How to Save an Alpha Channel Selection in Photoshop

Any selection you make in Adobe Photoshop CS3 can be saved as an alpha channel selection. This means that once you save a selection you can load it at a later time to make a quick job of selecting a similar object. Complete the steps below to save a new alpha channel selection in Adobe Photoshop.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Photoshop CS3

1. Start Adobe Photoshop CS3 and open an existing document from your files or create a new, blank document.

2. Make a selection to any object in your Photoshop document by using one of the marquee, lasso or quick selection tools from the Photoshop toolbox. The selection you make should be one that you want to save that you can use later when making an additional selection.

3. Choose the "Select" menu and click "Save Selection" to open the "Save Selection" dialog box.

4. Verify that the document you have open is displayed in the "Document" drop-down list and "New" is displayed in the "Channel" drop-down list.

5. Type a name for the new alpha channel selection in the "Name" text box. This is the name that you will later use to open the selection you are saving.

6. Be sure that "New Channel" is selected under the "Operation" section of the "Save Selection" dialog box.

7. Click the "OK" button to close the "Save Selection" dialog box and return to your Photoshop document.

Tips & Warnings

• You can load your alpha channel selection by choosing the "Select" menu and clicking "Load Selection." Choose the alpha channel name from the "Channel" drop-down list and then click the "OK" button to load the selection.