Is it possilbe to make an existing image's background image transparent?

[PaulWilliamson]

Hi,

I know, how would the software know what the background of an image is?  I have tried AD, AP, Gimp, and on-line services but it is a laborious process.

I guess I need to get much better with the pen tool as I cannot mark every pixel that I want transparent. Such as the attached PNG.  There is white outside of the blue lines that I missed when I insert it onto a web page..  The original is also attached.

-paulw

[Alfred]

Please see the following post:

 

[firstdefence]

I created a workflow using a few adjustment filters and the erase white paper filter.

1. Add a Bilateral Blur Live filter (this smooths out the colour in the shapes
   1. Radius 3px
   2. Tolerance 15%
2. Click on the Merge button in the filter window
3. Duplicate the logo layer
4. The top layer should be selected
5. Add a Black and White adjustment filter and move the sliders to the left (darker)
   1. Cyan set to 0
   2. Blue set to -100
   3. Magenta set to -100 
6. Click on the Merge button in the filter window
7. Next we add a threshold filter to get pure black and pure white. You might need to adjust the slider but generally leave it at 50%
8. Click on the Merge button in the filter window
9. Now we can use the Erase white paper filter Filters > Colours > Erase White Paper.
10. Now with the white background gone you can Cmd + Click on the layer icon to make a selection.
11. Click on the bottom layer and turn the top layer off
12. Go to Select > Refine edges...
13. don't touch anything just select Mask or New layer with mask

You should have a nice cut with no white fringe.

I did this a few times and on some of those times on step 10 I had to grow the selection approx 0.5px and fill with black to get a nice fringeless cut.

[v_kyr]

You can also just vectorize/trace it and remove the white rect part then, in order to get a transparent background version of that.

• logo1.afdesign

 

[PaulWilliamson]

Okay - I will try both of your suggestions and revisit the old post.

Thank you.

-paulw

[PaulWilliamson]

21 hours ago, v_kyr said:

You can also just vectorize/trace it and remove the white rect part then, in order to get a transparent background version of that.

• logo1.afdesign

 

How did you do that v_kyr?

-pw

[v_kyr]

I've used your bottom image and throwed that into a bitmap-to-vector vectorization/tracing app. I slightly adjusted the tracing settings in the tracing app and exported/stored the vectorized result as PDF/SVG file. Next I opened that PDF/SVG in Affinity Designer and removed the white rectangle layer curve the tracing app identified as the bitmap image's background color, so just all other vector curves are left in (kept) on no (a transparent) background. - That's all.

[PaulWilliamson]

Okay - that is a little over my head right now but I am going to try it!  Which link did you use from that page?

Thanks!

-paulw

[v_kyr]

For a local app depends on your operating system (if MacOS or Win), since I'm on a Mac I've used SuperVectorizer (see the videos there how to use it). On Windows you can also try Inkscape's vectorizing capabilities, their tracer is also a good one. - Or use and try out one of the Online vectorizers I've listed some in the other referenced thread!

[PaulWilliamson]

Thanks.  I am on Windows and I do have InkScape installed.