Transparent icons

[MJ5150]

I have this app that lets me create themes for my Droid. What I want to do now is use some of the JPG and GIF files on my PC on those themes as icons.

I need to figure out how to make those images transparent so the big block of white, black or whatever color isn't filling out around the image. Or it would be cool to add a circle or block around the image that is semi-transparent so you still see the outline, but barely.

I DL'ed GIMP, but dang that app is confusing. Add layer this, magic wand that, click here for transparent this....way too much for my feeble mind.

Is there a simple way to create these icons?

-Mike

[EagleMoon]

You need to make the images .png images rather than .jpg, .gif or .bmp. Those formats don't have transparency ability.

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by EagleMoon

You need to make the images .png images rather than .jpg, .gif or .bmp. Those formats don't have transparency ability.

Excellent bit of info, thank you. I saw some instructions that said that, but I ignored those and saved them as JPGs. Now I see why that extension was chosen. Off I go to try it again.

-Mike

[EagleMoon]

Good luck!

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

More specifically, you should learn how to make an Alpha channel image. If you do that, then you can make icons that appear to have no background at all, rather than just making them as a transparent .png file (png's have a hideous file size compared to other formats, and many apps don't support them). Once you've created your image as an alpha channel image, you can merge the layers and presto. Just save your new image as whatever file type you want.

The real trick, though is clipping the image you want out of its existing image and putting it into the alpha channel of a new image. It's a bit difficult at times with some images. Many people just paint their image onto the alpha channel layer by hand which is easier.

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by Auzzie-Phoenix

More specifically, you should learn how to make an Alpha channel image. If you do that, then you can make icons that appear to have no background at all, rather than just making them as a transparent .png file (png's have a hideous file size compared to other formats, and many apps don't support them). Once you've created your image as an alpha channel image, you can merge the layers and presto. Just save your new image as whatever file type you want.

The real trick, though is clipping the image you want out of its existing image and putting it into the alpha channel of a new image. It's a bit difficult at times with some images. Many people just paint their image onto the alpha channel layer by hand which is easier.

Now this is what I want to learn. I think that is what I did in GIMP. I have one now with no background, but it cut off both the right and left edges of the image.

I don't get the whole Alpha Channel thing.

-Mike

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

Alpha channel images are used frequently for things like chainlink fence textures in apps like second life, etc... Basically, you create a no-background image, create a new layer, and add your image to what is known as the alpha channel for that layer. If you don't know how to work with layers, there should be several tutorials. However that won't help you much if you're trying to paste an attribute that you cut out of another image and are trying to paste into the alpha channel for the new image. I use corel, and have yet to find a way for it to allow me to paste something onto a layer from another image. It can be problematic. Most people opt to hand-draw an image onto the alpha channel due to this.

I suggest you look for tutorials if you're using gimp. But Gimp is an opensource copy of photoshop in terms of function and control, so using a photoshop tutorial should be almost exactly the same.

[MJ5150]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll do some reading on it right now.

-Mike

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

Good luck. Hope you find info that can help you further.

[FL Knifemaker]

If I could get my daughter to post on here, she's a wiz at the phone aps. She shows the people at the iphone store some tricks, including writing or what ever you call it, aps. I just give her my phone and tell her what I want and then she puts some of her own touches on it Kids............. She can put up a background or wallpaper that ONLY she can change. That can be annoying. Having her damn dogs face on my screen and not being able to change it is really.................... funny.................. She also assigns ring tones that I can't change Anyone but a 51 year old could probably figure it out but I can't

[Chunk-O-Funk]

EDIT:

Meh, never mind. I was wrong.

Did a quick markup and it didn't work as a jpg.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by EagleMoon

You need to make the images .png images rather than .jpg, .gif or .bmp. Those formats don't have transparency ability.

Don't GIFs support transparency too?

[L-A]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Don't GIFs support transparency too?

They support one "empty" color. You can't fade to transparency like it is possible with an alpha channel.