Alpha Channels

I'm trying to add an alpha channel in Photoshop (so that I can import just the text into Flash) and I'm missing a step somewhere.

Click on your Channels tab, then click 'New Channel'.

I did click on "new channel." I even got as far as saving the thing (and I could see the outline of the MAs around the text that I had wanted) and when I saved it, I saved it as a .psd. My problem is that when I tried to import it into flash, it imported the entire screen instead of just the alpha channel that I wanted.

And I don't want the entire screen on my web page. I just want the text (or a stinkin' rectanglar area with the text inside it) around it.

And I'm really new at Photoshop, so I may be jumping ahead trying to learn something that I'm not capable of doing yet.

Or maybe I should just re-consult the manual. Except that it reads like stereo instructions...

I don't know anything about Flash yet but the problem may be there, and not with photoshop. Perhaps someone here that knows Flash better than I do could help you out.

Photoshop can only export raster objects and Adobe Illustrator vector paths. Flash being primarily vector, you may want to just type your text or do text effects directly in Flash.

But if you want to export work from photoshop to a file suited for Flash, all you have to do is save it in .PNG format. To have a transparent background on the work you want to export, you must make certain there is no background visible on your photoshop piece. You can remove the background by clicking the "eye" icon on the background layer(s) you have on your graphic. You should see the transparency checkerboard behind the stuff you want to export. Then simply save as a .PNG file and import it into Flash. This will do wonders for all your raster work in Flash.

Don't export/import as .JPG files. Not only will you lose your transparency, you will end up getting your graphics re-compressed as Flash also compresses graphics when you export a Flash movie.