diff --git a/yt/visualization/_handlers.py b/yt/visualization/_handlers.py
index 78bca696f9e..e0935db6c77 100644
--- a/yt/visualization/_handlers.py
+++ b/yt/visualization/_handlers.py
@@ -321,7 +321,11 @@ def get_norm(self, data: np.ndarray, *args, **kw) -> Normalize:
             dvmax = 1 * getattr(data, "units", 1)
         kw.setdefault("vmax", dvmax)
 
-        if self.norm_type is not None:
+        if data.ndim == 3:
+            assert data.shape[-1] == 4
+            # this is an RGBA array, only linear normalization makes sense here
+            norm_type = Normalize
+        elif self.norm_type is not None:
             # this is a convenience mechanism for backward compat,
             # allowing to toggle between lin and log scaling without detailed user input
             norm_type = self.norm_type