How to Make Barcode Transparent

[kazoulay]

Hi there,

 

So I would like to change this barcode so that the black bars and numbers are transparent, while keeping the surrounding white as is. I'm not sure how to do this with it being a flat image (not already broken up into separate layers)--can anyone help? 

[toltec]

On 19/05/2018 at 2:43 PM, kazoulay said:

Hi there,

 

So I would like to change this barcode so that the black bars and numbers are transparent, while keeping the surrounding white as is. I'm not sure how to do this with it being a flat image (not already broken up into separate layers)--can anyone help?

 

Hi kazoulay

 

There are a few options. Here are two.

 

1. Go Select > Tonal Range > Select Shadows to select the black, and then press delete. Make sure it is a pixel layer (rasterised), not an image layer.

 

2. Use blend ranges (the little cog on the layers panel.

 

 

 

If you drag this point from the top to the bottom, it makes the black transparent. 

 

Edit. As carl123 mentioned, you might get grey outlines left behind around the edges, so move the point down and then to the right to eliminate them. 

 

 

[carl123]

Make sure Document > Transparent Background is ticked (or you wont see the transparency)

Select the layer in the Layers panel
CTRL + I (to invert layer)
Filters > Colours > Erase White Paper
CTRL + I (to undo invert layer)

[toltec]

One more

 

Use the Flood select tool (with contiguous un-ticked)

 

Select the black and press delete.

[smadell]

1) Duplicate the layer.

2) Rasterize to Mask.

[toltec]

23 minutes ago, smadell said:

1) Duplicate the layer.

2) Rasterize to Mask.

 

That masks the bottom layers too. So the mask layer would probably need to be nested.

[smadell]

The OP suggested that the barcode image was a solo layer, but otherwise - of course...

[toltec]

51 minutes ago, smadell said:

The OP suggested that the barcode image was a solo layer, but otherwise - of course...

 

I only mentioned it because this stuff can be a bit daunting and confusing for a newbie when "odd" things happen.

 

It's often daunting and confusing for me  and I'm ancient 

[smadell]

Absolutely, toltec. I'm dazed and confused more often than I'd like to admit!

Here's another one:

1) Duplicate the barcode layer.

2) Filters > Colors > Erase White Paper

3) Set blend mode on duplicated layer to "Erase"

4) Group the 2 barcode layers

[toltec]

Yet another one.

 

Right click on one of the RG or B channels and select Create Mask Layer.

 

Nest the mask.

 

 

[carl123]

Most of the "solutions" added here are leaving thin greyish outlines around the barcodes and numbers.

Not sure exactly how barcodes work but if the thin greyish outlines will interfere with the scanning of the barcodes you should be careful which method you utilise.

To test just add a pure white Fill layer at the bottom of the layer stack, if all the black areas are truly transparent you should see a pure white canvas with no lines or artefacts.

PS If this is just for some sort of T-Shirt design it's probably less important which method you use

[toltec]

47 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Most of the "solutions" added here are leaving thin greyish outlines around the barcodes and numbers.

Not sure exactly how barcodes work but if the thin greyish outlines will interfere with the scanning of the barcodes you should be careful which method you utilise.

To test just add a pure white Fill layer at the bottom of the layer stack, if all the black areas are truly transparent you should see a pure white canvas with no lines or artefacts.

PS If this is just for some sort of T-Shirt design it's probably less important which method you use

 

Not most.

 

Selecting Shadows and deleting

Flood select and delete.

Inverting, erase white paper and invert back

are perfect on my PC. No grey edges at all.

Blend ranges works OK if you tweak the position of the point (move down and to the right)

 

Agreed, the mask "solutions" are a little bit off,

 

Probably the easiest and safest is just to select the black using Select > Tonal Range > Shadows, or Flood select. No edges at all for me.

 

This is the result for those two.

 

[MikeW]

Or just use a vector version...

860303002305.afdesign

[toltec]

13 minutes ago, MikeW said:

Or just use a vector version...

860303002305.afdesign

 

Nice bit of lateral thinking.

[Fixx]

Vector version is more reliable... though when you start fiddling the settings it is always possible (probable) that machine readability suffers. Test if possible.

[MikeW]

I have no idea why the OP want basically a cut out version. Whatever this will sit on, if it's not just an artistic element needs to be tested with a scanner once finished. 

[firstdefence]

Looks weird but I think this is workable.

 

Changed the white to grey to show how the transparency works.

 

Barcode Transparent 860303002305.afdesign

 

Heres the EPS to play with: 860303002305.eps

[kazoulay]

Thank you so much for your help!! I have a new question though...

I know this is an Affinity forum, but you all have been so helpful--my boss now wants me to do this same thing but in Illustrator, and when I changed the Affinity file to an SVG and opened it in Illustrator it was really blurry. 

Could any of you explain how I would make the black transparent in Illustrator? Sorry to ask! 

[MikeW]

Did you you download the file I attached to my post above? Just export it to svg. Open in illy. It'll be vector in Illy.