Having weird problems with photoshop 7

[JadedKitsune]

I'm running Photoshop 7 on windows xp sp3 and I'm having some weird problems with it.
I'm trying to clean up and color my line art which I scan @ 300 dpi in RGB color and open with photoshop. After I desaturate and clean up the image using the curves adjustment, I duplicate the background layer and then delete the original. Now I go to the channels palette and ctrl+click on one of the color channels and then ctrl+shift+i to invert the selection. Then I open a new layer and that is where the problems begin. When I try to use the paint bucket to fill the selection, the fill is semi-transparent and also bleeds outside of the selected area. Instead of being a solid black, its solid in the middle of the selection and gets more transparent the closer to the edge it gets and there are also gray pixels mixed in with it. It shouldn't do that. Also, no matter what I try, there are always stray semi-transparent gray pixels strewn about the new layers. They aren't evident until I do something with the new layer like fill it with a solid color etc. They also show up extensively around the lines. The final problem I have is after I finish, resize, and convert my image to jpeg, I'll notice that there are stray pixels around all the lines, separating the actual lineart from the colored portions. I never had these problems in the past, so I don't know if I'm just forgetting something crucial, or if there is actually a problem with my software and or computer. Please help!!!!!!

[Steve]

A lot of weird problems can be corrected by resetting the preferences file.
This may or may not fix your problem but it's the first thing I would try.

Start Photoshop and immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows)
or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS X).

Then, click Yes to the message, "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file?"

[JadedKitsune]

I'll give that a try, but I just wiped my hd and reinstalled everything including photoshop less than 2 weeks ago; can it really get messed up that quick?

[JadedKitsune]

Just tried that, didn't work, I've still got the semi transparent fill :(

[dv8_fx]

I have a feeling your cleaned up line drawings aren't as clean as you think they are. This is evident in the stray pixels along the drawing lines and in certain areas like bleeding outside the selected areas.

I suggest examining the line drawing layer ..... create 2 layers below the line drawings - fill one with black the other white..... toggle between the two layers...... chances are you'll find the invisible dirt - very pale white smudges or maybe 1 percent black......

[JadedKitsune]

This doesn't solve the issue, the stray pixels I have some ways of dealing with, the big problem is like I mentioned before, the fact that when I select the lines so I can fill them they don't fill opaque, they're partially transparent and pixels outside the selected lines are also effected, and all the pixels carry over to new layers. It never did this in the past and for the life of me I can't figure out why its doing this just now. I'm going to post a link to the tutorial I used to learn how to color with photoshop. Perhaps seeing it can help shed light on what the issues are. Colouring Line Art Photoshop Tutorial :: Melissa Evans

[dv8_fx]

There's another way to check..... lock the layers transparency so when you fill the layer with black, the seemingly transparent parts outside the drawing is unaffected. But if the drawing "grows" or certain areas get darker , there's the stubborn pixels.....

[dv8_fx]

Ooops,,, didn't see your post.... Letme see that tute....

OK .... you mentioned CTRL+clicking one of the CHANNELS..... Let's assume you clicked RED..... WHY?

[dv8_fx]

I ask this curious to know what you intended to do .... why use the data on one of the channels to color fill on a new layer......

[hawkeye]

I don't think the problem is with photoshop at all, I thinks it's with your workflow. Listen to what dv8_fx is saying.