John... I think I remember it involving alpha channels...  http://voices.yahoo.com/using-transparency-photoshop-png-vs-tga-3493255.html

Take a look here and see if this is of any help:  http://tutorials.robbiegee.com/ps_tga.htm

You also might take a look at http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSEC964A47-477C-4487-8CF4-332F92636117a.html#WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-7764a

At any rate, adobe.com might have your answer in this search I did...

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?loc=en_us&term=saving%20transparency%20as%20tga%20files&cat=all

Hmm, thanks Doc, but no help there I'm afraid...

Skinstudio uses TGA for its file format, most people convert to PNG, I prefer, and it is quicker to stay strictly with TGA...

Unfortunately Abobe dropped support for transparency in the TGA format ages ago, this could be remedied in later versions by overwriting the file format with the Targa.8bi file from Photoshop 7.

Unfortunately this does not seem to work in the most recent incarnations of PS.

I was hoping Neil might have an answer.

Yeah, I just tried that, didn't work. 

tga remains a problematic file format... sorry, John. I have no use for it myself... hoped something in there would help. Guess not.

I just spent 2 1/2 hours trying to find out since almost when this thread started as I could use it also. Adobe forums and looking any place I could. No luck yet and have tried everything anyone posted that might work.

John... I asked a real Ps guru... Lesa Snider. If anyone knows, she does. Waiting for an answer.

Photoshop CS6 saves transparent TGAs just fine. 

save it as 32-bit with an alpha-channel.

the alpha-channel is where it stores the transparency information.

as i guess you guys do not know what the easiest way to create an alpha-channel from the transparency of your image is, here's how:

- choose Calculations from the Image menu

- Source 1 is your image

- for Layer choose "Merged"

- for Channel choose "Transparency"

- Source 2 does not matter

- for Blending choose "Normal"

- and for Result choose "New Channel"

You need the plugin file from a previous PS edition. I can send it to you if you'd like......just say the word.

ah...looks like you have tried that:

no, they didn't. they just do no longer provide a plugin that makes working with TGAs more convenient. Photoshop never stopped opening and saving transparent TGAs.

the first link of DrJBL may help you to understand what this alpha-channel is all about. it's a pretty good article (except that it claims " a .png file preserves the transparency right on the image without any additional layers, channels or work involved.". that's bullshit, of course tansparent PNG files do have an alpha-channel.)

...

moshi,

here's the thing... When one chooses to open Skinstudio graphics as a tga (do not convert to Png) option.. In older versions of Ps, as long as one continued to use the Ps 7 Targa.8bi the tga would open, with any transparency..intact.

Then, one would be able to modify, and save directly into the skins folder, overwriting the image, and applying it to the theme. Couple of clicks, done.

I realize tga can still be saved with transparency, utilizing several extra steps, which the old Targa format did automatically.

In Cs6 ( I bypassed 4 and 5) Photoshop no longer even has a Targa.8bi... so.. no way to overwrite and continue using the Legacy Targa.8bi.

They apparently have a new type of file that writes tga files, not named.. Targa.8bi...which cannot be replaced with the legacy format.

Its ok, I'll either go back to using pngs, saving to desktop and re-importing, or.. continue to use CS3 for skinning work.

Like you said, it's no longer more convenient than using Png's.

Sucks really..

the transparency is still intact. you just choose Load Selection from the Select menu and choose "Alpha 1" as channel.

the easiest way however would be to save all images as PNG and do a batch conversion with XnView.

well, batch convert isn't really an option as we, skinners typically work on one image at a time and adjust it sometimes dozens of times and overwrite, apply....before its right.

So, as it stands, looks like I will just go back to using Png, then auto-overwrite in SKS as opposed to just resaving the tga directly over the one in the skin folder.

Thanks for your input tho