Gray diamonds

[BadBrad]

[gwpriester]

This generally indicates a transparent background. Select the image and create a bitmap copy, True Color (not with Alpha).

If you still have the gray grid, then select the photo, select the Photo Tool > Levels tool and drag the White Point eyedropper over the one of the gray squares.

[Jonopen]

Another method to try is:

1. use the Mask Painter tool and paint over the object you want to keep
2. use the Eraser tool on one of the grey squares
3. press the Erase background button in the context toolbar

[BadBrad]

Both excellent ideas.

Thank you gentlemen.

One last question:
What idiot came up with the idea for that background to start with? (probably the same one who came up with common core math)

Bad Brad

[pauland]

Both excellent ideas.

Thank you gentlemen.

One last question:
What idiot came up with the idea for that background to start with? (probably the same one who came up with common core math)

Bad Brad

I think you have the wrong idea about that background!

It's there to show you that for images that have transparency then where that background exists the image is transparent and if the image is saved in a format that supports transparency (.png for example) then that area will not exist. If you do a screen-grab or save as jpg then you'll get a background because transparency is not supported.

So if you ever get this checkerboard background in an image file, it's been saved to the wrong file format, or been screen grabbed.

In practice this checkerboard background is never seen in properly saved image files.

So the real question is why are you trying to remove a checkerboard that shouldn't be there in the first place!

[Egg Bramhill]

Hi Paul:

So the real question is why are you trying to remove a checkerboard that shouldn't be there in the first place!

Because most images with transparent background are saved on the internet with this chequered background. I think it's a Illy/photoshop thing.

Perhaps you can open the file in either of these programs but it's a bummer if you havent got them. Even opening them in Affinity Photo shows the checkered background. It would appear that by default images created in Illy/Photoshop export the checkers bt default.

I attach a Xara created transparent png with no checkers.

Here's an example of these images with the background. HERE