Transparent Images Tutorial

musicinmouth · Post by **musicinmouth** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:34 pm

Hi,

I'm new to Anime Studio but I've spent ages trying to resolve one issue.

The problem is that I don't know how to make a transparent image that appears in Anime Studio as transparent. The PNG images that I have made in photoshop 5.0- appear with a white box around them in Anime Studio, rather than a transparent background.

I've spent ages reading about making images transparent using an alpha channel... but I've found it really confusing (I've just been doing the basics in Photoshop)...

Is there somewhere that walks through how to make a transparent image in really simple steps? I found one that was pretty good (http://www.davidchess.com/words/pngalpha.html) but when I do it that way the images lose all their colour...

Do I have to use an alpha channel? Is there any simple free software available that you can use to just cut out an image and make it alpha transparent?

Sorry if this questions has been asked before, but I wasn't able to find anything via the search facility. If it has been asked and answered before, or if there is a tutorial somewhere, then I'd be very grateful if somebody could point me in the right direction.

Thanks a million.

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:00 pm

Quickest tutorial:

Open Gimp.
File --> New.
In the Advanced Options drop down window be sure that
"Fill with" option have "Transparent" placed. LOOK HERE
Accept and create the file.
Draw with your favorite brush or paining tool.
Save as PNG default options.

Import into Anime Studio and the transparency will be there.

-G

musicinmouth · Post by **musicinmouth** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:41 pm

thanks for the quick reply, i really appreciate it.

toonertime · Post by **toonertime** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:27 pm

I had the same problem, trying to create transparencies.

I use Painter for drawing and I found that by drawing and
painting my image, selecting it with the selection tool,
copying it and pasting it back again, this creates the
info you need. Then you save it as png. My painter 7
doesn't have png, so I save it in a gif, open it in
IFAN view, and save it in a png format, being mindful
to check the save transpareny box.

As you can see, this can be a little confusing until you
figure it out.

Someguy 3 · Post by **Someguy 3** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:01 am

is there away to do this on fireworks?

slowtiger · Post by **slowtiger** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:20 am

It should be. I don't have Fireworks, so I have to guess, but Adobe hides this function usually inside the "export to web" process. There should be an option as to which file format to use (which would be PNG24bit ) and if transparency is needed (with an option to declare one colour as transparent, if the original file wasn't made on an empty layer).

Someguy 3 · Post by **Someguy 3** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:44 am

no, it only has a transparancy setting when you are exporting in .gif

Farbklecks · Post by **Farbklecks** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:54 am

How do I make PNG with a transparent background.
All in Photoshop.
I do cut my object from my original, and paste it into a new picture or in the old one.
Then I switch off the visibility of the background.
My object lies on these nice little grey squares.
Then I save it as a *.png.
Works always fo me and is done fast .

Someguy 3 · Post by **Someguy 3** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:34 am

ok, thanks, heres another question everyone: how do i export a flash movie, but with the background transparent?

slowtiger · Post by **slowtiger** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 9:37 am

export from flash, or export from AS?

Someguy 3 · Post by **Someguy 3** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:21 am

from flash, but with the transparency shown on AS pro.

slowtiger · Post by **slowtiger** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:03 am

Exporting something from Flash with transparency is possible, but you will only notice the transparency if you re-import the file into another application.

- in video format
- choose "export movie", then your video file format, then choose "32 bit color (alpha channel)". The video, when played back in a player, will show some gray where the transparency is, but the same area will be transparent if you put this video into a video editor and place something below.

- in SWF format
- choose "export movie", then "Flash movie". Every part inside the image area which is not covered by artwork will be transparent automatically. Playing it back in the Flash player shows the background colour you have chosen in the Project properties, the same happens in a web browser. Importing the SWF back into Flash shows that it is transparent.

Note: you can't import an SWF into AS.

Someguy 3 · Post by **Someguy 3** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:23 pm

slowtiger wrote:Exporting something from Flash with transparency is possible, but you will only notice the transparency if you re-import the file into another application.

- in video format
- choose "export movie", then your video file format, then choose "32 bit color (alpha channel)". The video, when played back in a player, will show some gray where the transparency is, but the same area will be transparent if you put this video into a video editor and place something below.

- in SWF format
- choose "export movie", then "Flash movie". Every part inside the image area which is not covered by artwork will be transparent automatically. Playing it back in the Flash player shows the background colour you have chosen in the Project properties, the same happens in a web browser. Importing the SWF back into Flash shows that it is transparent.

Note: you can't import an SWF into AS.

wow, thanks, but how would you change the background transparent on flash? if you cant, what program does this; i tryed using fireworks, but you cant export it as .AVI

slowtiger · Post by **slowtiger** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:08 pm

When you start drawing something in Flash, the whole canvas is transparent by default. As long as you don't cover it with any object, it stays that way. It doesn't matter if you set the background to a colour in Project Properties, it will, when the SWF is imported into another Flash file, be transparent.

Someguy 3 · Post by **Someguy 3** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:53 pm

slowtiger wrote:When you start drawing something in Flash, the whole canvas is transparent by default. As long as you don't cover it with any object, it stays that way. It doesn't matter if you set the background to a colour in Project Properties, it will, when the SWF is imported into another Flash file, be transparent.

thats strange, because when i import it into anime studio its not transparent...

Transparent Images Tutorial

Transparent Images Tutorial

alpha issues