Force a layer to output to a specific channel only?

[Herbert123]

In Photoshop it is possible to open the advanced layer blending options of a selected layer, and then check specifically which channel it should affect. This means a layer can be limited to output to the red channel, for example.

PhotoLine's layer Color Filter options don't include this option, however. I tried the Change Channels with a placeholder layer to keep it as a live adjustment, but playing around didn't give me the intended result, since it doesn't seem to work with one layer as a source only.

Is there an obvious non-destructive way to take a layer's luminosity and affect a specific channel? Loading that information into a one or two channels only?

[bkh]

One possibility is to use the Channel Mixer to set to zero the channel you want to replace. Then use a channel mixer child layer for the luminance layer to set to zero the other two channels. Set the layer blend mode of the luminance layer to Lighten (maximum) or Add (linear dodge).

Cheers,

Burkhard

[Herbert123]

I tried this before, but the trouble with the channel mixer is that when it is used on a layer, it will indeed affect that particular targeted channel, but override the others and write black into those.

What I want is to tell PhotoLine to use a layer's greyscale values to fill one single channel, and leave the other channels alone. This is meant for texture packing in channels, to explore an alternative approach.

[bkh]

I tried this before, but the trouble with the channel mixer is that when it is used on a layer, it will indeed affect that particular targeted channel, but override the others and write black into those.

That's the reason why you have to use a layer blend mode to add back the other channels.

Cheers

Burkhard