How to I make a background transparent?

[arthurking83]

Hello to the PP elite!

I have an image that I created. Not a photo, but a picture of my D300's focusing screen.
I have no idea on WHY I did this, other than to say I started it and then I thought tomyself I had better finish it. And now that it's finished I want to make it more flexible.

I used MS's Paint program, because 'it was there'!
(I was helping my daughter learn to draw using my old Wacom tablet, and MS Paint was easy pickn's.. so.. anyhow.....

I made a white background looking image with a black wire frame that looks remarkably (ie. exactly) the same as my D300's focusing screen.

Note! I have no uber cool image layer manipulating programs such as PS, so this has to be done via a free program of some kind. I'm guessing either or both GIMP and Paintdotnet may have the ability to do what I want(to separate the black wire frame from the white background, and save the image as a black wire frame only.

I do have FSViewer, in which I can't see any way to separate the black from the white.

I know this is about transparency in layers and so forth... but as an image manipulating dunce!.. I really have no understanding of the processes.

TIA.

[WhoDo]

I'm guessing either or both GIMP and Paintdotnet may have the ability to do what I want(to separate the black wire frame from the white background, and save the image as a black wire frame only.

I do have FSViewer, in which I can't see any way to separate the black from the white.

I know this is about transparency in layers and so forth... but as an image manipulating dunce!.. I really have no understanding of the processes.

In GIMP it's relatively quick and easy. Choose Layer>Transparency>Color to Alpha and pick the colour that is in your background.

Hope that helps, Arthur.

[arthurking83]

THNX Waz,

OK.. GIMP it is.

I've always wanted to install it and see exactly how well (or not) it works.

Only problem is this is one program I've never downloaded to try. Now I have to wait till the 1st of August before I can download anything ... ooops!.. I've been a baaaad boy!!

[WhoDo]

Now I have to wait till the 1st of August before I can download anything ... ooops!.. I've been a baaaad boy!!

If you're with Telstra it's a free download from their site, no usage charges. Otherwise you're stuck because the Windows installer is about 18Mb+

[Kym]

www.getpaint.net very quick and easy

[arthurking83]

Thanks Kym.. I've used Paint.net on recommendation from Andrew.
I won't explain why I needed it, because in general I'm not the type that needs to clone/heal

So I did in fact download GIMP, as I've ben curious about it for a long time. It's going to get hard to get used to the workflow.. open layer, save layer, merge layer, scale layer... sounds like an ad for SaraLee cakes.. layeruponlayeruponlayer.

Anyhow the deed was done.. the data allowance is not longer an issue for this month
Downloaded it whilst I was out shopping, and now that dinner is simmering(or possibly smouldering now )... I organised the layers into something I now recognise:

DSG_1665+vf-screen.jpg
photo with split prism screen overlay!

[WhoDo]

So I did in fact download GIMP, as I've ben curious about it for a long time. It's going to get hard to get used to the workflow.. open layer, save layer, merge layer, scale layer... sounds like an ad for SaraLee cakes.. layeruponlayeruponlayer

You can find a useful collection of photographer's scripts for GIMP here:

http://www.gimphelp.org/script24.shtml

Just about anything you might need is in that package and they all come up on your GIMP menu to play with. We might even see you in the Photo-paint challenge, eh?