Text with transparent background?

[jaebaeli]

I'm trying to paste in text to my image layer and it pastes with a white background. It needs to be transparent. Can someone please tell me how to do this? I've added a new layer for the text to paste into but can't figure out how to get background to be transparent so the other layer behind it will show through. Thanks for any help.

 

[Maximilian]

If the newly created layer has a white background, first make it the active layer, then select the whole of it, and finally erase the selection by hitting the DEL key. All the white color will disappear this way, making the active layer's background transparent.

[DAC]

From your description of the problem, it sounds as if your text has it's own background. To eliminate the background, select the magic wand mask tool on the left side of the screen. Click on the background to select it, adjust tolerance as necessary, and hit CTRL-X to cut. If your text includes an A or P, you will need to repeat the process to remove the white inside the letters. If this process leaves your text a little jaggy, just use the feather tool in effects/object menu. you may also wish to use AA's assistant in conjunction with the feather tool for a cleaner result. I hope this helps.

[sashwilko]

Or just add a new layer :New: and type your text on it  

[jaebaeli]

First, thank you all for your prompt replies.
I tried the first suggestion from Maximillian. It didn't work, unfortunately.
In reading the rest, I realize that maybe I ought to provide a few more details. As an Indie author and publisher, i do lots of book covers. This text i'm referring to is the back cover blurb text. So often it's a question of time constraints. I can't always type everything in. I cut and paste it quite a lot. In other programs (Elements, Photoshop, GIMP) any pasted text automatically lands in an editable box with no background. I simply don't have time to be cutting out background on text. I have too much of it to handle and my time has to be managed well or I'd never get anything done. So what i'm after is, as above, text I can paste in, and also edit, but that doesn't have a background, so the background picture on the cover shows behind it. Hopefully that will clarify what I'm trying to do. Thanks for any insights.

 

ADDENDUM: I tried to download the editable text plugin from "Simon"someone, and there were browser hijacking bits in it. My malware program caught it, luckily. Same issue with downloading other standard plugins from paint site--an actual TROJAN in those. Hopefully the solution won't depend on downloading something that will damage my OS.

 

UPDATE: It occurred to me that maybe the background was coming from the SOURCE of the text--in this case, i copied it from a OneNote file...so i tried pasting the text into Notetab (like Notetab), stripped any coding, just in case and tried to paste that but it wouldn't paste anything--like it never made it to the clipboard. So i pasted the text into Word and copied from there and pasted, and it actually did past WITHOUT A BACKGROUND, but then, the problem was, the text was black, and i needed it to be white to show up on the background...can't seem to figure that part out.
So....still dealing with text editing issues, one way or another. (would supply image/screenshot, but doesn't seem to be a way to upload it from my computer. Don't have time to send it to one of my clouds or whatever and place link here...more things to suck away my productive time. but hopefully i've provided enough info).
 

Edited July 4, 2015 by jaebaeli

[Eli]

Hello jaebaeli,

 

Paint.NET uses layers that allow you to work with several background images as well as transparencies. Unfortunately, text is is not handled very well by Paint.net. When you type/paste a text on a layer it becomes an image as soon as you stop using the text tool, therefore, the text on that layer is no longer editable. However, there is a plugin for paint.net called Text+ that allows you some editing when you use it.

Edited July 4, 2015 by Eli

[jaebaeli]

Hello jaebaeli,

 

Paint.NET uses layers that allow you to work with several background images as well as transparencies. Unfortunately, text is is not handled very well by Paint.net. When you type/paste a text on a layer it becomes an image as soon as you stop using the text tool, therefore, the text on that layer is no longer editable. However, there is a plugin for paint.net called Text+ that allows you some editing when you use it.

is this plugin free of viruses/trojans/malware?

i switched from GIMP to paint becuase the GIMP kept crashing when i'd try to edit and work with text, and i just kept being told that i should reduce the number of fonts i was using--I"M A PUBLISHER...so that's absurd. Fonts and text are my business. I got tired of dealing with having to REBUY Photoshop each time i switched computers, among other problems....then went to Elements....but Elements' BLACK interface made it almost impossible to work, as i couldn't see anything on the screen (and i BOUGHT that program) ...so i switched to GIMP, and then had to deal with their HORRIBLE customer service, and no solutions, plus the constant crashing and limits on text/fonts.. SIGH. very frustrated. This takes up more of my time than anything else i do--fighting with these graphic programs.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

ADDENDUM: I tried to download the editable text plugin from "Simon"someone, and there were browser hijacking bits in it. My malware program caught it, luckily. Same issue with downloading other standard plugins from paint site--an actual TROJAN in those. Hopefully the solution won't depend on downloading something that will damage my OS.

I've never found a virus or malware posted on the paint.net forum. As the guy who maintains and publishes the Plugin Index I download every plugin.

I think your software is misleading you. What are you using? Norton is famous for misreporting/scaremongering. If you have that I strongly suggest you remove it and install something else.

[BoltBait]

I"M A PUBLISHER...

As a publisher, you should hire a graphics artist.

Problem solved.

[Eli]

I downloaded Simon's pack and did not find any malware. I also agree with Boltbait, a graphics artist can help you with the tasks you need as a publisher. 

Edited July 4, 2015 by Eli

[Cc4FuzzyHuggles]

Hi jaebaeli.

Try this:
 
1) Have paint.net open and add a new layer above your background layer (this new layer will be your text layer).
2) Open a normal word processing program (such as Microsoft Word or Open Office).
3) Type your text and then copy it.
4) Go back over to paint.net, choose the text tool, and paste the text onto the text layer.
5) Next go up to Menu Bar > Adjustments > And choose an adjustment to change your text's color. If you have black text and want white, choose “invert colors”.
To help the process go faster, you can use shortcut keys. Copy ctrl+c, paste ctrl + v, invert colors ctrl + shift + i. You can learn more paint.net shortcut keys here : http://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/KeyboardMouseCommands.html

If you want to save your text without a background, then delete the background layer and save as a png, as png is a format that retains transparency. If you have your text over an image, first save as a pdn and then flatten and re-save to any format you want.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Cc4FuzzyHuggles

[AgentGoodspeed]

To add to Cc4FuzzyHuggles's sage advice:

Type your text in a Notepad file (or whatever the basic text editor is if you're not using a Windows PC). This is great because it won't carry any formatting whatsoever.

Then arrange your text as you want it to appear in your Notepad file. For example:

After the US President kills his wife on live TV
a recluse FBI agent with a dark past is summoned
to Washington to find out what really happened,
unwittingly uncovering a worldwide conspiracy.

(Notice the hard returns I made?)

Once you have the font, size, and color you want, just copy/paste into a new layer. And remember that the font will change the kerning/general appearance so it might look different than in your Notepad file. Just experiment

I'm an author too so I've done this many, many times myself over the years.