CompuServe Messages

Steve, The IFF ILBM format is indeed limited to 24 bit-planes. However, IFF covers more than just bitplane images, although to many people it is synonymous with InterLeaved BitMaps. The DEEP variant was developed by Tecsoft (for TVPaint) and ACS (producers of the Harlequin 32 bit RGBA graphics card) as a faster way of dealing with 24 bit images that are handled as "one byte per pixel colour", rather than as bit-planes. IFF Deep can also handle 32 bit RGB+Alpha as easily as 24 bit RGB. Unfortunately the only programs I know of which save 32 bit RGBA images are TV Paint and my own ZCG32 Character Generator. Unfortunately I don't know Photoshop (apart from by reputation), nor the PICT file format or the options you have when saving. If the "Use incoming Alpha" option doesn't work with a 32 bit RGBA image, then I'd try saving the Alpha as an 8 bit greyscale, the "main" image as 24 bit RGB, and see if these will load into ADPro. You could then save them out as 8 bit grey and 24 bit RGB IFF files, and these WILL load back in using the 8 bit grey in "Load as Alpha" mode, and the 24 bit RGB with "Use Alpha memory". However, it'd be better if the PICT loader worked as expected 😎 -Martin