Transparenting An Image

[Marissa]

I saw this tutorial a rather long time ago, but it looks like it'll get the job done.
IrfanView
IrfanView Transparency Tutorial

Ok this I get but the problem i'm having is those little jaggies that show up. It looks horrible! Any suggestions?

That's an inherent problem with transparency, there's nothing that can be done about it in *.gif format. *.png format can support partial transparency and it usually looks pretty nice, but *.png transparency doesn't display in Internet Explorer, also, the file sizes are HUGE.

..Does anyone know how to make transparency with Flash?

Flash isn't meant for making static graphics, I wouldn't be suprised if there wasn't a way of setting transparency.

[Atjj]

I saw this tutorial a rather long time ago, but it looks like it'll get the job done.
IrfanView
IrfanView Transparency Tutorial

Ok this I get but the problem i'm having is those little jaggies that show up. It looks horrible! Any suggestions?

That's an inherent problem with transparency, there's nothing that can be done about it in *.gif format. *.png format can support partial transparency and it usually looks pretty nice, but *.png transparency doesn't display in Internet Explorer, also, the file sizes are HUGE.

Thanks Marissa! I'm glad it's not just me.

[mazil]

Ok this I get but the problem i'm having is those little jaggies that show up. It looks horrible! Any suggestions?

That's an inherent problem with transparency, there's nothing that can be done about it in *.gif format.

You can minimise the jagged effects by selecting a "matte" colour. When you save a GIF with a matte colour, the program "fills in" the jagged pixels with this colour, making the lines look smoother... but it means that you can only use your transparent image on a single background colour only.

For example, if you chose a light gray colour as a matte - as many people do on these forums - then it will look great on light gray backgrounds, but will have a light gray "jagged halo" effect on any other background colour and look pretty awful (especially on a dark colour). I usually do it anyway though... I don't use subBlack, so I don't have to see it

Anyway, I'm not sure exactly how you do this in PSP, but in Photoshop you can select a matte colour in the "Save As..." dialog (when saving as a GIF). I imagine it would be pretty similar in PSP

Edit: Actually, I just realised that I used a matte colour for my current avatar. Copy and paste it my av into a graphics program of your choice, and "Fill" in the background with a dark colour to see the jagged halo-ing.

[DM was on fire!]

I used to use paint for transparency. But yes, it does discolour. I used to know someone who did cutouts in Paint, but I think she used another program. Wish I could get in contact with her.

but *.png transparency doesn't display in Internet Explorer, also, the file sizes are HUGE.

And from my personal experiences, .pngs appear washed out on my monitors if I save in PSP, I haven't tried it in PS yet.

[Yoshi]

I believe the Macromedia suites have an option to export images as *.gif instead of saving them as *.png. I know this works in Fireworks, but perhaps you can go look for it in Flash.