Help...GIF transparency in Paint

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Help...GIF transparency in Paint

Postby mercedes » Sat May 17, 2008 6:33 am

I was reading this topic..

http://www.adventuremaker.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=3132

and wondered how it was done..I would have posted but its an old topic and didn't want to bump it..:)

I use mspaint..and it looks as though i can import .gif's into it...and them be "transparent"..

Can someone please tell me how to do it..? There are some directions on the topic..but it doesn't work for me..

Well to get the gif images I just used paint.I went to edit on the top inventory and clicked paste from... and clicked the gif images I wanted.It is very easy!It is like you are importing pictures.


I tried this from paint..went to "Edit" then, "Paste from" my picture folder, and chose a .gif image and still there appears a paper around it..


I would love to use the images..that are in this topic..

A question about that..

i hope these items are helpfull to new AM makers
having a ready made set of images makes life easier
whilst experimenting
feel free to use these as and when you wish..
(tho not for commercial use as most are created with the stock "poser" models)


I have the commercial product of AM..but i don't sell games..am i still able to use these..or no?

With commercial product..Am i limited to what I can use..sort of going into a second topic here..if this can't be answered and I need to open "new topic"..could you please let me know..:) Wondering if I can still use the textures that I use and other things..


Many many thanks..!
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Postby Lyberodoggy » Sat May 17, 2008 9:18 am

To make images transparent there are two ways: Either creating an Alpha Channel Bitmap for the image (Google it if you don't know what it is... There are lots of tutorials on how to do this, but I 've never learned :P) or using a program to export transparent gifs. MSPaint can't do that. I 'm using photoshop for that job...
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Postby mercedes » Sat May 17, 2008 9:23 am

Did you read the topic.?

The one i posted where he says he does it this way..doesn't really get into detail..but he said you can use mspaint..?

I must have read it wrong...:(

really want to do that..so i can use better images in paint..I can't seem to use google sketch..everything appears really small and i get frustrated with it..lol..
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Postby Mystery » Sat May 17, 2008 9:36 pm

Sorry, you can't make transparent backgrounds with MS Paint.
You can use however free software, for example
Irfanview http://www.irfanview.com/
Gimp http://www.gimp.org/

It doesn't matter what version of AM you are using - if something is free for non-commercial use, then you can use them as long as you don't sell your game.
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Postby mercedes » Sun May 18, 2008 12:25 am

Thanks for answering that Mystery..that question was buggin me for sure..[commercial product]

Many thanks..for the links as well..
:)

Is there a tutorial on how to do that with Gimp..I have it but am unsure on how to do it..I have looked at tutorials with Gimp..but they didn't get into that part of it..was a little lost with it..

Many thanks once again!
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Postby Mystery » Sun May 18, 2008 1:27 am

Google "gimp transparent background"
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Postby mercedes » Sun May 18, 2008 2:13 am

I've googled that before and didn't recieve the same responce as i did now...lol..Thanks..!

But wondering what im doing wrong here..i have saved it first as png file..then realized that AM doesn't suport that kind..so I then saved it as .gif file..after adding alpha channel..and I can see now that the white backround has dissapeard..BUT.. only when i put in the hotspot as a regular picture..If i choose "Is an animated GIF.. I get this weird white backround with part of the "fast---slow image in it..you know the selection you get under "is an animated gif..? the scale you have to work with to make animation faster or slower.?
In run time the bacround is blue..like the couch thats in the same picture..??
many thanks..!
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Postby Mystery » Sun May 18, 2008 2:17 am

Well, if it's a simple (non-animated) .gif, then of course you need to add it as regular image.
You just need to use the "is an animated GIF" if it is really an animated one.
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Postby mercedes » Sun May 18, 2008 2:20 am

No what im saying is that..for me to see it as without "white background"..it has to be loaded as a regular picture..since i took out the white backround..with gimp

It is an animated one..but when i choose as an animated picture..it gets this weird white backround with the scale showing through..and in run time..it has a blue backround..

am i supposed to do something with am to be able to view animated .gif's..
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Postby Mystery » Sun May 18, 2008 2:25 am

If it's an animated one, then you need to make the backgrounds transparent on all the frames of the animation. Did you do that?
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Postby mercedes » Sun May 18, 2008 2:27 am

If it's an animated one, then you need to make the backgrounds transparent on all the frames of the animation. Did you do that?


I'm sorry Mystery..i'm not sure what you mean by this..I'm lost..sorry.. :?
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Postby Mystery » Sun May 18, 2008 2:31 am

Animated GIFs are made up of several non-animated GIFs, and then the animation is saved as animated GIF.

Animated GIFs with transparent background are not really good supported by AM. You better use the Gif Sequence Player for that.

Check this thread: http://www.adventuremaker.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=3335

But I'm still wondering how an image that you have first saved as PNG and then as GIF should be an animated GIF... :?
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Postby mercedes » Sun May 18, 2008 2:40 am

Ok..so strange..cause i was able to use that pendulum no problem..without player..I'm assuming this is a plug in right..and this is just so I can see animated.gif's move right..?..

AT this point myquestion is..can i simply make a picture using this method..making .gif's transparent.

.Like make a room with nice fireplace and stuff like this with regular .gifs..but make them t ransparent..before I upload them in PAINT..

Do you understandf what im getting at..I may be off track here..in what i want to do with nicegraphics..

