Photoshop: can you replace a color with transparency?

[Roquefort Raider]

The only way I know how to do it is when saving an image as a gif file,
but I'd like to do it in a regular psd file.

I'm afraid to say that the photoshop manual has been remarkably unhelpful in that regard.

Anybody knows if it's possible, and if so how to do it?

Thanks,

- Ben

[BatPig]

?????

What you've written is very confusing as the whole point of photoshop is the use of layers and their transparency... What do you mean? Have you scanned an image into Photoshop and you want to remove a colour or the background?

Yes it is possible but you need to give us a clue as to what you've got so far so we can tell you how to get what you desire.

The only way I know how to do it is when saving an image as a gif file,
but I'd like to do it in a regular psd file.

I'm afraid to say that the photoshop manual has been remarkably unhelpful in that regard.

Anybody knows if it's possible, and if so how to do it?

Thanks,

- Ben

[Roquefort Raider]

?????

What you've written is very confusing as the whole point of photoshop is the use of layers and their transparency... What do you mean? Have you scanned an image into Photoshop and you want to remove a colour or the background?

Sorry if that wasn't too clear.

One of the layers I'm using (let's call it layer A) has a white background which I want to remove so that we can see the layer underneath. One way to do it is using the eraser on every white pixel of layer A, of course, but that's pretty time consuming. It would be better if it was possible to somehow select the white color in layer A and delete it, as is done when making a backround-less GIF image.

Or, as is done in canvas, use the "Paint with transparency" function and just use the bucket to replace every white pixel with a transparent mask.

Actually, any way to do it would sound good to me; I just don't know how to do it with photoshop.

Cheers,

- Ben

[BatPig]

OK...



You can use the seletion tool to pick out an area You can also change the sensitivity of it as well. Learning how to cut out using paths will be of great benefit though if you plan on doing this kind of thing a lot.

Also... It might work depending on what kind of effet you desire but try changing the layer style to multiply. this lets you see the layers below while keeping the layer visible. It's a lot easier to erase any unwanted areas this way.

Hope this helps

[Roquefort Raider]

Well, that was easy. Thanks, BatPig. I had never used the magic wand before.

I do use the multiply setting for many layers, but for different things...as it makes the whole thing transparent, it's not quite what I was looking for.

Thanks again!

[ScottDMSimmons]

There are a few ways to do this (problem is that I don't have you in front of me to show the tools, or to see what you are working on). Anyway... Here are two ways.

You can easily select the white with the magic wand tool and delete. This might entail having to set up a certain tolerance level within the tool to get it perfect. If it's almost a pure color, you shouldn't have much of a problem.

If the wand isn't being as accurate as you'd like, you could use the lasso tool to select around the white areas themselves and hit delete. The lasso is my favorite tool; zoom in and just hold option as you click and drag the lasso to select your areas. This is using the regular lasso, and some people may suggest the magnetic lasso. I've used the regular lasso for over a decade while working at Hasbro, two photo studios, and a school.

There is also a way to do it using masking, but if you find the eraser time-consuming, you may find the masking process using brushes equally so. However, it doesn't sound like you are using a brush size eraser. Pixel by pixel, are you using a block eraser? