Transparent background problem in Photopaint X7

I'm trying to make a background transparent and have only been partially successful with an image.

Here is how the image looks in PP X7. IT looks like it is fully transparent.

http://tinypic.com/r/a1l7r9/8

But when I go to export to a GIF file...some small areas are still not transparent. How do I fix this problem?

http://tinypic.com/r/2zswqz4/8

I've read about using the eyedropper or splitting and viewing in channels RGB, but those methods don't seem to be working for me, or at least I haven't done them right.

Thanks in advance.

  • Ok, I think I figured out the eyedropped tool. I changed the paper color to PURPLE (As opposed to white), then I - Combined Object with Background -. Then I used the - touch up brush - to paint everything else purple, apparently some spots were not "fully colored"

    Then I went to export to GIF, and used the eyedropper to make transparent all PURPLE colors. I didn't realize I had to select each color square with the eyedropper and make it transparent. Having a different color other than white was the trick.
    Is there a way to do it quicker?

    My last problem though is in using the touch up brush on the part of background between the legs...it doesn't seem to paint.
    As if the object is not fully separated from the background there? Not really sure...any ideas? I want to make more of that "triangular" area transparent.
    • Is there any reason it had to be a GIF? You might get better result saving to PNG which will allow you to have full 24bit colour with alpha transparency. To do this I'd:

      1. Create object from background

      2. Mask out the area you don't want

      3. Cut the area you don't want

      4. Save as 24bit PNG making sure the Transparency box is ticked.

      •  Thanks for the quick reply...no, I am not stuck on GIF, I have tried PNG too, better luck with that.

        Maybe if I was better with masking this would be easier. But it's hard because of the white image and background.

        Can you suggest the best way to mask the following polar bear head:

        1st image - is where the image is at now, which was by using the brush mask and a magic wand at the top corner.



        Next image is using the magic wand again...but it ends up eliminating some of the top of the bear.



        I can continue using the brush of course, but there must be an easier way. I have anti-aliasing turned on.

        I see feathering, etc...in the MASK OUTLINE menu...but not sure what is the best way to tackle this. I turned on MASK OVERLAY to help contrast the image.

        • Probably best to use Clip Mask and the Paint brush tool for this type of image. Clip masks make it much easier to correct any mistakes you make and to see exactly what you're doing. If you want to use the Feather feature after you've finished the mask to soften the edges a bit more you can convert the clip mask to a 'normal' mask.
          • I just ended up using the - Image - Cutout Lab - and that has been the easiest so far to get good results! A few videos started talking about it on Youtube, and I didn't even realize there was such a feature. Works well.

            I've gotten confused with masking , overlays, etc...every time I tried one of those methods today I seemed to get different results.
            • If you do use the ICL you can export the result as a clip masked image. That's the best option if you still need to do a bit of touching up.