Making transparency of layer greater from left to right

[Jeremy Bloom]

Hey

I am a video editor and am making a "lower 3rd graphic" this is the place where a persons name is displayed during an interview

I would like it to become more transparent from left to right making it fade into whatever it is being composited onto. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT IT FADES INTO AN ALPHA CHANNel NOT WHITE OR BLACK.

how do I make this in photoshop

thanks
Jeremy Bloom

[YrbkMgr]

I was thinking a Text Mask, with a gradient applied...

[Eric Purkalitis]

Just use a layer mask.

If your image is on one layer, select the layer in the layers palette. Click the "add layer mask" button at the bottom of the layers palette. A new thumbnail will appear in your layer and the layer mask icon will appear next to the eye icon on the layer. This indicates you're painting in the layer mask. You can only work in grayscale in the mask, black is 100% transparent, white 0%. Now just draw a gradient across the layer.

To toggle between painting in the layer and the layer mask, just click on the thumbnails in the layer. The icon in the layer will switch between the layer mask icon and a paintbrush.

Oh yeah, one annoying PS feature. If the layer is named Background be sure to double-click on the layer name and change it to Layer 0 or something. The background layer works differently, you can't create a layer mask on it.

I think if you're using premiere or after effects you can just bring in a native PS file. I might be wrong on that.