Transparent Background in PSP X2

[jimmPSP]

I am using X2 on an XP OS. I am trying to add a piece of clip art via transparent layer to a scan of an old B&W photograph. I want to make the background of the clip transparent so there is no "white box" around my clip subject.

I find many tutorials on earlier versions of PSP but i haven't hhad any luck finding information on X2.

Any assistence would be appreciated,

Jimm

[TATDASHA]

Hello, this is just my question also, I am vision impaired and this technique questions is almost impossible for me to find and study in the manual. I hope they post something quick about this question. I can extrack (sp) objects, but the white background is what is driving me more nuts. Have a good evening.

[TATDASHA]

oops, nope...mistake...I wait for a replie to this topic.

[jimmPSP]

TATDASHA---

i, too, have vision problems. Don't you just hate it when web designers use light colored characters on white backgrounds? Someone should tell them about ease of reading high contrast elements as in BLACK ON WHITE! Simple concept. The only conclusion I can draw is that the designers are not intrested in whether or not their text is read as long as it looks cute.

Jimm

[TATDASHA]

Yes, I know....any idea for solution to this transparnet question?

[jimmPSP]

Not for PSP X2 but i found several references to transparant backgrounds with previous versions.

Google PSP transparent backgrounds

You'll get several articles but i couldn't make any work with X2.

Jim

[Jane]

I'm not my brightest today, and I'm a bit confused as to what you are trying to do.

Do you have a clip art image that is on a white background and that you want to place on your photo? If so, you would have to remove the white background by extraction for it to not show when it's placed on your photo. There is no way to just make part of an image transparent like you are suggesting.

For example, you have a red rose on a white background. You want to put the rose onto a black background instead. You would extract the rose from its white background, thus the area around the rose is now transparent, and this can be placed on the black bakground.

[TATDASHA]

Thank you for your input. I wish to take a photo, flipart or otherwise, remove the image (say a person or animal), and save that to an alpha layer (I may be wrong here, so, forgive me). Then when I bring this saved file up, only the image (not the white or black background) will be available.

I am in SECOND LIFE. I make t shirts for sale and being able to remove the background, makes the shirt look better. This is all in SECOND LIFE and involves graphic art.

Is just me, I am sure....my headaches make it impossible sometimes to properly study a problem and read for technique knowledge....thanks again.

I know it is cold there, in England, so, stay warm...!

[Jane]

To be honest I've never gone the alpha channel route for that type of task. I always extract the background, and then save as a transparent png, and they will work for SL too, so it's fairly easy.

Extraction is a great technique but it can be time-consuming and fiddly. There are a few methods you can use, but this one is very useful and can be quite quick - using channels to remove a background. It's from a digital scrapbooking site but it will do what you want.

If there is not enough contrast to be able to use channels then you have to extract the image using different tools: you can try the Background Eraser, or you can use the normal Eraser but zoom in very close so you can get a clean line. You can also use the Selection Tool, either Freehand or Point to Point, but I never have much luck getting clean edges with those, probably due to my poor hand control.

My favourite method of extraction is to cover the image with a vector, for example using the Ellipse shape and then adding nodes and manipulating it to fit the image. I can then use the vector to make a Selection, and remove the unwanted background easily, and it gives me a great, smooth edge too. I'll try to do a tutorial on my extraction method after the holiday.

[TATDASHA]

What you said makes sense. I will try that png pathway and see. Thank you.

[TATDASHA]

Hello...the png method worked....if you were in SL I would marry you and serve you tea each morning.....thank you so much...not sure if will solve all my problems, but think I can make a decent garden from RL rose bush pictures now...hahahahah thanks

[MichelesPaintShop]

Jimm,

You mentioned you want to scan an old Black and White photo, and remove the background. I have a great friend that has several images from an antique encyclopedia of images. He scanned them, and was nice enough to offer them to others on the Internet http://www.oldbookillustrations.com . I used one of his images in a tutorial on how to color with Paint Shop Pro.

The image has black lines, and a white background. I had to show visitors how to remove that white background from the graphic. (note: you can also do this vice versa -- remove black from white)

I found a wonderful FREE open source plug-in filter that will do this very easily for you as long as the scan is clean. No matter what program you use when it comes to removing backgrounds you will almost always have some issues removing the background so that you have super clean lines.

If your image is clean you should have no issues using this tool. I've enclosed the steps below, and other visitors may enjoy the video of me using this plugin.

Please note that the plugin works RGB 8 bit mode (24 bit images) and currently does not support Mac OS.

You can download the free Cybia Alphaworks Transparency plugin here
http://www.cybia.co.uk/theworks.html

Install the Alphaworks plugin

Open Paint Shop Pro

Open the image in Paint Shop Pro

Duplicate your image. Go to Window, Duplicate

Close the original.

In the layer pallet of the duplicated image, if it reads "background" please right click on that background layer, and choose Promote Background Layer.

Go to Effects, Plugins, Alphaworks, i Lineart Whiteout

This will immediately remove all white pixels from your Black and White photograph IF it is a clean scan. You may have to do some manual cleaning in spots, but this plugin surely is a massive time saver.


Below is a quick video of me using this plugin on a scanned Black and White image.

Press Play
(you will need Quicktime or other player that reads MP4 files)

[jimmPSP]

Thanx a lot. i'll give it a spin tomorrow.

Regards,

Jimm

[Jane]

Hello...the png method worked....if you were in SL I would marry you and serve you tea each morning.....thank you so much...not sure if will solve all my problems, but think I can make a decent garden from RL rose bush pictures now...hahahahah thanks

I am already married in both worlds to the same man, but you can still serve me tea.

[jimmPSP]

To MichelesPaintShop:
From Jimm:

I didn't make myself clear. I apologize.

i have scanned old photos and want to add clip art elements to the photos. The clips all have white backgrounds which result in an unattractive white box in front of my photo and behind the clip art. i want to change the white background of the clip to transparent so the main part of the clip resides directly on the photo without the attendant white square.

I'll try to send a clip as an attachment. I want to pin the star on grandpa's coat without the white square.

Thanks,

Jimm