Photoshop

Channels palette overview

The Channels palette lists all channels in the image—composite channel first (for RGB, CMYK, and Lab images). A thumbnail of the channel’s contents appears to the left of the channel name; the thumbnail is automatically updated as you edit the channel.

Channel types

A.
Color channels

B.
Spot channels

C.
Alpha channels

Display the Channels palette

 Choose Windows > Channels.

Resize or hide channel thumbnails

 Choose Palette Options from the Channels palette menu. Click a thumbnail size or click None to turn off the display of thumbnails.

Viewing thumbnails is a convenient way of tracking channel contents; however, turning off the display of thumbnails can improve performance