How do I make jpeg image background transparent?

**Creamlistner** · 03 September 2006, 09:51 PM

There are better ways >.>
If your using PS(photoshop) than heres how.
In your tool box there Is an eraser, If u right clikc It says "background eraser"
This will let u click on the white and It will turn It transparent.
If you have trouble with that, use the pen tool to outline the flower and copy and paste It onto a transparent doc.
Try this out and let me know how It goes.
Save as Png. Otherwise It dosent work, jpeg dosent do transparent =)

**martin_DTP** · 19 February 2007, 09:05 AM

Hi
You can insert jpg picture without backgroud. You must:
I. In Photoshop:
1. Create path by "pen tool".
2. Copy this path by "path selection tool".
II. In Illustrator:
1. Place jpg picture.
2. Paste path by CTRL C (PC) or cmd C (Mac).
3. Select picture and path by selection tool.
4. Create clipping mask (cmd 7 or menu/object/clipping mask/make)
5. In this way you will get jpg without background.

**handrawn** · 19 February 2007, 09:44 AM

and you could try Mark McLaren's macs white filter - one click removal of white
works with my photoshop, and painter too, though not of course on the background layer

http://pspug.org/filters/filtersff.shtml

PS I dont think you can save jpg transparent either - png tif tga, gif of course if 256 colors ok, but not jpg?

**remi** · 19 February 2007, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by handrawn

PS I dont think you can save jpg transparent either - png tif tga, gif of course if 256 colors ok, but not jpg?

You're right, JPG doesn't support transparency. It's a limitation within the file format.
(see also Wikpedia articles about Graphics file formats)

Regards,
Remi

**handrawn** · 19 February 2007, 12:40 PM

Thanks

**martin_DTP** · 19 February 2007, 01:02 PM

Hello

You're right, JPG doesn't support transparency, but I wrote that jpg in Illustrator can be placed without background (path will be masking background).

**remi** · 19 February 2007, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by martin_DTP

You're right, JPG doesn't support transparency, but I wrote that jpg in Illustrator can be placed without background (path will be masking background).

Yes, it's nearly the same function as Egg uses in his popular YouTube video about "Extracting part of a photograph" - not with Adobe Photoshop, but with Xara Xtreme. It's a different method, but it's a good one.

Xara Xtreme includes bitmap images within a vector drawing and allows you to handle these bitmaps with some clever vector methods (the path keeps editable all the time).

Regards,
Remi

**handrawn** · 19 February 2007, 01:09 PM

yo
good job my drawing hand isnt dyslexic

**Idefriginit** · 27 January 2009, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by martin_DTP

Hi
You can insert jpg picture without backgroud. You must:
I. In Photoshop:
1. Create path by "pen tool".
2. Copy this path by "path selection tool".
II. In Illustrator:
1. Place jpg picture.
2. Paste path by CTRL C (PC) or cmd C (Mac).
3. Select picture and path by selection tool.
4. Create clipping mask (cmd 7 or menu/object/clipping mask/make)
5. In this way you will get jpg without background.

Alternatively - you can just do this in Illustrator rather than copying the path from PS. Just draw your path and make sure it is above the photo then grab both the photo and the path and do Ctrl+7 to make a clipping mask.

**Rexoids** · 13 August 2009, 07:59 AM

Hey there,

So my understanding of jpgs has been turned on its head as of today!

Check out the attached and place it in an indesign doc... then tell me how on earth this jpg has a transparent b/g??!!??

I don't know how they've done it! There is a RGB/8# in the title of the file in PS... and I can't seem to get the # in there on other jpgs no matter how I save them?! However, this may not have anything to do with it...!

Completely perplexed,
Rexoids!