Gimp not exporting transparency

MHowling · **Joined:** Oct 22, 2017 **Posts:** 4

GIMP Version: 2.8.20
Operating System: Mac OS
OS Version: 10.13
GIMP Experience: Intermediate Level

Hi,

I'm trying to export this to .png but whatever I do, it comes out like this. I removed the background with colour to alpha, and gimp shows it how I want it. However whenever I export the image, gimp replaces the background as if I had never made it transparent. Colour mode is RGB. When I add a white layer behind the image, the original background also returns.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
M.

dinasset · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:16 am **(#2)**

I loaded your exported tree.png and it has the transparency, so it's OK.

MHowling · **Joined:** Oct 22, 2017 **Posts:** 4

dinasset wrote:

I loaded your exported tree.png and it has the transparency, so it's OK.

Loaded with what?

dinasset · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:29 am **(#4)**

Right click on your image and "save".

MHowling · **Joined:** Oct 22, 2017 **Posts:** 4

dinasset wrote:

Right click on your image and "save".

It's still not working

dinasset · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:38 am **(#6)**

What do you mean?
Did you right click on your posted png and saved somewhere as a new image (don't overlay an existing one), and not got the transparency when opened in Gimp?

MHowling · **Joined:** Oct 22, 2017 **Posts:** 4

dinasset wrote:

What do you mean?
Did you right click on your posted png and saved somewhere as a new image (don't overlay an existing one), and not got the transparency when opened in Gimp?

I have the transparency in gimp but in preview, on gimpchat, & on google slides (where it needs to end up) there is no transparency.

Wallace · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:44 am **(#8)**

MHowling wrote:

GIMP Version: 2.8.20
Operating System: Mac OS
OS Version: 10.13
GIMP Experience: Intermediate Level

Hi,

I'm trying to export this to .png but whatever I do, it comes out like this. I removed the background with colour to alpha, and gimp shows it how I want it. However whenever I export the image, gimp replaces the background as if I had never made it transparent. Colour mode is RGB. When I add a white layer behind the image, the original background also returns.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
M.

Using Color to Alpha only removes one color.
Although the background my appear to be one solid color.
In actuality it could be made of numerous colors.

As you can see in the GIF image below.
As I move the Color Picker across,
what appears to be a trasparent background.
You'll notice by watching the color swatch in the tool options dialog,
that there are still other colors which were left behind.

dinasset · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:49 am **(#9)**

I was able to use your tree as a layer on top of another image and produce this.
I don't know about Google images. (In G'MIC it opens with transparency as well).

Attachment:

combo-using-your-tree .jpg [ 3.08 MiB | Viewed 10701 times ]

dinasset · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:51 am **(#10)**

(in Gimp-chat every image with transparent areas shows a white BG, don't worry about that).

dinasset · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:52 am **(#11)**

(as Wallace said, your BG is not really fully transparent)

Wallace · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:54 am **(#12)**

dinasset wrote:

I was able to use your tree as a layer on top of another image and produce this.
I don't know about Google images. (In G'MIC it opens with transparency as well).

Attachment:

combo-using-your-tree .jpg

The image has other colors left behind by the Color to Alpha.
Using Color to Alpha,
isn't the best way to remove the background.

Blighty II · **Joined:** Sep 23, 2016 **Posts:** 317

MHowling wrote:

I'm trying to export this to .png but whatever I do, it comes out like this. I removed the background with colour to alpha,

As Wallace said, Colour to Alpha only makes one single colour fully transparent. Similar colours are not fully transparent, but have partial transparency which is what has happened in your case.

I restored your image to original to have a look at it (scaled down version attached). The background is very multi-coloured. It is not easy to make an image like that have a fully transparent background. Made even more difficult because some colours in the tree are the same as the some colours in the background. So the tree also gets some partial transparency when using colour to alpha

Options are:
1. Select the background using the Colour Select tool in Addition mode. Will require lots of patience. Use Delete, not Colour to Alpha.

2. Similar to 1. but select the foregound and then Select > Invert to get the background selected.

3. Accept that you will not get a fully transparent background with an image like that. Use what you have now.

Wallace · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:44 pm **(#14)**

I put this image together rather quickly.
Perhaps you can us it,
or some of it's elements in your work.

Attachment:

pink-tree-image.png [ 3.12 MiB | Viewed 4283 times ]

Attachment:

pink-tree-image.xcf [5.25 MiB]
Downloaded 110 times

2-ton · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2017 8:35 pm **(#15)**

When you exported to .png, did you remember to untick the 'save background color' box?

Erisian · **Posted:** Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:45 am **(#16)**

How does Google Slides usually display transparency? It seems to me that the transparency is there but you are confused by how it is displayed in different viewers. Windows viewer for example displays transparency as white.