Another Transparency Tip ...

[Ross Macintosh]

In this thread there have been some good basic advice about transparencies. Rather than burden that thread with yet more pixels, I thought I'd post this transparency tip in its own thread.

My tip is you can still use the tansparency tool with the "transparency shape" set to "none". You don't have to set it to flat, linear, eliptical, etc. to use it! For the example below I overlayed a black & white bitmap on the wood-filled shape. With the imported bitmap selected I set its transparency type to "stained glass" without adjusting any other settings. (Transparency shape was left set to "none"). With the stained glass type set, the white in the bitmap became transparent.

While I used a black & white bitmap, the same technique can be used with almost any bitmap. You will get a slightly different effect using a greyscale image vs. a full colour. Xara's bitmap effects can be used to convieniently reduce the colour depth of your bitmaps.

I often use this technique with a scanned in pencil sketches. I put them on their own layer, set the transparency type to "stained glass" and then make the layer uneditable. I then draw on other layers that are behind the one with the sketch. By drawing on layers behind the black pencil lines remain black. If I'm 'colourizing' the image I can be quite sloppy (ie quick) with the colour-filled shapes because their boundries are masked by the pencil lines. I find this technique works very well.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Ross Macintosh]

In this thread there have been some good basic advice about transparencies. Rather than burden that thread with yet more pixels, I thought I'd post this transparency tip in its own thread.

My tip is you can still use the tansparency tool with the "transparency shape" set to "none". You don't have to set it to flat, linear, eliptical, etc. to use it! For the example below I overlayed a black & white bitmap on the wood-filled shape. With the imported bitmap selected I set its transparency type to "stained glass" without adjusting any other settings. (Transparency shape was left set to "none"). With the stained glass type set, the white in the bitmap became transparent.

While I used a black & white bitmap, the same technique can be used with almost any bitmap. You will get a slightly different effect using a greyscale image vs. a full colour. Xara's bitmap effects can be used to convieniently reduce the colour depth of your bitmaps.

I often use this technique with a scanned in pencil sketches. I put them on their own layer, set the transparency type to "stained glass" and then make the layer uneditable. I then draw on other layers that are behind the one with the sketch. By drawing on layers behind the black pencil lines remain black. If I'm 'colourizing' the image I can be quite sloppy (ie quick) with the colour-filled shapes because their boundries are masked by the pencil lines. I find this technique works very well.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[gwpriester]

Great sketch, Ross. Before the image scrolled all the way down, I just assumed it was a line engraving from the 1800s. Silly me :-)

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Rarely So Humble...

[dk_art]

hey ..nice heron ... I used to see them flying slowly overhead down in Annapolis all the time.

Great tip ...I had no idea you could do that.

David K

[Ross Macintosh]

Thanks Gary. That heron was drawn with a rapidograph pen on tracing paper. I have a series of Nova Scotia wildlife sketches I originally drew for an interpretive project relating to the village of Peggy's Cove, here in Nova Scotia. I drew dozens of Cove related sketches and then designed and coordinated the manufacture of porcelain enamel interpretive panels. The panels will have a minumum 30 year life outdoors which means the could easily outlive me. It was a big accomplishment for an amateur illustrator/graphic designer like myself. I have resisted going and seeing them for fear that I might start second guessing the approach/skills I brought to the task. The times I have seen them it has been fun listening to the tourists commenting on them. It can be fun to do what I do.

Although nothing to do with xara, I attach a concept sketch for one of those panels. My life would have been much easier if I had Xara in the days I did that work. The panels were made in 1993.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Ross Macintosh]

Yes David you can! If you have a scanner you might find the technique really good for the painting development work you do in xara.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Egg Bramhill]

I'm always amazed at what can be achieved with the transparency tool. Often I use it by trial and error. I find it very worthwhile just applying various transparency types to see the effects. The panels are very interesting too, even without being able to read the text.

I still believe Gary was correct that you did the engraving in the 1800's tho ;-)

Egg