Environment background won't save with png image

[palosanto]

Hi,

I have a scene with an image set in the Environment background slot of the option editor tab.
The model renders and displays fine in the VFB.
But whenever I save as png, I get a transparent bacground instead of the background image.
If I save as jpg, the image is complete.
Where the heck did the background go ? I like the png format but in this case I don't want transparency and I don't see a choice for invisible or visible background.

When I use a dome light instead and place the environment image there, I have no problem saving as png. But if I use the environment background option I get this problem.
What am I missing ?

[Morbid Angel]

Whats happening is png has alpha and jpg does not. So when you load the png image the sky is there, but your application which loads the png probably applies the alpha immediately so it removes the sky out.

[palosanto]

I'm just opening Photoshop. I have no problem generating and saving as png the rendering with a dome light texture. It only happens with the environment background.
Thanks anyways.

[Micha]

If you disable the alpha at the output channels, than you don't get a transparent background.

I use the image viewer XnView. At the image browser I can turn on/off the transparency per Ctrl+H. Also I can copy the image with background to the opened version without at photoshop.

[palosanto]

Thanks Micha. Again, I'm aware of being able to disable the alpha output channel and I also use XnView. The point is that saving as png if the the alpha channel is enabled, it turns out empty only when using the environment background and it's not when using a dome light.

[Micha]

The dome light is like a sphere object, set it invisible and the background is transparent.

[palosanto]

Mystery solved thanks to a great tip from Raven

Hi Palosanto

If you want to remove the alpha and see the background in photoshop do the following.
Open the image in photoshop.
go to the Layer menu -> Layer Mask -> From Transparency.
This creates a new layer mask.
Now delete the layer mask in your Layers panel.
Your layer should now have no transparency and you background should be visible.
It is one of the tricks with image formats that don't use a separate alpha channel, but rather transparency values for each pixel.

Cheers
Gavin

The background wasn't visible because it was fully transparent not because it wasn't there ...
I apologize if some of you tried to tell me that. I didn't get it. Now I do.

Brilliant !
Thanks Gavin