how to paste a clean image

After years of using Ulead's Photo Impact 11 as my primary graphics program, I have now switched over and am attempting to master Xara's Photo and Graphic Designer 6 from scratch. It's like becoming blind overnight and having to re-orient oneself to a brand new world. A definite challenge. I've run across a few design roadblocks I'm trying to work thru, but the first pressing issue is the following.

For example: Say I create three different colored objects such as a star, a circle, and a rectangle. I then decide to overlay the objects, then select each, then choose to group as one by clicking the Group button. I then hit the JPEG button to save/export. My image has been created. If I wish to paste this new image onto a colored background of some sort, the saved image always has a white background. How do I save an object so it can be "cleanly" pasted into a background of a different color.

Obviously, I can save my image as a bitmap and choose white as the transparent color, but I have found that doesn't always work either. Even this method leaves my image surrounded by scattered traces of white.

In Xara what is the secret to saving objects so that only the object itself will appear cleanly when it's superimposed over a colored background?. I know I am missing a step somewhere, just can't figure out what I am doing wrong.

Hi there,

You can export the image as a PNG file. When the options box comes up choose Palette Options/Color depth/True color + Alpha, and Options/transparent, before exporting.

To do the same just on the page, you can pick Arrange/Create Bitmap Copy and again choose True color + Alpha.

Try exporting as a png true color + alpha.
or, create your image on the same color background as it will appear on the final, a jpg will still have a box around it but it should be the same color as the background on which it was created. This will not work on multicolored or textured images though.

Better yet import your background and create the other image top of that and then export the whole kit and kabootle in the file type of your choosing. Now there should be no problem even on a multicolored background.

Here a png of one of my tests in the better yet part.You are seeing the white only because of forum page color. I hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by James Allen

Hi there,

You can export the image as a PNG file. When the options box comes up choose Palette Options/Color depth/True color + Alpha, and Options/transparent, before exporting.

To do the same just on the page, you can pick Arrange/Create Bitmap Copy and again choose True color + Alpha.

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Right on James Allen. You beat me too it.

James,

Thanks so much, your suggestion Create Bitmap Copy was the solution I was in search of. Just one more thing I can cross off my extensive "how do I make this happen in Xara" list. Mind if I pick your brain for one other thing I am trying to do? Say I am looking at a graphics image and decide I want to select and extract just a part of the image. In Ulead I would just take the selection tool and draw around the part of the image I wanted to extract. It would thereby create a defined selection area that I could then move about separately with the selector tool. Very easy and quick. How do I accomplish the same task with this program? My first impulse is to take Xara's Selector Tool, hold down the left mouse button, and draw a box around the area to select it, like I'm used to. I can draw a box, but it disappears when I let go of the mouse button. What should I be doing?

Wizard 509,

Thanks. Using Ulead I quite often created a matching background first as you suggested, then just overlaid the image so the background would match up. It's a good quick fix and I may do it at times in a pinch with this program. The Create a Bitmap Copy as suggested by James worked very well. Switching from one graphics program that I've used for so long, and now having to learn the nuances of a brand new one as extensive as Xara's, really taxes one's brain. But I've picked up quite bit just by poking around the options, watching the videos, and by trail and error. If I can just find the option to make my headache disappear :)

Thanks Larry – your example was a good help.

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Originally Posted by TXUSA

Mind if I pick your brain for one other thing I am trying to do?

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Any time, Tex. ;)

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Say I am looking at a graphics image and decide I want to select and extract just a part of the image... My first impulse is to take Xara's Selector Tool, hold down the left mouse button, and draw a box around the area to select it, like I'm used to. I can draw a box, but it disappears when I let go of the mouse button. What should I be doing?

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The Xara file I’ve attached shows how to cut out a part of a photo with the freehand tool, but you can use this technique with any object, and any other object. You may place one rectangle over another, select both, and use the top one to cut out the other. You can cut, clip, intersect, join, group, blend and subtract shapes, photos and lines from or with each other or with whole groups. Once you get the hang of the one attached, you can experiment with all the variations of it.

But take heed: You may never escape from Xara World after you begin down this road. :D

Indeed, the more I get into the intricacies of this program the more hooked I become. Very addictive discovering new things one can do with the tools available, once I discern what all the tools are. Didn't really realize how robust the program was when I first bought it. I see what they mean when they say it's a very fast graphics program. Click and the task is complete. If only my brain worked as efficiently and quickly as the program I'm trying to conquer.

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Originally Posted by TXUSA

If only my brain worked as efficiently and quickly as the program I'm trying to conquer.

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I hear that. Same problem here.

Those were all great tips James Allen. I think you were a big help to TXUSA.

Thanks to both of you, I've now got the hang of the freehand tool and using it to cut/extract objects from within objects. However, this only seems to work with free moving objects. But, the real problem I'm trying to resolve is this. A day or so ago I was playing around with creating different objects and overlaying them on different colored backgrounds on the workspace (I guess Xara calls it the page). In one instance I created a large dark blue rectangle and created another object to place over it, then grouped the objects, and locked everything in place on the page and then went on to other things. I continued to create other objects to play around with and essentially the "page" became full of various creative experiments. I never actually saved any objects, but kept the page open as a trial and error workspace.

Viewing the page today I noticed there is one image in the hodgepodge of creativity that I would like to actually capture and save for future use. However, I am way past the undo stages and the image I want to extract, as well as the background it was created on, were locked in place awhile back. If I am looking at a static graphic on the page there must be someway to select the part of the page that contains the piece I want to save, but I am in a quandary as to how to do it. I know in Ulead's program it was possible to use the Select Tool to draw around anything in the workspace, whether it was merged/locked to the workspace or not, and create/save the object selected. I'm thinking Xara must allow this also.

When you say locked, it could mean group, blend or combine. If the objects are grouped, you can ungroup them by selecting them and pressing Ctrl/U. I would try this first, and you may have to ungroup a few times.

If some elements are blended together you may not want to release them from the blend, but then again you may, depending on what was released. To release a blend you select it, click the Blend tool (W), and click ‘Remove’. If the objects were combined you can try breaking them apart by selecting them and clicking ‘Arrange’ and ‘Break Shapes’. On the other hand, you might have a combination of grouping and combining, in which case you would ungroup and then break apart. Sometimes blends are blended with other blends, in which case all the blends might need separating and then ungrouping, etc.

So it depends what you actually did with all the objects to ‘lock’ them.

You can sometimes cut out a chunk of the whole group, by simply placing a rectangle (or other shape) over the lot, selecting both and intersecting shapes (Ctrl/3). If this changes things too much, it may be because you had lines or other elements that needed converting first. If so you can try selecting the main collection and converting it to editable shapes (Shift/Ctrl + S), and converting lines to shapes (Arrange/convert Line to Shape), before trying to cut out the section as per above.

So ungroup (maybe a few times), convert to editable shapes and convert lines to editable shapes (if necessary), break apart (if necessary), group all again, place a shape over the section, and try to cut it out.

How did it go?

You might also look in the page and layers gallery. The padlock is blue(unlocked) or red(unlocvked). just click on the padlock icon to lock or unlock.

I forgot to mention Clipview and bitmap copy.


This might be easier and faster for isolating a part of a collection of different objects (depending on what they are). I have attached a Xara file with details. ;)

Great discussion. I have tried this in XPro5.1 (don't have XP&G) and it did not remove the white background of the photo. Is there another way to remove just that color from the photo?

you could try live effect tool - mehdi - eraser classic