Layers/Channels Dialog Help

[Koyaanis]

I noticed when I create a new layer, then use "Convert Layer Type" to something other than RGB or whatever the background layer was, say to CMYK or LAB. That if I go to the Layers/Channels dialog that the Channels don't reflect the new layer type. If I started out with a background image in RGB, and create a new layer in CMYK, that new layer's properties stay as RGB in the Channels/Layer dialog.

The tools and things that allow me to edit in each type of channel reflect the change. Meaning: if I select the new CMYK layer, and then choose the Painting tool, it shows having the CMYK selection buttons on Tool Settings dialog. But the Layers/Channels dialog does not.

There are times where I'd like to use a filter or tool that does not have a Tool Settings dialog, but I'd like to use it on one of the CMYK channels of the new layer. If I could select that channel in the Layers/Channels dialog then all would work as I had hoped.

Is this how it is supposed to work? Or is this something that needs to be fixed/improved?

[Gerhard Huber]

this is how it is supposed to work.
At "Channels" you will alway see the whole document reduced to the kind of the background layer. That's the way Photoshop does it and we do it the same way.

Gerhard

[Koyaanis]

Thanks for the explanation. I thought that might be how it was working (but I didn't test it at the time). If I recall, I think I was trying an experiment by using a Focus Magic plugin, to see what effect it would have if I only applied it to a luminosity channel instead of all of them, when I noticed this drawback.

I just found a little work-around for it though. If I drag the layer that I want to work on, down to the "background" layer's position, then it does change the Layer/Channels dialog to reflect the new channel types. And then I can work on it that way. Then drag it back when done. I think it still would be nice though if I could see how it would appear above the background layer, so I can adjust its transparency over the background layer to fine-tune the effect it would have in real-time. This is what I was hoping to do with the Focus Magic plugin at the time. Applying it to varying degrees to different channels and seeing how they merged with the background.

Do you have to follow PhotoShop's drawbacks? Would it be possible to put in a little toggle switch or check-box on the Layers/Channel dialog (on the channels view) that said something like "Background or Selected Layer"?

This could really open up tons of possibilities for plugins and other tools that don't have a channel selection option (without some clunky work-arounds).