In the thread i posted here..[link] in the first question..there was a series of really nice pictures..they are .gif files i believe..not animated ones..I think thats what they were..and would like to do the same with other graphics I have..therefore I would be able to use brick walls and such that I have..and have it appear like the rooms and pictures in that thread..

do i need player to do that..?

Sorry if im all over the place here..trying to understand what these graphics are..first time i ever use such things..really..they look almost 3d to me..but arent i beleive
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Postby Mystery » Mon May 19, 2008 1:51 pm

About the usage of GIFs:

You can create non-animated GIFs with transparent backgrounds (e.g. with GIMP as you have already done).
You can use such GIFs with transparent background in order to put them as regular images to your frames in a hotspot (for example a non-moving character, an item to be picked up, furniture etc.).

If you would like to have animated images (like a burning fire for example), you need to create several images that - if played fast after each other - create a nice impression of movement.
You can create a series of single GIFs with transparent background, and then use the Gif Sequence Player (plugin).
Again, check this thread about the Gif Sequence Player: http://www.adventuremaker.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=3335
This, because AM doesn't really support well animated GIFs with transparent background.

Any other animated GIFs with non-transparent background can be used by loading them into a hotspot, and checking the "Is an animated GIF" in AM.

As I said, MS Paint doesn't support transparency, so you shouldn't use images with transparent background in it - better use GIMP for that (or other software of course that supports transparency).
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Postby mercedes » Tue May 20, 2008 1:22 am

Oh ok..so what you are saying is that, even after I make them transparent in Gimp...i still cannot load them in Paint..they won't appear transparent in there..Ooh ok..i was thinking make them transparent..Or use the trees and stuff that i see in the [link] i posted..and use them in paint..but they won't appear the same way..as they do in the thread..ahh ok...I see that you can use them in AM in hotspots....but was wanting to make rooms with them..as well..as graphics..

I so hate gimp..lol..I downloaded Google sketch..but don't understand it much..well i grabbed what was supposed to be a couch and it appears really realy tiny..can't play with it..strange..I just don't know how to use it is all.. :lol: lost patience for it..

Ok well..thanks for response..Mystery..~
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Postby Lyberodoggy » Tue May 20, 2008 8:35 am

Now I understood what you wanted to do. So I created a tutorial for you. Here it goes:
Attachments
parrot.JPG
Paint the background and/or parts of the picture you want to be transparent a color that doesn't exist anywhere else in the picture. In this case I selected pink, a usually used color for transparency indicating.
parrot.JPG (56.52 KiB) Viewed 23442 times
parrot1.JPG
Paste the picture in the background you want
parrot1.JPG (136.85 KiB) Viewed 23442 times
parrot2.JPG
Select the color you painted the transparent parts with by right clicking and select the second option of the paste function (see attachment for details)
parrot2.JPG (146.42 KiB) Viewed 23442 times
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Postby mercedes » Tue May 20, 2008 10:39 am

Yess.. like that!~..but i have one question..

By painting the colour pink in the backround..the [transparency part]...and using the selection you did to paste it.

I'm not sure what the second thing did
You selected the other option by right clicking so it brought up the pink colour with selection...then u I assume..cropped it right..?..Ctrl X

This is a neat way of doing this also..perfect..And I don't have to make them transparent..from what i see..

And with the way u did this here...I am able to sort of have them blend into the background..like in the [link] I posted at the very beginning..On that thread there was a picture of walls..brick walls .gif's...and with the way he pasted it in the app..he was able to put other images and they looked to blend nicely...In other words..through the leaves of t he trees..I was able to see the wall behind it..superimposed I guess is what its called...as opposed to the tree looking like its right on top of the wall...

this is awesome..Thanks sooo much..!

So I hope I guessed it righ with what you did..!~

Thanks so much to both of you for your help..!~ Very helpful for sure..

Its sort of what iwas doing already..but the really long way..I was painting the [whitepaper] that appears behind it in black or which ever colour backround was in the picture i was trying to paste it in..

I'm going to try it with the trees that are in that thread and hope that they appear somewhat thesame..:)

by the way..a really quick question..where can i find good graphics like that...gif's that are bigger like that..I can only find small little things..never anything big like trees or anything furniture at all..any ideas..?
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Postby Lyberodoggy » Tue May 20, 2008 12:09 pm

The easiest solution: Google the phrase "free pictures for projects" :P
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Postby mercedes » Thu May 22, 2008 6:43 am

Your tutorial is not working for me at all...:( something is missing..cause no matter how i paste it..it's not working for me..
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Postby Lyberodoggy » Thu May 22, 2008 8:21 am

hmmm... Could you post three pics representing the three steps I 've shown i your project? Would be helpfull
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Postby mercedes » Fri May 23, 2008 2:43 am

How Im doing this is..

I open up an image of the doorknob i have with a key in it..is a .gif file..and it has white paper around it..

I open it in paint..choose colour bucket fill..and choose pink..I fill the white with PINK

Then i go to EDIT menu and choose COPY...

Then go to OPEN choose a picture to paste it in..by opening it in another window..

I go to EDIT menu in the New picture I've opened up....

And choose PASTE..it pastes an exact copy of it right on top of the NEW IMAGE..

At that point i try to right click it..and hope to get the pink colour come up..but all i get is a menu to copy and paste and invert or flip or rotate..

There is a step im missing or something but that's what it looks like you did..so I don't know.~

I have to crop out the pink..right?..Well I can never get the selection of pink by way of rightclicking ..so that I can crop it..I only get a menu..

do you know what I mean..and what im doing wrong..? I hope so..~

Thanks for Response..:D
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