diff --git a/examples/files/alpha-test.png b/examples/files/alpha-test.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f5a64a7
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/files/alpha-test.png differ
diff --git a/src/Matrix.cc b/src/Matrix.cc
index 170c913..06dbce4 100755
--- a/src/Matrix.cc
+++ b/src/Matrix.cc
@@ -1606,13 +1606,27 @@ NAN_METHOD(Matrix::HoughCircles) {
 }
 
 cv::Scalar setColor(Local<Object> objColor) {
-  Local<Value> valB = objColor->Get(0);
-  Local<Value> valG = objColor->Get(1);
-  Local<Value> valR = objColor->Get(2);
+  int64_t channels[4] = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
 
-  cv::Scalar color = cv::Scalar(valB->IntegerValue(), valG->IntegerValue(),
-      valR->IntegerValue());
-  return color;
+  // We'll accomodate a channel count up to 4 and fall back to the old
+  // "assume it's always 3" in the default case
+  if (!objColor->HasRealIndexedProperty(1)) {
+    channels[0] = objColor->Get(0)->IntegerValue();
+  } else if (!objColor->HasRealIndexedProperty(2)) {
+    channels[0] = objColor->Get(0)->IntegerValue();
+    channels[1] = objColor->Get(1)->IntegerValue();
+  } else if (!objColor->HasRealIndexedProperty(4)) {
+    channels[0] = objColor->Get(0)->IntegerValue();
+    channels[1] = objColor->Get(1)->IntegerValue();
+    channels[2] = objColor->Get(2)->IntegerValue();
+    channels[3] = objColor->Get(3)->IntegerValue();
+  } else {
+    channels[0] = objColor->Get(0)->IntegerValue();
+    channels[1] = objColor->Get(1)->IntegerValue();
+    channels[2] = objColor->Get(2)->IntegerValue();
+  }
+
+  return cv::Scalar(channels[0], channels[1], channels[2], channels[3]);
 }
 
 cv::Point setPoint(Local<Object> objPoint) {
diff --git a/test/unit.js b/test/unit.js
index a003ea2..c28ad04 100755
--- a/test/unit.js
+++ b/test/unit.js
@@ -391,5 +391,31 @@ test('MatchTemplateByMatrix', function(assert) {
   })
 });
 
+test('setColor works will alpha channels', function(assert) {
+  var cv = require('../lib/opencv');
+  var mat = new cv.Matrix(100, 100, cv.Constants.CV_8UC4);
+
+  var SQUARE = [ 50, 50 ];
+  mat.rectangle([ 0, 0 ], SQUARE, [ 0, 187, 255, 255 ], -1);
+  mat.rectangle([ 0, 50 ], SQUARE, [ 0, 187, 124, 200 ], -1);
+  mat.rectangle([ 50, 0 ], SQUARE, [ 241, 161, 0, 128 ], -1);
+  mat.rectangle([ 50, 50 ], SQUARE, [ 20, 83, 246, 70 ], -1);
+
+  cv.readImage('./examples/files/alpha-test.png', function(err, imgMat) {
+    if (!err) {
+      var diff = new cv.Matrix();
+      diff.absDiff(mat, imgMat);
+      // We'll verify that each channel is 0
+      var channels = diff.split();
+      for (var i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+        assert.equal(channels[i].countNonZero(), 0);
+      }
+    } else {
+      throw err;
+    }
+    assert.end();
+  });
+});
+
 // Test the examples folder.
 require('./examples')()