You CAN export an image on transparent background

[TammyKat]

I just did it ! FINALLY !!! lol I have needed this because I also use psp and I couldn't make a graphic in xara then export it and use it in psp and get a nice clean edge unless I "tubed" it by hand ! PITA !! SO I have looked and looked through this forum with nothing that says this ! SO..sharing here !!

All I did was...once I was done with my image I went to export...hit PNG.. changed the option from true color to true color AND alpha... then under the options tab check the box that says transparency and check the box that says export each layer as its own file.

Even though I only had my image layer and the background...when I opened the image in PSP the white background was gone ! I am VERY VERY HAPPY !!!! ANY color looks good behind it now !! CRISP lines no jaggies !!!!

Hope this helps someone !!

[drew]

That is an awesome tip. The output is so much better, even if the file size is bigger. Side by side, the exported gifs, when dropped back into Xara, wow, the differences are very noticable to the always-critical designer's eye. Many thanks, drew..

[WolfMoonHP]

TammyKat...

This is a great tip. I have started a collection of ornaments for web pages, and usually just save them either on white or black. Now, I'll be able to save ONE version and put it on my color or texture of choice. My mind is racing with the possibilities!

Thanks.
---
Will

[Tallis]

But youre saying you do need 2 layers, your photo with transparent background, and the lower background layer-- does that have to be any color in particular or this is a moot question?

[Odat]

I don't think you need layers for this to work. Just saving as PNG with alpha is all that should be required.

The alpha is just a seperate channel in the image (like Red, Green and Blue) that specifies how transparent each pixel in the resulting image should be.

I don't have Xara or PSP handy at the moment to check, but I would imagine that you could export anything as PNG+Alpha and get the same result.

[remi]

Creating a transparent PNG is a frequently asked question here (try to use the Search function of this forum and search for "transparent png").

Some results:

• How to create transparent PNG images (and a hint of Browser support)
• Problem with export of gif & png transparencies
• Graphics on transparent background (again)
• Xara Xtreme Saving as .png with transparent background?

Regards,
Remi

[Tallis]

Remi,

I was referring specifically to the post here, not alpha png in general, but i did read all but one of the posts you referenced and they are great background, no pun intended. Thanks.

[gwpriester]

Tom

This is the recommended way for getting transparent layers into Photoshop as well. It is one of those undocumented features but this is the reason that feature was included.

I was sure this had been covered in one of the Workbooks, but not that I could find. I'll cover this in next month's Workbook.

Gary