i don't know if this is possible, but i need this clipart's white background to be transparent. it is part of a business card design, and i want it to appear in front of the text with the hand/wand/hearts only -- can the white background be erased?

In the Layers Palette of Photoshop, hold the Alt key down while double clicking on the Background Layer. This will turn the background into a layer so that you can have transparency. Use the Magic Wand to select the white area and then just hit the backspace key to delete the selected white area. Hope this was what you meant. Rgds, MM

i don't know if this is possible, but i need this clipart's white background to be transparent. it is part of a business card design, and i want it to appear in front of the text with the hand/wand/hearts only -- can the white background be erased?You could also try using Select > Selective color to make the selection or try using layer blend mode Darken.

Makeovermagic.

If you are using Photoshop, the first layer is called "Background" and as souch does not support transparency. You must either double click it and converter it to "Layer 0" (or any name you choose) or duplicate it and work on the new layer (you can then delete the "Background" layer.)

Also, you get a choice when you create a new document (as opposed to opening an existing document) to set the first layer's background properties (Black, White or Transparent).

As a matter of workflow, I will (99% of the time) use the duplicate method and then turn the "eyeball" of the Background layer OFF and retain it as a backup and new starting point if I have screwed something up or don't like the results of something I've done.

If your business card is going to have a white background, you could just create the text and then mask the text so it appears to be behind the clipart.

Don't know if that helps any. It's just another approach to consider.

--Racc

Because the wand has a white tip and the hearts have almost white highlights, I would make a mask from the channels palette. For this picture I would duplicate the green channel run levels to darken the contrast. Then turn the channel into a selection, double click on the background layer to make it layer 0, then with the selection active click on the mask button at the bottom of your layers palette and voila you have a a transparent background. You may have to invert your mask if the wand turns transparent. Cnrt or Command I with the mask seleted will invert your mask. Hope this helps.

ttyl Ciao Vicki

bear with me, i'm just learning -- i am working in paint.net for the time being -- i was able to remove the white background while in that program and save it -- however, when i open my business card design to insert the picture, the white background is back -- i've combined, to the best of my ability, the above suggestions insofar as paint.net will let me -- any suggestions to get rid of the white once the picture is inserted into another program?

formats like .jpg, .bmp and .gif wont save transparent areas always. native .psd and .Paint Shop Pro (photoshop and paint shop pro respectively) and some others will. so, if paint.net lets you save in .psd, then do that and it shld save the transparent parts as transparent parts.

it might be possible to save those other formats as such, but you'd have to look at your software and see if any of those formats have 'options'. and then change them. but, most formats used on the internet wont do it. not sure about .png, so you might try that one also.

Craig

Craig -- THANK YOU!! I saved it in .png and it worked.

excellent :)

Craig