Importing as a transparent bitmap into Xara

[themadman]

OK, I'm a newbie. Go easy on me. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Here's the situation. I'm creating a site design in Xara. Unfortunately, client's logo/mascot only exists as a JPG file. In that file, the mascot is a coloured figure against a plain white background.

My site uses a light brown bg. When I import this mascot JPG into Xara, it comes surrounded by the white rectangle. What I want to do is make the white areas of the JPG transparent so that the graphic looks naturally set against the brown watermarked background.

Any advice?

[themadman]

OK, I'm a newbie. Go easy on me. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Here's the situation. I'm creating a site design in Xara. Unfortunately, client's logo/mascot only exists as a JPG file. In that file, the mascot is a coloured figure against a plain white background.

My site uses a light brown bg. When I import this mascot JPG into Xara, it comes surrounded by the white rectangle. What I want to do is make the white areas of the JPG transparent so that the graphic looks naturally set against the brown watermarked background.

Any advice?

[gnurf]

If the logo/maskot isn't too complicated (hopefully no feathered drop shadows etc) you can import the JPG to Xara and then export it as a GIF. At the export stage you can use the color picker to remove colours that should be transparent (there's always the risk you remove colour inside the logo as well, but hopefully you don't [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] ).

-Paul

[gwpriester]

If you have access to Photoshop or a bitmap editing application, I would create a duplicate version of the logo with everything that is part of the logo solid black and everything that is not white.

Import both bitmaps into Xara. Place the logo over a rectangle with the color of your background.

Open the Bitmap Gallery. Select the black and white bitmap and press Transp.

Everything that is white in the color bitmap will now be transparent.

You can now export the logo to GIF with the proper colored background.

For an easier method, check out
Peter Duggan's TIP in the Xara Xone Tip of the Week.

This work?

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

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The Xara Xone

[This message was edited by Gary W. Priester on October 21, 2002 at 15:23.]