background white instead of transparent??

[morbo]

Hi, Ive been meaning to ask this for years

 

I love PDN but one thing thats always bothered me is when you select an area and DELETE it, you end up with transparent pixels underneath. Is there any way to change the very bottom pixels of every image to be something else, such as white? 

I know you can create a background layer at the bottom, and make that white, and thats what I've been doing. But its pretty annoying and cuts in to my productivity. Also when I resize the canvas to be larger for example, the bottom layer does not resize so I have to got back to that layer, and paint all the new pixels white again. 

 

 

[pdnnoob]

I don't see how making a background white can be much simpler than adding a layer and filling it with white...

If you just want the white on your final product, you could just save as a 24-bit png file so it doesn't include the transparency values

As far as the canvas resizing goes, Paint.net will fill in the empty area only on the original image layer. That means if you open an image, the initial layer containing the image will be the one that gets filled in when you resize canvas. You could add a new layer, copy the image to the new one, and use the original layer as your white background; but that would be more work than simply filling in the background unless you find yourself resizing canvas multiple times.

Personally, I think it should fill in the new canvas area on the selected layer, but as of now that is not how it works.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Hi, Ive been meaning to ask this for years

 

I love PDN but one thing thats always bothered me is when you select an area and DELETE it, you end up with transparent pixels underneath.

Think about what you're asking here. You want to change the behavior of the Delete key so it doesn't actually delete? That's not going to happen.

Instead, try this:

1. Make a selection.

2. Press the Backspace key. This will fill the selection with the Primary color. If you want to fill the area with the Secondary color, press Shift + Backspace.

[acbex]

I'm having a slightly different problem. I have an image, 900px by 375 px. I want to merge that with a 900px x 675px image on another layer, but I want the 900px x 375px image to be in the center of the composite.

 

I'm faiirly new to paint.net , but it seemed like the solution was to use the Image->Canvas Size command, where I can create a larger canvas size, and place my image in the center. The instruction for paint.net say the enlarged canvas will be transparent, but mine is white, and I cannot figure out how to change it to tranparent.

 

Can someone provide a little guidance?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Harry

[MJW]

Though it might seem to be more sensible to expand it with a transparent background, it seems to expand it with the secondary color. That sort of makes sense, I suppose, since the secondary color is considered the background color.

 

In any case, set the secondary color to transparent before expanding the canvas. To do so, use the Color Menu as follows:

 

If the Color Menu isn't displayed, click the little color wheel icon in the upper-right corner of the PDN window.

In the Color Menu window, choose "Secondary" from the drop-down list.

If it's not already selected, click the Color Menu's "More>>" option.  (If it currently says "<<Less," the "More>>" option is already selected).

Use the slider at the bottom-right of the Color Menu to set the Secondary Color's "Opacity - Alpha" to 0.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 25, 2015 by MJW

[Eli]

acbex,

 

When I want to center an image/object I just use the Object Align effect.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Eli

[acbex]

MJW:

 

>>it seems to expand it with the secondary color.<<

 

I never would have thought of that! And thanks for the detailed instructions.

 

In fact, using this procedure, I frequently won't even need a second layer for those times I want to fill the expanded canvas with a solid color.

 

 

Harry

[acbex]

Eli:

 

I downloaded the KrisVDM pack, and installed three of the effects, including Object Align. But I can't get Object Align to do anything. I open an image, and expand the canvas. Then I select one of the Object Align options. A small screen flashes briefly (so fast I can't see what it says), but the image does not move! Perhaps I am using it incorrectly. Can you give me a few tips?

 

The other two effects I downloaded work just fine.

 

 

Harry

[MJW]

The way you use Object Align for what you want to do is that you:

 

Select the entire smaller image.

Copy and paste the smaller image as a new layer into the larger image (which will place it off center onto the canvas, against a transparent background).

Deselect.

Apply Object Align to center the smaller image on the large canvas.

[Eli]

Do as MJW says.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Align Object requires your 'object' to be surrounded by transparent pixels. All of the 'object' plugins work in this way.

If you put a filled shape on a transparent layer align object will align it for you as expected. Running the plugin on a layer filled with pixels doesn't give it any room to move the opaque pixels. Imagine the transparent pixels are the free space you can move the object around in.

[acbex]

MJW, Eli & Ego Eram Reputo:

 

Thanks for the very clear explaination and screenshot. Now that I understand how Align Object functions, I have it working just fine.

 

 

Harry

[Kipopstok]

Hi, bit late response to a message from 2015, but I had the same problem. I understand that deleting means 'deleting', but when I move an object, I'd like to move it on the 'paper' (i/e the white background). I use Paint.net for creating and adjusting office plans, so if I move a desk, I'd like to leave white space behind and not go back in and fill it up.

 

I resolved it by starting with a totally white background layer. But it still takes some playing around to find out what works best for this particular use.

 

First I started with a basic floor plan and then create alternatives on layers on top. However, it bugged me that with each change I needed to have to go back in and whiten away pieces of the original shining through.

 

So now I I prefer to copy the original floor plan, rename that into 'Plan date x', make the real original invisible, and then start playing around with new layer.