Help with transparency

[molucca]

I loaded a PNG/alpha into Corel Paint 10, and tried a PSD export. The export said it didn't support the mask.

I changed to a TIF export. The Tif loaded into Painter with the alpha channel.

Rich

[remi]

Do you guys talk about Corel PHOTO-PAINT or Corel Painter?
These are different programs...

[molucca]

Remi,

We are discussion using Corel Paint files in Corel Painter.

Here is the Tif loaded into Painter IX.5. I loaded a selection from the alpha channel, and did a copy paste. The background layer in my view is a fixed basline. To get your image with a transparent background, making a selection in the background layer, doing a copy, and pasting, will create a new layer with the selection being pasted to the layer. Then turn off the background layer to see the new layer.

Rich

[molucca]

A view of the alpha channel. This was a 32 bit file. 24 bit color and 8 bit grayscale alpha. You might note to marque is an indication of the selection. The transparency is more than you might think from the marque.

Rich

[molucca]

I was looking at other ways to get a format Painter can read. A TIFF from CD10 worked, but a PSD doesn't save the selection.

From Expression, I was able to save in TIFF and PSD for Painter. The PSD was like the file from Photoshop. The TIFF loaded with an alpha channel.

The CD10 TIFF did not load into Expression with transparency.

Rich

[molucca]

An example of creating a selection from an alpha channel, and having the selection available. I painted on a clone, and pasted to clone back to the original image. I loaded the selection and did a copy paste. Then turned the clone layer off.

Rich

[Jinny Brown]

I was looking at other ways to get a format Painter can read. A TIFF from CD10 worked, but a PSD doesn't save the selection.

PSD files will retain saved selections (Alpha Channels) when you have the Save As dialog box's Save Alpha Channels box checked when saving the PSD file and the PSD file is then opened in Corel Painter.

If you didn't save the selection in Photoshop, it won't appear when the PSD file is opened in Corel Painter.


The same is true for TIFF files saved from Photoshop and opened in Corel Painter.

TIFF files will retain saved selections (Alpha Channels) when you have the Save As dialog box's Save Alpha Channels box checked when saving the TIFF file and the TIFF file is then opened in Corel Painter.

If you didn't save the selection in Photoshop, it won't appear when the TIFF file is opened in Corel Painter.

[molucca]

I opened a JASC Paint Shop Pro *.pspimage format in Painter IX.5, however, it did not reatin the transparency. I loaded the file back into PSP to see if the file was saved with transparency.

I saved a PSD format from JPSP9, and that opened in Painter IX.5 with transparency.

I'll have to look at a Corel Photo Paint 10 PSD again. I didn't know what not saving the selection with the file meant.

The Photo Paint TIFF didn't open with transparency in another application I tried.

Rich

[Jinny Brown]

I would like to be able to import images I've drawn in other programs into Corel Painter, but cannot get rid of the white area round the selection. Is there a way of making this transparent? Without being familiar with the technical terms used in the help file ("channels" and such like), it's hard for me to find a solution there. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Mangly,

When you open an image in Corel Painter that's on the "background" or base of the image, whether or not it had an opaque background in the original software, it will have an opaque background in Corel Painter.

To separate the imagery from the opaque background, you'll need to make a precise selection around the imagery, then click inside the selection using the Layer Adjuster tool to lift it to a Layer.

You may still see white edge pixels around the Layer's imagery that you'll need to clean up somehow.

If, on the other hand, your image was on a transparent background in the original software and you placed the imagery on a Layer in the original software, then saved the image in PSD format and opened the PSD file in Painter, you'd see the Painter Canvas is opaque but the Layer imagery has a transparent background.

Since you mention having "drawn" the images in other programs, I'm wondering if they're black line work. In that case, the solution is easy. Open the image in Corel Painter and (assuming it's now black line work on a white Canvas, do the following:

1. Select > All (or use Ctrl/Command+A) to select the entire Canvas.

2. Click inside the selection using the Layer Adjuster tool to lift it to a Layer.

3. To make the white background appear transparent, at the top left corner of the Layers palette, choose Gel from the Composite Method drop down list.

Painter has an autoselect that you might be able to use.

The command is Select > Auto Select, Using: (one of the following options: Paper, 3D Brush Strokes, Original Selection, Image Luminance, Original Luminance, Current Color).

If the background is solid color, you might try this:

1. Using the Dropper tool to pick the background color.

2. Use Select > Auto Select, Using: Current Color.

3. Use Select > Invert (or use Ctrl/Command+Shift+I) to invert the selection.

4. Using the Layer Adjuster tool, click inside the selection to lift it to a Layer.

5. Now your imagery is on a Layer with a transparent background. Again, you may need to clean up the edge pixels that could contrast with other colors below the Layer. If the original background was white, the edge pixels will also be white and, if you'll only have white below the Layer, you can change the Layer Composite Method to Gel to make the white edge pixels transparent.

It will open PSD files, and those can retain transparency.

If you mean by "it", Corel Painter, yes, we can open PSD files in Corel Painter. However, in order to have transparency once the file is opened in Corel Painter, in the orginal software the imagery must have been placed on a Layer with a transparent Layer background so it will be on a Layer with a transparent Layer background in Corel Painter.

If you mean by "retain transparency" that PSD files containing saved selections (Alpha Channels) can be opened in Corel Painter with those saved selections (Alpha Channels) intact, that's true but only in Painter 8 and Painter IX will those saved selections appear as Alpha Channels in the Channels palette. In earlier versions, Painter 5, Painter 6, and Painter 7, they'll appear as Masks (named Alpha 1, or whatever number) in the Objects palette's Mask section.

In any of the above Painter versions, the saved selection can be loaded using Select > Load Selection, then choosing the appropriate Alpha Channel name.

It does a PSP and a Tif that might have that capability.

Again, if you mean by "it", Corel Painter and you mean by "does" that we can open these file formats, PSP and TIFF in Corel Painter, that's only partially true.

Edit by Jinny on August 10, 2006 to correct information in the following paragraph about PSPIMAGE format support in Corel Painter versions.

Corel Painter IX.5 does support PSPIMAGE format. Since I no longer have Painter IX or Painter IX 9.1 installed, and don't remember if they supported PSPIMAGE format, all I can say is that Painter 8.1 and earlier versions did not support PSPIMAGE format.

End of Edit.

Corel Painter does support TIFF format.

It doesn't accept PNG/alpha.

That's true. In fact, Corel Painter does not support PNG format at all.

I haven't done this in a while, but you can load a selection from an alpha channel, and save the selection.

It's true that a selection can be loaded from an Alpha Channel.

If an Alpha Channel appears in the Channels palette there's no need to load and save the selection. It's already saved.

Or, make an autoselect and do a similar thing.

Once the Select > Auto Select command has been used, the selection is active. To have it available to use later, it needs to be saved (Select > Save Selection). Then it will appear in the Channels palette as an Alpha Channel, available to be loaded any time the artist wants to use that selection again.


Rich[/QUOTE]

[NeoGreen]

Just what I was looking for. I was about to ask the same question. Thanks.