Photo Restoration - - what's the best way to remove all blank around an image

djpate · #1 07-10-2005, 09:52 AM

hello all,
first post here so please don't flame if my question is stupid

ok so i'm a php developer and i need to migrate a website , anyway the company i work for as a logo but don't have the source so i'm stuck with a .gif logo to work with.

And that logo as a white area around it (http://www.free-expert.com/images/fr_way.gif) and since the new background won't be white i need to get that out.Is there anyway to do that? I'm "familiar" with fireworks but i could download photoshop if necessary.

thanks in advance for any help !

Swampy · #2 07-10-2005, 10:15 AM

Photoshop really isn't the answer to correct this logo because of the small text which would need to stay sharp and crisp. If you try to use PS to remove the white the small letters turn to garbage.

You should be able to recreate this logo in Illustrator. It looks like IC Bauhas was used as the font for "Free Expert".

djpate · #3 07-10-2005, 10:18 AM

thanks for the fast reply.

Actually i don't need to keep the small text around it.

I just need to keep the red thingy.

I'm downloading illustrator right now to see what i can do

Kraellin · #4 07-10-2005, 10:23 AM

djpate,

welcome to RP.

the first thing is to convert this file to another format so it can be worked on more easily. i use paint shop pro so i changed it to their format to start with.

then, increase the color count to 16 million color to get rid of the limitations of a fixed color palette.

then, in psp or photoshop, use the magic wand tool set on a very low tolerance and set to detect 'lightness' and click on the white area. this will select all the white area in the logo.

you can then either use the eraser and get rid of all of this and leave the background transparent, or use the fill tool and add a different background.

now, you could just use the fill tool without using the magic wand, but i didnt know if you wanted the bg transparent or filled.

once you have either removed all the bg or changed it, save your image and then save again as a different file type that you're going to be using on the web page. so, if you need it as a .gif simply save it again as a .gif.

you might also want to select out a tighter area for your logo. simply use the selection tool for this and then make a new image from that selection. you can do this before you use the magic wand or even after you've changed the bg. i'd do it before changing the file type back into what you're using on the web page, though.

Craig

greatguy · #5 07-10-2005, 10:25 AM

Here is the logo after seletivly choosing the white and removing it.

Kraellin · #6 07-10-2005, 10:26 AM

ah, swampy posted while i was looking at this, so didnt see her post or your last one.

yes, you can simply select out the logo without the other gray text. but, using the magic wand i was able to pick up all the curved text and still get rid of the white without damaging the text.

Craig

greatguy · #7 07-10-2005, 10:35 AM

I just realized that I did a really bad job - I should have previewed it on another background before sending it - sorry

Bruce

djpate · #8 07-10-2005, 11:09 AM

could someone post a good version

, sounds like easy to do and it will take me a while to find photoshop...

Marthig · #9 07-10-2005, 01:14 PM

I join in welcoming you to RP djpate !

I am not sure if this will help much, but since you are familiar with FW I removed all the white from the outside of the elipse then selected the inside white text (didn't come out too neat, but if you have the font it will be no problem to fix -I think/hope) The white shinny ovals are extra layers that you will have no problem reproducing, anyway the link below is for a storage place where I could upload a zip file. It contains the resulting .png made with FW MX 2004. I made two extra layers with ellipses with gradient fills and included the layers with the text, both in white and black, I don't think they will want the legend to be transparent -what if the page has a purple background!!

--
Hope it helps

Regards - Martha

http://sr2.mytempdir.com/79675 the file name is "freeway.png" (if you find any inconvenient downloading it let me know)

djpate · #10 07-10-2005, 03:24 PM

thanks a lot Marthig.

The web site is now ready !

Thanks evryone for your help...

Marthig · #11 07-10-2005, 06:48 PM

NP djpate will you let us see the website ?

Regards - Martha

maureeno · #12 07-11-2005, 02:13 AM

Well, I used the ellipse selection tool (no feathering) from PhotoImpact 10; selected the red ellipse; copied and pasted to a transparent layer and saved it as a .psd.

It worked well on every background I tried.

Maureen

djpate · #13 07-11-2005, 04:03 AM

sure marthig it's hosted on my private server but you can still take a look.

http://djpate.myvnc.com/fex/testing

I take no credit for the design since i bought it from monstertemplate.com

C u

Flora · #14 07-11-2005, 04:17 AM

Hi djpate,

Welcome to RP!

I had a go at your logo .... I don't know how Fireworks works but if you can make selections and can work in Layers ... it should be OK ....

I used Photoshop for this ... If you'd like a detailed explanation I'll post it, but I don't know how much use it could be with Fireworks...

The first attachment shows your Logo on a transparent Background ... the others are variations just to give you an idea ....