Expert: LizaL - 5/4/2005

Question
Hi. I need help. I installed Photoshop CS but it drawing area that should've been white, it turns out to be magenta. I did try to open a file and in the image white is replaced by magenta.
You can see my screen in this link: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/warungpojok/Untitled-1.jpg

Answer
Hi Tiyo,

First of all, thanks for posting the screen shot of your problem. This really helps me understand what's happening.

I'll tell you what I think might be going on, but I also need to ask you a couple of things.

1. When you say you did "try to open a file," did you maybe mean you *created* a new file (File > New)? When you create a new document, you have the option of making its background layer either white, transparent, or whatever background color is in your color swatches at the time.

Take a look at this screenshot, and you'll see what I mean:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/new_doc.png

So I'm wondering if maybe at some point the magenta was chosen as your background color, and you created a new document. This would indeed make your bottom (background) layer magenta.

I can see in your screenshot that your foreground color is magenta, though, not your background -- which means you'd have to have swapped your fore- and background colors.


2. Is it possible you're only showing your red and blue channels? This would make magenta. I noticed at the top of your Photoshop document window it says "Red," which tells me your red channel is showing. If you look at your Channels palette, you might see that instead of the composite RGB channel showing, you've somehow along the way deselected green, which would leave red and blue -- which would make your new document magenta.

Like this:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/channels.png

You can see in my screenshot that my color swatches are blue and tan, and in this case, these colors have no bearing at all on what's showing in my new document window. Since I've deselected the green channel, only the red and blue will show, making the magenta.

It'd look like this with a photo file open:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/channels_doc.png


So those are my two theories. Please check what I've mentioned, and see if one of these is the case with your situation.


On the other hand -- if you opened an image -- say, a photograph -- and it was replaced instantly with magenta -- first check to make sure all channels are turned on, in the channels palette (go to Window > Channels to make your channels palette visible).

If all your channels are turned on, and the image still looks covered in magenta, then let me know! I think at that point I'd reinstall Photoshop.

But hopefully it won't come to that.

Let me know what happens!

Lisa