Exporting vector file with transparent background

[Adam Bennett]

Is there a way to export a vector image with a transparent background?

Edit: I want the file to be exported to a vector image like svg or eps. Exporting to a png file will not work because it is a raster image and the print shop that I'm working with needs a vector file with transparent background.

BBC Logo White Negative.afdesign

Edited April 21, 2021 by Adam Bennett

[h_d]

Hiya @Adam Bennett and welcome!

Yes - export in a format that supports transparency (such as .png).

This is how a .png exported from your .afdesign file opens in Affinity Photo (transparent background enabled, the checkerboard is the transparent area):

[Adam Bennett]

I want the file to be export to a vector image like svg or eps. A png is a raster image and the print shop that I'm working with needs a vector file with transparent background.

[v_kyr]

5 hours ago, Adam Bennett said:

Is there a way to export a vector image with a transparent background?

Of course, set the document to transparent background and export your drawing as PDF (or SVG though PDF might be better suited for print shops).

[Adam Bennett]

OK, I have redesigned this logo slightly (attached). I want to know how to convert it to an svg and preserve the transparency. Every time I try to do it, all the layers that are set to erase go back to passthrough. How do you preserve those erase layers when exporting.

BBC Logo White Negative Vector ready.afpub

[h_d]

You will need to simplify your original significantly.

I switched to Edit in Designer (not sure why you went into Publisher for the second attempt) and ungrouped.

Then, I identified the individual layers by name: Background circle, Lower White Circle, Upper White Circle, Lower Punch Circe, Upper Punch Circle, Lower White rectangle, Lower Punch Rectangle, Upper White Rectangle, Upper punch rectangle.

I changed the fill on the "Punch" shapes to something other than white and changed their blend mode to Normal to make them easier to see.

I changed the fill mode on all the objects to Alternate (even-odd). Some were Winding (non-zero) which initially gave problems with the following steps.

I dragged Lower Punch Circle down to immediately above Background iCrcle in the layer stack, selected both these layers and applied Geometry - Subtract

I did the same with Upper Punch Circle and Background Circle.

I dragged Lower White Rectangle down to immediately above Background Circle, select both layers and applied Geometry - Add

I dragged Lower Punch Rectangle down to immediately above Background Circle, selected both layers and applied Geometry - Subtract

Same process for Upper White Rectangle and Upper Punch Rectangle.

This gave me a single Curves layer with transparency:

I exported this to SVG (purple shape for contrast only.

 

[Adam Bennett]

6 hours ago, h_d said:

You will need to simplify your original significantly.

I switched to Edit in Designer (not sure why you went into Publisher for the second attempt) and ungrouped.

Then, I identified the individual layers by name: Background circle, Lower White Circle, Upper White Circle, Lower Punch Circe, Upper Punch Circle, Lower White rectangle, Lower Punch Rectangle, Upper White Rectangle, Upper punch rectangle.

I changed the fill on the "Punch" shapes to something other than white and changed their blend mode to Normal to make them easier to see.

I changed the fill mode on all the objects to Alternate (even-odd). Some were Winding (non-zero) which initially gave problems with the following steps.

I dragged Lower Punch Circle down to immediately above Background iCrcle in the layer stack, selected both these layers and applied Geometry - Subtract

I did the same with Upper Punch Circle and Background Circle.

I dragged Lower White Rectangle down to immediately above Background Circle, select both layers and applied Geometry - Add

I dragged Lower Punch Rectangle down to immediately above Background Circle, selected both layers and applied Geometry - Subtract

Same process for Upper White Rectangle and Upper Punch Rectangle.

This gave me a single Curves layer with transparency:

I exported this to SVG (purple shape for contrast only.

 

Thank you for this answer and tutorial. I am obviously a novice at this. First, I didn't know there was a major difference between Publisher in the Designer persona and the full Designer program. I've never used the punch tool before so I'm excited to use a new tool. Finally, can I buy this from you. 

[walt.farrell]

3 minutes ago, Adam Bennett said:

First, I didn't know there was a major difference between Publisher in the Designer persona and the full Designer program.

For this purpose, there is not a major difference between the Designer Persona in Publisher and the Designer Persona in Designer. They have the same functions.

What Publisher doesn't have from the full Designer app: The Export Persona, and the Pixel Persona. If you don't need those, then you can work in either application.

[h_d]

Hi Adam,

There's no punch tool as such - it's simply the name I gave to the layers that I was using to 'punch through' the white shapes using Geometry - Subtract. Bear with me and I'll upload an .afdesigner file with the history saved so you can walk through it. TBH you could probably do the job in Publisher but the Geometry tools are a little bit more accessible.

Cheers,

H

 

[walt.farrell]

6 minutes ago, h_d said:

TBH you could probably do the job in Publisher but the Geometry tools are a little bit more accessible.

They're laid out identically for me, whether I'm in the Designer Persona in Designer or the Designer Persona in Publisher.

[h_d]

Here you go. In my original description I omitted one step - adding the smaller circles to the larger one after 'punching through' the circular holes. This step is included in the history of the attached file.

 

converted bbc negative logo.afdesign

[Adam Bennett]

@h_d Thank you for this. 

[h_d]

Pleasure - hope it works for you!

[Adam Bennett]

@h_d Did you send me the right file? The layers look just like the ones I sent you.

[Adam Bennett]

@h_d nevermind. I found the changes. I've never used that history feature before. You're teaching me a lot. Ha

[h_d]

You had me worried for a second...