ROTOPEN : Personalisation icon

[tousabloc]

hello, i used ROTOPEN plugin in VS5 Ultimate, but i don't know how make transparency background in my personnal icon used into ROTOPEN.
I have my icon in white background picture !
can you help me ?

[Kingston]

Try saving your icon as a TIF file, 32-bits.

PNG does not work, and TGA does not work.

[tousabloc]

thanks for your answer, but it doesn't work i have the background white
I can't save tif in 32 bits, only max 24 bits. How save in 32 bits ? I used corel paint shop pro XI
Thanks for your help

[Kingston]

I can't advise you how to proceed in Corel Paint Shop Pro. You need 32-bits.

Does Paint Shop Pro have a .GFX file format in save-as?

[lata]

Hi

Try using the Chroma Key to remove the background colour

[tousabloc]

hello, no chroma key filter can be applicate on the picture only.

It is the wrong way
Help please !!!!!

[lata]

Hi

I am unsure of exactly what you have, are you saying you have an image of an icon and wish the backgrouns to be transparant.
Normally you would use a Png type image

You are then using the image in RotoPen??

[Kingston]

Trevor,

So far only TIF format will have transparency in Rotopen.

It would be nice if you could apply the chromakey to just the icon in the RotoPen user interface, but you can't do that. The icon needs the transparency already there.

[tousabloc]

hello,
i have not understand how to apply transparency background in personnal icon in rotopen.
I have the white background in all type files (bmp, tif, png, jpg, gif,... )
can you explain me.
thanks

[lata]

Hi

At the moment i have been unable to create a transparent image that works in RotoPen.
i'm sure i will find the way to do this using my image editor.

I have a workround

Create a white image, add this to the overlay track, fit to screen.
Apply RotoPen using your icon

from the timeline use Mask Chroma Key - Similarity white to remove the white, this should also remove the icon background.

[Kingston]

I know of a free graphics program that will save to TIF format with transparency. Gimp. http://www.gimp.org/

When you create a new document, tell it to fill with transparency. Then draw your icon. Finally save to TIFF and tell it to use pixels from transparency.

[lata]

Thanks Kingston

That program works fine, now i have to find out why i was unable to save using Photoshop.????????

Edit,, ok got it working, just have to tick the right boxes

[Kingston]

There's an app called GIF Movie Gear that Microsoft recommends converting images into icons and cursors, and other bitmaps. I forgot that I had purchased this app four years ago. You don't actually design the icon in GIF Movie Gear, but instead open up an already designed icon saved in, for example, .PSD or .PNG file format.

If you create your icon in an application that can save transparency, then you can open it in GIF Movie Gear and save as a .BMP. These BMP's are special in that they maintain the transparency, and will load into ROTOPEN.

For example, in Paint Shop Pro, you can save to .PNG or .PSD, which you open in GIF Movie Gear. Then in GIF Movie Gear, save as a BMP file.