Inside Photoshop® CS

Saving and Loading Selections

In the previous exercise, you had the opportunity to load a selection that I had made instead of creating it yourself. After making that particular selection (which took only about five minutes), I saved it as part of the Photoshop file. If a selection is not saved as a selection, it is lost as soon as the file is closed—even if the file is saved as a Photoshop PSD file.

The Alpha Channel

So, how do you save a selection? If you invest a lot of time making a selection, you should be able to save it. The process is simple: You use the alpha channel. Sounds like a science fiction channel on your local cable TV, doesn't it? The alpha channel actually is not a channel at all, but rather the name assigned for additional ...