Transparent Backgrounds

[lyndongrove]

I have been working through Barry Beckham's PTE tutorials. They are absolutely marvellous and I recommend them as compulsive buys for anyone, like me, who is new to PTE. But I have run into a problem! I have been experimenting with creating photos in Photoshop CS2 with transparent backgrounds but when I import them into PTE they have white backgrounds. This happens when I save as JPEG or as JPEG2000 and when I save as PSD PTE won't even open it up.

Can any of you experts help me out, please? Am I doing something wrong?

Gordon Cochrane

Cardiff

[Ken Cox]

Gord

from the program readme

+ Support of pictures to slides in JPEG, GIF or BMP format.

i may be wrong but program may not handle JPEG2000

or

quote

"and when I save as PSD"

also moving gifs will not move if used

ken

[nickunwin]

Hi Gordon,

Save your file as a Gif file - JPEG doesn't support transparency.

[JPD]

with transparent backgrounds

In the actual version, only gif pictures have a transparent background when you use them as object. Even with a transparent gif file, if you use it as an image, there will be no transparency.

[JRR]

Subject to being wrong

.png files support transparent backgrounds and I think Igor is allowing them in Ver 5 (even as objects)

[lyndongrove]

Many thanks for your prompt replies. Have tried our our suggestions. GIF opens up the image but with a white background. The PNG file is not even lised when I open up the file directory within PTE although it is listed if I go into Explorer. So I'm afraid I am no further forward. perhaps I have to wait for version 5.00.

Gordon Cochrane

Cardiff

[Hawk]

Gordon

As JPD explains - try bringing in as a Picture - in Object Editor

Click on your .GIF image in the Object Editor.

Click – Properties

Make sure – Transperant Background is checked.

See if that does anything.

[lyndongrove]

Saving as a 32 bit BMP, as suggested by Tom, didn't work in Photoshop CS2.

I had high, but shortlived, hopes for Rapgh's suggestion. I am able to open up the transparent GIF in Object Editor and Add it to the slide box which then has both the original GIF file (with white background) and the Added file (with transparent background. When I deleted the original file and opened Preview the transparent file played fine. So I thought my problems were solved until I tried it with a second file. When I Added that to the slide box and ran Preview thepreviously ok file showed up with a white background. Although Object Editor does the job, somehow it doesn't seem to save what it has done.

So, I'm still open to suggestions. Incidentally I also use ProShow Producer where I have the same problem. I emailed them with the problem 2 days ago and have heard absolutely nothing. Yet within hours of asking the same question on this forum I have had 5 suggestions. That is the strength of P2E.

Gordon Cochrane

Cardiff

[Igor]

Current PTE v4.xx support semi-transparent 32-bit BMP as objects.

Photoshop can't save transparent BMP, I don't know why. You can do it in PixBuilder Studio, as Tom suggested.

Next PicturesToExe v5.00 will support transparent BMP and transparent PNG, so you will able to use Photoshop to prepare such images.

[JPD]

semi-transparent 32-bit BMP .... support transparent BMP

Which is the difference between semi- transparent and transparent.. Transparent, I understand, semi-transparent with 32 bits, I don't understand, I'll be happy to learn about this.

[Igor]

I mean 32-bit BMP in both cases.

32-bit BMP contains alpha-channel.

Please wait a little bit, I'll show slide-show which illustrates the power of 32-bit BMP or 32-bit PNG images for slide-show purposes.

[JPD]

I mean 32-bit BMP in both cases.

32-bit BMP contains alpha-channel.

What I didn't understand was you use the sentence "semi-transparent 32-bit BMP " for V4.4 "transparent BMP and transparent PNG" for V5.0.

I agree with tom95521's definition and I suppose that V5.0 will support also semi-transparent BMP.

But it seem there is a difference between the both versions about BMP semi-transparency : to day we can't use Photoshop's Pictures and on V5.0 it will be possible. Is that right ?

[Igor]

I mistakenly used "transparent BMP" name.

More exactly say that already PTE v4.xx (for objects) and future v5.00 (for objects and main image of a slides) support semi-transparent with partial translucency 32-bit BMP images with alpha-channel.

There is no explanation why Photoshop resets alpha-channel during saving to 32-bit BMP file. And saved BMP looks as without alpha-channel at all.

(PixBuilder Studio correctly saves such images to BMP)

However Photoshop can correctly saves semi-transparent with partial translucency images to PNG file. And future v5.00 will able to display these images as main image of slides or as objects.

[JPD]

Thanks Igor, it's clear. For Photoshop, we'll only can use PNG for semi-transparent image, not BMP 32 bits. If we want to use BMP 32 bits, we will use Pixbuilder.

will able to display these images as main image of slides or as objects

Very good news.

Does background image and logo image will also use alpha channel ?

[Igor]

Yes, - all images, objects, logo, etc will support PNG file format.

[lyndongrove]

I seem to have started quite a dialogue! I am most grateful for all the replies and for the news from Igor that Ver 5 will solve my problem. Meantime I will keep experimenting with the above suggestions.

Gordon Cochrane

Cardiff

[JPD]

Yes, - all images, objects, logo, etc will support PNG file format

Very nice

[JPD]

Photoshop can't save transparent BMP, I don't know why

I have made 32 bits BMP with Adobe CS1 and there is transparency in PTE. You need to have an alpha channel in the picture and it's good.