PNG and Transparent Background

[rtibbitts]

Hi,

I'm a new user to Xara and to graphics program in general. I'm using Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 2013 and wish to convert a JPEG image (my company logo) so that it's a PNG file with full transparency. I feel like I may have bitten off more than I can chew but hoping someone can provide some step by step instruction on how (or if) I can do this. To all who help, thanks in advance!

[Gamerprinter]

Can you re-create your logo in Xara? I would import your JPG, then using the pen tool draw the shapes and/or type the letters of your logo with the appropriate font, group it with the non-letter graphics - then export that to PNG format with Alpha transparency. Although there's a trace tool, it won't make a clean logo. Xara doesn't directly convert JPGs to PNG files. You make PNG files from Xara created graphics.

[rtibbitts]

Hey Gamerprinter,

Wow, thanks for the quick reply. Much appreciated. I can't re-create the logo - it's quite detailed. I do see in Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 2013 an option to "Export PNG", not sure if that is part of my solution but I expect I have to remove all of the background first. I saw one video on Xara Extreme Pro that shows how to do this and though the exact same tools aren't available in my version I've come close. The problem is screening out all of the background as the logo is quite detailed. Is there a way to automatically select all of the non-white areas of an image? By the way you can click here to view the image I'm working on.

Thanks again!

[steve.ledger]

Try the MEHDI eraser available in the Live Effects menu.

[mwenz]

But be careful to not remove inner areas that should remain solid color...

Mike

[steve.ledger]

Yes, unfortunately this is unavoidable when removing all white pixels. However it is easily fixed by adding a white shape to the area to remain white and sending to back..

[angelize]

You can also do this by using a Stained Glass Transparency and again you will need to create a white shape and send to the back.

[Egg Bramhill]

Erasers and transparencies work after a fashion but there's nothing that beats the shape editor tool to trace around an object and then intersect the shape. It may sound difficult but as most Xara user are aware you can soon get up to speed using the draw line / bend line way of working.

This logo isn't a great example for this method as it has an overlay of the company name in text. Basically you'd need just the crest without the text ovelay.

Anyway for what it's worth here's a video of using the shape editor tool to cut out the crest and the xar file I used to do it. (I don't mind posting the xar file as it's fairly useless with the text on top)

[amoore]

I'm with Egg on this one. I've had way better results cutting out than with the erasers when it comes to backgrounds.

[angelize]

Actually in my example above I used the shape tool to trace the white shape I placed behind the stained glass transparency just as Egg did in the video. The stained Glass transp removed all the white, then I traced the crest to create the white shape to put it back where it was needed. If you look closely at my example you will notice that I missed a couple of bits that should have been cut out because I was in a rush.

Of course the Stained Glass method only works in this case as the image is black and white.