How do I get the transparency in a PNG with indexed color which has a transparent background?

Question

I have a PNG with indexed color which is rendered with a transparent background in Google Images, so I know the transparency is there, but the color mode is Indexed, and in InDesign & Photoshop I see a white, not transparent background. There must be a setting or save method to use to bring out the transparent background in this image. What might I need to do, preferably with Photoshop?

I do not want to convert the image to RGB and remove the white background through the various possible methods, I want to preserve the perfectly smooth and accurate edge by utilizing the transparency that already exists, but is being rendered as white.

Answer 1

Check your alpha channels in Photoshop (if the panel isn't already visible, you can go to Window > Channels to open it). That's probably where your transparency information is being stored.

If there is an alpha channel, you can CTRL + Click (or CMD + Click if you're on a Mac) on the thumbnail of the alpha channel to select just the visible area (the white part), and do whatever you'd like with the selection.