images / transparency / embedding - Publisher

[Thomahawk]

Publisher 1.7.2 on Mac OSX

I still don't understand why sometimes the transparency (glass) tool work on an image and sometimes not. And I dont see the difference, I always have the images embedded. Strangely, when I group an image, it suddenly works. I dont see the logic here.

Also I dont understand, why many images I place on the page (often copy paste from af Photo) are not treated the same like embedded images. (I understand the difference between images in image frame and directly placed images - only image frame can place the images linked without increasing Publisher filesize, but its still all pretty confusing). Most images dont appear in the resources window. I dont see the difference here either between embedded and copy paste image...

Has someone some insight on this?

[MEB]

HI Thomahawk,
The Transparency Tool only works with Image layer types (look at the label in parenthesis after the layer's name in the Layers panel) - that is images inserted in the document using the Place Image Tool, the menu File > Place... command or by dragging files directly from Finder or Windows Explorer directly to an existing document. Image layers are considered objects - they retain the original image data/quality and you can transform/scale them, apply transparency and adjustments etc but you cannot edit them at a pixel level. This can only be done with pixel layers (more on those below). Only Image layers are linked or embedded into a document.

If you rasterise them (right-click the Image layer in the layers panel and select Rasterise) to work on them at a pixel level they become part of the document as regular pixel layers - they don't appear in the Resources Manager anymore. To apply transparency to pixel layers use a mask or vector mask or group it with itself - the Transparency Tool can then be applied to the group layer containing it (not to the pixel layer itself).

Picture frames are just containers - they have nothing to do with linking or embedding images. You can insert both pixel and image layers inside picture frames but only Image layers are linked or embedded and listed in the Resources Manager.

[Thomahawk]

Thank you, MEB. Thats valued information.

I will need time to adjust to all that. And then, despite being copy paste images, hence pixel layers, when grouped, the Transparency Tool works on them nevertheless. It's all very difficult to grasp.

Regards
Thom

[MEB]

22 minutes ago, Thomahawk said:

And then, despite being copy paste images, hence pixel layers, when grouped, the Transparency Tool works on them nevertheless. It's all very difficult to grasp.

Regards
Thom

Because you probably have the group layer selected in the Layers panel not the pixel layers - so you are actually applying the transparency to the group layer which by extension also affects the pixel layer(s) inside it. This is different than trying to use the Transparency Tool directly with the pixel layers selected which as you discovered doesn't work.

[R C-R]

15 hours ago, MEB said:

The Transparency Tool only works with Image layer types ...

Since it is not particularly obvious that this tool will not work on pixel layers, perhaps it would be a good idea for Publisher (& Designer too?) to make a system beep (alert sound) when a user tries to use it on a pixel layer?

Also, the help topic is not particularly helpful in that respect, only saying that the "Transparency Tool allows you to apply and edit transparency gradients to vector and text objects." It should include image objects in that sentence....

[Thomahawk]

I would rather suggest to make it working, then to apply an annoying beep on top of the problem. As it works with the same image just inside a group, instead of just not do anything when the users wants it to do something, why not make it work? And if, for some internal, for the user not understandable reason, its not possible to do it on just the pixel image, at the moment of using the glass, it would automatically put it into a group (maybe issue an assistent message to say what it did) and apply the desired transparency.

This way it does not leave the user baffled, thinking about why the tool suddenly does not do what it is usually doing.