Add Alpha Channel

Ensure an image has an RGBA (transparency) channel, converting RGB images to RGBA without modifying existing pixels.

When to use

• Pre-compositing — images without alpha cannot be used as overlays; add the channel first.
• Downstream transparency edits — prepare an opaque image for a pipeline step that will make parts transparent.
• Safe no-op — if the image already has alpha, this operation is a no-op, making it safe to include unconditionally.

Inputs & outputs

Input modality	Image file (URL)
Output modality	Image file (GCS URL)
Max input size	50 MB
Supported formats	JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF

Parameters

This capability takes no parameters — the alpha channel is always added at full opacity (255).

Param	Required	Description
(none)	—	No parameters required.

Examples

Convert JPEG to RGBA for compositing

{
  "type": "image.add_alpha_channel",
  "input": { "image_url": "gs://infery-prod-media/photos/background.jpg" },
  "params": {}
}

Pricing

Billed per megapixel of output image. See pricing dashboard for current rates.

Related capabilities

• image.flatten — inverse operation: remove alpha and fill with a solid colour
• image.composite — overlay images; both base and overlay should have alpha for best results
• image.pipeline — chain add_alpha_channel with other ops in a single execution

{}