Background shows transparent on an image but--

[badpenny]

when I copy it to a colored background, it then is white not transparent.

So what's the cure? Other than I shoot myself...

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Within Paint.NET, transparency will be preserved across a copying operation. If it is showing up as white then your source is white and not transparent.

Check you're copying from the correct layer. If you have a look at the layer thumbnail in the Layers Window it should be possible to see if the layer is transparent or not. When you're copying, the source is always the highlighted layer (blue highlight in the Layers Window).

If you're copying from another image, be aware that JPG's do not support transparency and convert any transparent pixels to a solid color (usually white). If saving the image as a JPG the same will occur.

[badpenny]

Thank you, Scott. It obviously is the latter. Because I have to have a jgp image for Kindle.

I put it against a white background to see if that would cure it, and of course it did. So maybe that will have to be my only choice. IF I go this way.

Making a cover when you're flying blind is tough!

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I put it against a white background to see if that would cure it, and of course it did.

That's the usual fix for images that must be saved as JPGs - a completely filled 'Background' layer at the bottom of the stack of layers. The layer does not have to be white or even a single color unless the other layers dictate this by their contents.

[badpenny]

Scott, I'm still having the devil's own time with transferring images. I printed out your post on how to do it, but the problem is that the layer I make as the source layer is empty and I don't know how to fill it!

What's the trick? Both destination and source are separate files/pics.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

The image you're copying is the source. If it has multiple layers, you can only copy from one of them. This would be the source layer and must have the active layer highlight in the Layers Window (i.e. blue highlight).

The source is the image or element that you wish to move somewhere else.

The place where you want the image or element is the destination. Could be an image or a individual layer within the image.

You won't have any luck copying from an empty layer as there are no colored pixels to copy.

[badpenny]

Please, Scott, I'm not the idiot you're making me out to be. I understand perfectly well the difference is the source and destination.

What I'm trying to tell you is that I thought putting a new layer in the destination file would let me import the souce to it. It didn't . But now I think what I'll try is loading the source and the destination (I know, destination first!) and then using the little thumbprints at the top of the canvas to toggle between them, and use the source file I've loaded to do the ctrl A & then C on its correct layer and see if I can make it work that way.

So far, when using copy and paste-from the right mouse button and the edit menu I would get as far as ctrl V (or alternately I tried ctrl +alt+ V) but I kept getting an error message that says I don' have enough memory to paste from the clipboard. Siince I haven't a clue as to what kind of memory it means (my computer has 450 G's which I'd think would be plenty enough) I don't know how to proceed.

Please when you reply--and I hope you will--give me a wee bit of credit for having a good brain even if I sometimes fail to understand, I keep at it until I do. And treating me like a first grader doesn't do much to encourage me--in fact it verges on being insulting. IMO

[pdnnoob]

Since I haven't a clue as to what kind of memory it means (my computer has 450 G's which I'd think would be plenty enough) I don't know how to proceed.

By "memory", it means "random access memory" or RAM. You're getting RAM confused with storage space on your hard drive. Try turning off other programs to free up some memory before you try copying and pasting.

[badpenny]

Not you, also! I know what RAM is opposed to the total memory on my hard drive! I just wasn't sure that was the problem because I had already closed all other programs. But I used the thumbnails at the top of the canvas and that worked it out.

[jim100361]

... I kept getting an error message that says I don' have enough memory to paste from the clipboard. Siince I haven't a clue as to what kind of memory it means (my computer has 450 G's which I'd think would be plenty enough) I don't know how to proceed.

Not you, also! I know what RAM is opposed to the total memory on my hard drive! I just wasn't sure that was the problem because I had already closed all other programs. But I used the thumbnails at the top of the canvas and that worked it out.

I don't know why you are always getting upset about the replies people give you. One moment you say you don't know what kind of memory it's talking about and in the same breath you start talking about your harddrive's capacity (which you state you thought was enough). At what point (if you truly understood the difference) did you see that your harddrive's capacity had any bearing on the memory error, or at what point did you express how you derived to that conclusion in your previous post?

Stop taking offense to people trying to assist you. You are the one that misled them by giving specs about the capacity of your harddrive. Quit treating them as children and understand why they thought what they did. I would expect that someone who bills herself as an author would have a better understanding of how to communicate, nevermind understanding how someone will interpret what you put in writing.

If you've got anger in your heart and will always respond with disdain to everybody who tries to help you, I expect pretty soon nobody is going to step up and try to assist you for fear of how you're going to respond, especially when they're misled by incompletely expressed thoughts.

[HELEN]

Please follow directions one step at a time. We all learn that way. Even the most experienced users here on PDN have questions. Don't think that we're offending you or putting you down. We're helping you.

[badpenny]

Dear Jim,

Thank you for your well-expressed thoughts about the manner in which I should behave. Or at any rate, your feelings on the subject.

[badpenny]

Okay, Helen, I've got a new one. By the time I get a response maybe I can solve it by myself, or at any rate find a work-around.

