please help me with this! i really need to create tga's with alpha channels!

[cyborg]

found it out myself...
just save an image as a 32-bit tga and then reload it...use the eraser to 'paint' to the alpha channel.