Option to Ignore Alpha Channels

[StanRohrer]

IM 5.2.14 seems to not render thumbnails nearly as well as IM3.6. In IM3.6 the layers were included in the thumbs views as saved in the file. In IM5 I'm not seeing the backgrounds as I have set. Is there a setting I need to adjust or is IM5 not as good with layered PSD files? Screen captures attached.

My point is that IM3.6 shows the files as I desire and IM5 does not.

IMatch 3 did not interpret alpha channels. IMatch 5 does, because it was so often requested.
Can't have both, sorry.

When I look at your sample PSD, it has an alpha channel (because you use that option when saving it, and that means that PS writes a composite alpha into the file). And IMatch reads the alpha channel and applies it. If you want explicit options for ignoring alpha channels in IMatch 5, please add a feature request. Since this specific problem was reported once a while ago, and now again by you, there may he a few users who consider this a problem. They can then comment on your feature request, +1 it etc.

It will not be hard to implement, but I expect at least one or two days for the UI, the internal updates to the logic, documentation etc. Quite a lot of work so I need to make sure that more than a handful of users will benefit from this. Otherwise the two days are spent better on other things.

The original discussion is here:
https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=3819.new#new

Am I alone in wanting the previous IM views or are there other users who also want this thumbnail view?


[attachment deleted by admin]

[sinus]

Thanks, Stan

+1 ... for "options for ignoring alpha channels in IMatch 5"

[Carlo Didier]

+1 too, ideally on a "by file type" base, e.g. option transparency for GIF and PNG and option no transparency for PSD, TIFF, etc. for instance.
Would be nice to have.

[Mario]

I have this a quick check and there is no way (from looking at the data returned by the WIC codec or the image library) to tell whether a PSD has a real transparency (no 'bottom' layer) or just one or more selections saved as separate alpha channels. The only way to handle this would be really to add options to disable alpha channel processing entirely for specific file formats / extensions.

[Mario]

IMatch 5.2.18 introduces a feature under Edit > Preferences > File Formats which allows you to disable alpha channel interpretation on a per format basis.

[sinus]

IMatch 5.2.18 introduces a feature under Edit > Preferences > File Formats which allows you to disable alpha channel interpretation on a per format basis.

Super! Thanks for this.

[Carlo Didier]

IMatch 5.2.18 introduces a feature under Edit > Preferences > File Formats which allows you to disable alpha channel interpretation on a per format basis.

Wow! You're like Scotty from the Enterprise! Difficult things are done quickly, impossible things immediately ... 

[Ferdinand]

Yes, it was breathtakingly quick.   

[StanRohrer]

Thanks Mario!

[Mario]

Yes, it was breathtakingly quick.   

I cheated in the UI. I just bolted another check box to Edit > Preferences > File Formats and reused the code path already in place for disabling formats. Not the most elegant solution, but I doubt users will look into this dialog more than a few times anyway. To it was all done in maybe 3 hours.

[Carlo Didier]

That's not cheating. It's genious improvisation ... 

[StanRohrer]

I bow to the Master of programming speed and dexterity!

[StanRohrer]

Works great in 5.2.18!  Thanks Mario!