how to make transparent background for a cut photo help me

janeydoll · Post by **janeydoll** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:27 am

i just found the workspace i am in standard photo

Post by **Ron P.** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:32 am

Change it to Advanced. Then you will be have a new Menu at the top called Web, which scrolling down to the bottom you will find the menu option of Image Optimizer. Selecting it you will be able to choose PNG and set the transparency for your image.

janeydoll · Post by **janeydoll** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:37 am

what color do i pick?

i choose none and the background is white when i save it

janeydoll · Post by **janeydoll** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:38 am

can this be done? can you have a see through background with just the person you cut out?

can you guys do it?

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:39 am

Ok, don't know exactly if this will work but lets see.

The workspace is something that has been around for a number of versions already. With PI10 it was only two, with PI11 there are 5 and with 12 they have changed the approach to it again.

You find out which workspace you are in by selecting "My Workspace" from the menu bar

the one you are in is ticked.

I suggest you select the advanced one for this.

When you are pasting your object into a new image, don't make it transparent, try to chose a color different from the colors in your image.

To save the image to png format, don't use "Save As", although you can do it that way too, but select "Web" >"Image Optimizer..."

You will se a box with the options like this

There are 3 tabs in the option box, the middle one being active by default I think. Select the "Mask Option" tab.

Make sure the "Transparency" option is selected and the option box for the "Mask" shows "Pick Color". Select the color picker below the option box and click on the background color in the left (source) window. The background should become transparent in both windows. Save the image and paste it on any background image later to see the transparency effect. If you only look at the image by itself in a viewer, it will have a square/rectangular background shown which isn't really there. it's the viewer that adds it in.

janeydoll · Post by **janeydoll** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:00 am

i am getting closer, but i need to go to bed.

maybe you guys can think about it and maybe figure out what i am doing wrong. I am doing everything you are telling me too.

just always be descriptive so i can follow the instructions, but i do learn pretty fast.

thanks for all the help tonight. maybe after a good nights sleep we can figure out how to get this to work or maybe someone else will know what i am doing wrong

thanks again. i am off to bed night night

Post by **Ron P.** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:42 am

janeydoll wrote: maybe you guys can think about it and maybe figure out what i am doing wrong.

thanks for all the help tonight. maybe after a good nights sleep we can figure out how to get this to work or maybe someone else will know what i am doing wrong

thanks again. i am off to bed night night

I would suggest that since you are very new to working with any photo editing program, you start by reviewing the manual. It covers alot of useful information that could benefit you. Then I would download and view all 4 of the video tutorials provided by Ulead, they can be downloaded from here:
http://www.ulead.com/learning/pi.htm

You could also take a look through the numerous tutorials found on the web, starting with the PhotoImpact Resource Center (PIRC) found here:
http://pircnet.com/

A google search on the keywords "photoimpact tutorials" yielded about 353,000 possiblities. Google Search Results

So I'd say I've done a tiny bit of thinking about it, now can you?

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:09 am

Exactly

I have invested more of my spare time than I wanted to and it got us next to nowhere.

You need to know the basics and the beginners workshop mentioned earlier is the best way to go. There are tons of tutorials also. You will learn more investigating at your own pace than what you could learn here.

The beginners workshop puts you one on one with a mentor and you'll learn all PI tools in simple and easy to follow projects you need to complete.

hockeydragon · Post by **hockeydragon** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:42 pm

Janeydoll,

I just did what I think you're trying to do and it was very simple. I took a photo of my son shooting a hockey puck in one of his Pee Wee games. I then used Extract Object to outline just him. A series of dialog boxes pop up and I followed the instructions on each. I was left with a beautifully extracted object of him without any background. I used the selection tool and dragged this object to my Library tab on the right side of the screen and it asked me to name the object. Next I opened a photo of the NHL's best goalie, Martin Brodeur, and used the clone paintbrush to get rid of the real NHL player who was scoring on him. After that was done, I used the selection tool to drag the object of my son I had made earlier onto the modified picture of Brodeur. I resized the object of my son and placed it in front of the crease and WHAM! there's my son scoring on the best NHL goalie playing today. I still need to clean it up a bit, but I think that gives you the general idea of how I did it. Here's the picture:

Xyzzy2 · Post by **Xyzzy2** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 7:24 pm

Maybe a bit too late, but:
- right-click object in layer manager
- select Image Optimizer
- use Save As button

X.

janeydoll · Post by **janeydoll** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:36 am

Ok, I have learned more about photo impact 11, but i still would like some help on saving the cut out image WITHOUT any background.

I just want the actual cut out, but I DO NOT want the white square background that is behind it. I just want to save the cut out and then when i open it up in a different program, it just looks like the cut out, with NO BACKGROUND.

I already know how to make it a jpeg and how to cut it out, i just need the process to be able to save it without a background so i can use it in a different program.

thanks so much.

koalablue-aus · Post by **koalablue-aus** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 3:53 am

Hi Janeydoll,

If you are using PI 10, 11 or 12, you can extract from the photograph by clicking on objects on the menu bar, extract objects and then using the brush to surround the object you want. You can tidy it with the eraser after.

Alternatively, you can use the lasso tool, make sure smart lasso is checked. Move around the object you want. Before finishing, you can move the nodules to where you want them around the object. When happy with your selection, right click, convert to object, click the tick to generate lasso selection. Again, you can tidy it with the eraser.
Hope this helps.

If you wish to keep the selection save it as a .ufo and or in layer manager click to hide background. This object can be moved onto any background you desire.

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:54 am

janeydoll wrote:Ok, I have learned more about photo impact 11, but i still would like some help on saving the cut out image WITHOUT any background.

I just want the actual cut out, but I DO NOT want the white square background that is behind it. I just want to save the cut out and then when i open it up in a different program, it just looks like the cut out, with NO BACKGROUND.

I already know how to make it a jpeg and how to cut it out, i just need the process to be able to save it without a background so i can use it in a different program.

thanks so much.

Before we start all over again, going down exactly the same paths as before, let me say this: When you cut out an object from your image, it doesn't have a background. When you then save that image with a transparent background, it has a background that is transparent. Now you view that with a different program and, bam, the freaking thing has a background, right? Wrong, it only is shown with a background because your your program cannot just float this thing in thin air.

Do as all a favour, even though the color depth is not there, save it as a gif file, or, if you want to be difficult about it, save it as png, tga, tiff or any other image format that supports transparency.

Then start any program you know to make a new web page and place this image on that new page. Well, does it have a different color background or does it use the one from your web page? Change the color of the web page. What happened, did the background color change? I bet it did. Now use that very same image you placed on the web page and look at it in any of the programs you have used thus far to view this image. Does it have a background? I bet yes. Is it white or black? Programs cannot just display an object without background. You either have a blank screen behind it, in which case it would be black (the background that is) or the viewing program uses its default canvas and the background would be white.

Phew, had to get that off my chest.