Convert to Alpha request

[tails8762]

1) Convert to Alpha / Anti-Aliasing fix?

I created an image in Paint and after editting it a little, I copypasted it into paint.NET so I could do a little more work to it (this is how I usually work; make the basic image in MS Paint and do all the fancy work in paint.NET), but because Paint uses white as its canvas colour, I get the image with a white background. This is a bit of a pain because I want it transparent underneath. Now, one solution I can think of is to Magic Wand-then-delete the background colour (Tolerance=0%) and then go over the off-white outline with the Eraser tool with :AntiAliasingOn: on. However, this is a pain in itself as the Anti-Aliasing on the Eraser(at least in my version - v3.35) only has two modes: off and on. And when you're working with mere pixels, you'd want the Brush size to be a small as you want (I usually go for 7- or 13-pt), and with paint.NET the Eraser ends up taking away too much.

In Adobe Fireworks the eraser/brush tool has an "Edge" preference, which is pretty much the Anti-Aliasing tool. But the "Edge" can be set to between 0-100 (0 being none and 100 being really sensitive; perfect for smaller brush sizes). Perhaps if paint.NET had a more adjustable anti-aliasing tool, then the smaller brush sizes would be easier to use with smaller brush sizes?

But back on the topic in hand, in Fireworks (at least version 8, which is what's installed where I work), there is a command/plugin called "Convert to Alpha", where the image is turned greyscale and the lighter shade of grey a pixel is, the more transparent the image is. Could paint.NET have a plugin that does that?

[Crimson]

*takes a deeeeeeep breath*

Hello, tails8762, and welcome to the forums. :wink:

For your first problem, I have the need to ask you: What can MS Paint do for you that Paint.NET can't? I'm quite sure that whatever you work on in Paint is also plausible in Paint.NET. If you were to work on your project completely in Paint.NET, it would eliminate the problem of having to erase the white areas of your image. However, if you absolutely had to use MS Paint for starting work, I suggest you use one of the anti-aliasing plugins that have been developed, such as Feather, Soften Edges and Basic Anti-Alias. Also, instead of using 0% tolerance when you select using the Magic Wand, try turning it up to, say, 15-20% for lighter images and an upwards of 40% to 50% for darker ones.

As for your second question, I believe this can be done with a few twists using the Alpha Mask plugin. Take your image and run Black and White over it (Ctrl + Shift + G). Save it to somewhere easily accessible. Now, create a new image that is the same size as your desired image. Run the Alpha Mask plugin on the canvas using your saved black and white image. You should now have an image that is completely transparent in places where your original B&W image was white and 100% opaque white areas where the image was black.

I hope that the above information was clear enough and has helped you. You can always ask again if you have any more questions. Thanks! :wink:

[tails8762]

The reason why I tend to use MSPaint as a primary program is that it's extremely simple to use. It's basic, but I can do some good things in it. For example, this I made entirely in Paint (with exception to the banner; that is the Black Marble bitmap from MS Word), recolouring and splicing all the sprites, copypasting the same sprites and tables over each other to give the impression of a layered image. Now yes I'm able make the same image in paint.NET by having several layers, but in MSPaint, everything's on one single layer, and with pasting things with a transparent background (via the secondary colour which I can change to what I please, so I can filter out everything red, or green, or white or whatever). I guess habits are hard to break. >.>

I'll be sure to give the Alpha Mask plugin a try, though; I don't really have any custom plugins other than the ones that came with the install file.. Does the alpha work with shade of grey also?

[Crimson]

Wow, I must say, you're a pretty good pixel artist.

The Alpha Mask plugin works with any color. If you want it to be a shade of gray, simply fill the canvas with the desired color (instead of white) before running the effect.