I want to put one image into another.

So step one, I took a jpg picture and saved it as a pdn, so I was working in the same (whatever the term is for the extension)

Step two, I erased all of the white background that neuropathy and eyesight would let me.

Step three. I then went to a new canvas and opened the destination image.

Four: I loaded the redone jpg/pdn image (source image)

Five: I clicked on a new layer with that image showing--i.e.: background checkered, redone image showing

Six then I clicked on ctrl A, then ctrl C

Seven then I went to the destination image and clicked ctrl.

Ah but!! The souce image loaded all right--without anything but the background checkerboard!

It was my second attempt to put the source image on the destination image --The first try having succeeded.

This one for some reason will not put the actual image (source) on the main (destination) image.

Which is very strange to me because it worked the first time.

And there you have it.

No source image, except the checkerboard background will copy.

So please tell me what I did wrong between the first and second attempt to move the source to the destination, and whu # 1 worked and #2 didn't.

Thank you.

[badpenny]

ctrl V --the V is missing in step 7 above

[HELEN]

Please remember that if you save your file as a .jpg, you WILL NOT have a transparent background. Okay, I tried following the steps you wrote and it looks like you're doing an extra step.

1. Take your source image and delete the white background and save as .png or .pdn. PLEASE make sure the background is clear and you can see the checkered pattern in the back.

2. Open second image. If you want this background to be transparent, remove the background as you did for Step 1.

3. Click on new layer above it.

4.Go to "Layers" on top of the toolbar and select "Import From File." (You will be importing your source image that you saved as .png or .pdn in Step 1).

5. There. You should have two images in one file.

Edited November 28, 2012 by HELEN

[badpenny]

Helen, Here's the thing and maybe you missed it or I didn't explain it clearly enough--whatever--but I knew that the jpg wouldn't support transparency so I saved it as a pdn file and worked from there.

I erased all the white that showed in the pdn file. Except I didn't get all of it because as I said with neuropathy and age my hands can't do close work too well--even though I enlarged it to 500% and thought I'd gotten it all, I hadn't.

But at least the first time I went thru all the steps above it worked. I put the source image right where I wanted it but it never would again. Even though I repeated the steps just as I had before, it left the image behind and just transferred the transparent background.

However since a small am't of white background still peeps through around the image in the source file when I save it back to a JPG--I can't use it anyway. Can't have the white showing around what I've transferred.

If this isn't clear enough it's the best I can explain--taken together with all the steps I listed in the above post.

Thank you for trying to help but unless you can tell me a secret way to erase more accurately. . .

[HELEN]

I use the Grim Color Reaper to get rid of a background especially if it's just white. If it's a little busier, it's quite tricky. Or you can always use the lasso tool and use that. That, too, isn't always easy.

[badpenny]

Helen, I'm ready to cry--something I do not do easily.

But with a broken right thumb that healed into bad arthritis (the orthopedist even commented on it in surprise! ) I actually drew the image I needed. Luckily it was a simple musical note, because I had a time getting the tools where they went! But finally I did it. I made a transparent background first (that way I wouldn't have to try to erase) and drew my image on that.

Then I made sure I saved it as a pdn. Then I again put up my destination image, did the new layer then ctrl thing with A, C on the source image, and Ctrl V on the destination---

And guess what?? It wouldn't transfer anything but the transparent background!! But on the file, the notes show up very well. They just won't leave the source file!

Just as it was doing before I spent over an hour or more drawing the blasted new source image!!

WHY O Why won't it behave like it's supposed to???

And transfer the image with the transparent background--and not just the background alone??

I hope and pray someone will recognize what I must be doing wrong. It's really getting to me. Spending days to do this-- not to mention all the bad covers and title changes I've gone through.

[badpenny]

PS I didn't understand about your two files in one.

I don't want my destination file any different from what it is. It's the source file that needs a transparent background.

But I will try the import from file to see what you're saying that I don't understand.

[badpenny]

Import from file did fine. EXCEPT the notes transferred up into the left hand corner with the little box around them. BUT when I tried to move them to where I wanted them--the box moved fine; the image didn't.

It stayed happily up in its corner, where of course I have no use for it.

I think like I think some people on here do, Paint.Net hates me!

[HELEN]

Could you please send me the file? I'd love to help you out. Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be.

[pdnnoob]

Import from file did fine. EXCEPT the notes transferred up into the left hand corner with the little box around them. BUT when I tried to move them to where I wanted them--the box moved fine; the image didn't.

It stayed happily up in its corner, where of course I have no use for it.

I think like I think some people on here do, Paint.Net hates me!

It sounds like you are either using the "move selection" tool or you are on the wrong layer. Check which layer you are on and make sure you are using the Move Selected Pixels tool.

Move selection looks like this:

Move selected pixels (the one you want) looks like this:

[HELEN]

^That's what I was thinking, but wasn't sure. Let's hope Renee figures it out!

Edited November 28, 2012 by HELEN