Re: Graphic converter query - transparency

Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> Woody <usenet@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> 
> > Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > 
> > > It's a question I would have thought the manual would help me with,
but
> > > it seems not.
> > > 
> > > Can anyone tell me how to make a (currently white) area around the
> > > outside of an image into a transparent region using Graphic
Converter?
> > 
> > Although not a user of graphic converter, assuming it works in a
> > similarish way to other things, you can only change an area to
> > transparent if you want to make a gif, which I assume you don't if you
> > are making an icon.
> 
> I dunno - I recall icons with transparent (missing, more like) bits
> under < OS X, so why can't I have 'em with OS X?

Well, you can, but that isn't what the finder uses for transparent
images (I don't think). 

Having a look now, if you click the tool in the toolbox that looks like
a T crossed out that is on the right, 3 up from the bottom (this is
version 6 - I guess it is old, it isn't something I use), you can click
on a colour and all of that colour becomes transparent.

> > the other way is to copy the part that isn't white and paste it into a
> > new transparency.
> 
> Okay, I need to learn what that means.  I've STFW and got horribly
> confused.  Anyone got a pointer to a site I could read that'd teach me
> what I need to know to understand this?

What I meant is that if you have a large area around the outside of an
image that is white, if you select everything that isn't white (ie, the
rest of the image) and copy it, you could paste it in a new transparent
image.

When you say new image, there is a check box for transparent background.

> > > (I'm trying to make an HP32E icon for the 32E emulator from here
> > > <http://www.bartosiak.org/nonpareil/index.html>
- scanned in my
> > > calculator, cropped in close, but I'm left with a bit of a border
> > > because the sides are curved and I'd like it transparent)
> > > 
> > > And while I'm at it: what's the approved method of applying a custom
> > > icon as a one-off in OS X?
> > 
> > Copy and paste into the Get Info. I did it yesterday so I know it
works
> > ok (this was 10.5, but I remember it always working).
> 
> It worked, but not okay - as I related.

By worked, I meant it worked ok here.
I don't tend to have custom icons but I reinstalled my wifes macbook to
try and cure the wifi issues (it didn't) and she has them all over the
palace

> 
> > > I tried the obvious `Get Info' and then found I could paste my
prototype
> > > image in if I selected the icon in the top left - but although I
gave it
> > > a 128x67 pixel image, what I got ended up much lower resolution than
> > > that and it's all blurry.
> > 
> > What said 128x67?
> 
> Nothing, but I was working on the idea that the OS could sort it out if
> the image it was given wasn't square.  Was that wrong of me?

I don't know. It would appear from your experience it was.

> > Icons should be 128x128 32 bit argb (or is it rgba)? 
> 
> Dunno what that means at all.

128 pixels square, with 8 bits used for red, green, blue and an alpha
channel.

> 
> > I use the icon tool, paste it into that and save it as a graphic.
> 
> Umm.  `The icon tool'?
> 
> > I am not sure if icon composer is a normal thing or gets installed
with
> > the developer tools. I think it is.
> 
> You think it is what?  I don't have anything on my boot volume called
> icon composer.

No, I checked, it is part of the development tools.

> > You can do it in photoshop so I am
> > sure you can do it in graphic converter
> 
> I'm confused.  You seem to be telling me to use some special tool called
> icon tool or icon composer (which I don't have) and also Photoshop or
> Graphic Converter.

No, I said I did it in either icon composer (which you don't have) or
photoshop.
However, I was guessing you could do it in graphic converter as well. I
didn't know, as it is not something I use.
However, I just did and it works. This is what I did.

In graphic converter I made an image of 128 x 128 with a transparent
background. I made my image (just a rubbish image as a test).
I then saved it as a tiff.
I then got info on the tiff, selected the image at the top left and
copied it. I then got info on a folder and selected the top left icon
and said paste.
The folder now has the custom icon.


> > > Thing is, that's what Mac Help appears to tell me to do.
> > 
> > Ahh.. never read that!
> 
> <shrug>  What else can one do?

Play around with it until it works generally.

-- 
Woody

www.alienrat.com