Clearing Areas Behind Pictures

If anyone knows the answer to this I would be very grateful, currently Im just loading a picture (logo for example) to my paintshop, then copying and pasting it onto my skin. This works great since I can resize any size picture while in the Photoshop program and the picture does not distort or blurr. However, I cant seem to find anywhere the tool that allows me to simply remove the background of a picture so its transperrant against the skin. It takes me ages to fill the background are with the proper colours.

Sometimes I save the entire Skin as a PNG Image so I can use the Paintshop program to overlay the picyures with a clear background, then copy and paste an entire area of the skin back onto the skin in the Photoshop program....there must be this function in Photoshop....but Ive tried everything and cant seem to find it.

If anyone can help Id sure appreciate it.

Cheers all

Dan

Been there .................I have found some will come off clean like sliding a decal off its paper to its new location. then others will bring the background.

I was limited at first using Photoshop Elements not all the bells and whistles are in that program compared to the full blown Photoshop. Went to the free online download of GIMP, its a little tough to master not as user friendlt as Photoshop I believe all is there that I need to create skins but figuring it out is a bear. Just little things like the laso work difrent there is another tool that needs to be mastered to use all the functions that Photoshop has set up in Laso. when I ask questions it will be from the Gimp aspect then the answer will need to be converted to back to Gimp.

An example Text in photoshop has all the bells and whistles Gimp is limited. I found I can create text in photoshop then save it and reopen it in Gimp and get the efect I want. Its an around about way But Gimp just has a little more to offer in other aspects, than the cheap version of photoshop I have.

I just spit out a whole lot of information to NOT answer your question, I will play around withy it and see if i can find the trick.

I hope we both can help each other and maybe spark a little interest from some skin experts to help us

First thanks John for your reply, its another reason why I would like someone like Duaner to get a little more involved here. From what I have heard we are still a little too small to attract the more experienced skinners from around the VSK community. But as I keep saying this will all come to us over time, we're not going anywhere, and our membership "WILL" grow, of that I am certain.

In the meantime we can sure help each other John in the best way we know how, even if it is not the "Proper" way we will get our skins done, the is usually more than 1 way to skin a cat as they say and we will find what we need to find just through trial and error.

I have used Gimp and Reeby uses Gimp, although she has told me she is not all that thrilled with the way it works. I have the more expensive Photoshop and have been working with it for only about 6 months. It takes me a long time to make a skin as you and Pat both know, but I get there in the end and I really enjoy creating them.

Thanks for your reply, Ill keep playing around with it and see what I can find out.

By the way I hope you didnt mind me changing the Sub-Forum title I liked that idea just a little bit better.

Cheers John

Dan

Still trying to figure it out with backgrounds? or you already mastered it?

if you still having toruble, let me know and with my expeirence (middle) in PS and my english (not as good as i want) I can teach you

Cheers
F.

Dan I must say you did a great job on my skin and it was worth waiting for. I cant thank you enough.

Thanks Pat it was my pleasure, I must be the slowest skinner known to man though, man it takes me a long time to make a skin.

@Franco - Yes mate I still dont know how to clear a background for say a logo and place it over the skin template in PS. I make do but it takes a very long time. There must be some function I cant see, because this MUST be possible. In Paintshop its as simple as clicking a button to clear the background to invisable so long as the background colour is white. But I dont know how to do it in PS.

I love making skins...but sheesh where does all my time go? hehehehe

Cheers guys

Dan

Hey dan its really easy, first go to the layers panel (down right of the screen) and grab the layer you want to take background and place it in top of the second little buton from the right to create a new layer from this, then if the background is white you can do this: double click the layer (a window will appear), in the middle you will se a greyish bar called "BLEND IF:" with two arrows on top in the bar that says "This Layer" grab de right arrow a littlebit to the left. then delete the original layer and voilá. If the background is coloured then you can simple use the magic wand pressing the letter W on your keyboard and select the background and then simply press delete.

hope you understand
cheers
F.

Cheers thanks Franco, I certainly try that, at the moment I am opening an image in "Paint Shop" copying it and pasting it over the skin. It works great except that an image with a white background still comes up white over the skin when I want it as transperant. Let me try what you suggest.

Franco I would like to give this Sub-Forum to you to handle if thats ok? That is to make you a Moderator for this section since you know more about this stuff than anyone else here. There is no great responsibility except to answer questions that may arise if you are able to. It can be your baby if you want it.

Cheers mate, we are lucky to have you.

Dan

Sure no problem!