Need simple step by step instructions for making background of an image transparent

[Ken Roy]

I am not a Photoshop user, but do have Photoshop Elements 7.0 on my Vista 64-bit desktop and Photoshop Elements 4.0 on my Windows XP Media Center laptop.

I am trying to make the background of an image transparent and do not find the help on Adobe's web site helpful.

A simple step by step instructions on how to change the thumbnails in my Military Histories category http://www.royandboucher.com/genealogy/bro...typeID=military would be very appreciated.

I will gladly create a TNG Wiki article on how to do this in the Tips and Tricks category, to show others later how to accomplish.

Thanks in advance to anyone who offers the information required to make the background transparent.

[bsl20b50]

I too would like to see this, but it would be nice to see instructions using a good freeware program like GIMP or irfanview.

[Bruce Roy]

I am not a Photoshop user, but do have Photoshop Elements 7.0 on my Vista 64-bit desktop and Photoshop Elements 4.0 on my Windows XP Media Center laptop.

I am trying to make the background of an image transparent and do not find the help on Adobe's web site helpful.

A simple step by step instructions on how to change the thumbnails in my Military Histories category http://www.royandboucher.com/genealogy/bro...typeID=military would be very appreciated.

I will gladly create a TNG Wiki article on how to do this in the Tips and Tricks category, to show others later how to accomplish.

Thanks in advance to anyone who offers the information required to make the background transparent.

Ken, the only way I have been able to do this is (in Photoshop) to

1. select the background of the image

2. Under Select choose Inverse

3. Copy

4. Open New and, in the dialogue box, make sure background is set to Transparent

5. Paste

6. Save as png or gif

Having said all that, can TNG handle transparency? Do thumbs, for example, have to be jpg? I'll have to have a look at that.

Bruce Roy

[svoght]

With the full version of Photoshop it's quite easy -- Help > Export Transparent Image.

However Adobe apparently didn't feel that automated script was worth including in Elements, so you'll have to do things manually. Here's an old how-to for Elements (not sure which version it was written for, but the steps are the same in every version, even if the dialog boxes appear slightly different in the newer versions) -- http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/webmasters/p...ts/transparent/

[theKiwi]

Photoshop CS3 doesn't include that Help ------> Export Transparent Image.

But you can do it in the File ------> Save for Web & Devices... menu

With either of GIF or PNG-8 selected as the export file type, you get a palette of colours that are in the image.

You can click the one you want to be transparent (white is at the bottom right), and then click the left most icon in the row of icons below the palette to make that colour transparent in the image before saving it.

Roger

[Ken Roy]

With the full version of Photoshop it's quite easy -- Help > Export Transparent Image.

However Adobe apparently didn't feel that automated script was worth including in Elements, so you'll have to do things manually. Here's an old how-to for Elements (not sure which version it was written for, but the steps are the same in every version, even if the dialog boxes appear slightly different in the newer versions) -- http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/webmasters/p...ts/transparent/

Thanks Bruce, Steve, and Roger for your answers. Actually, I think I found the easiest way yet.

• Open the image in IrfanView
• Select Save As
• Choose GIF for the Save As Type
• In the Save As options, check the box for Save Transparent Color
• Click the radio button to Choose Transparent Color during Save
• Click the Save button
• Click on the background color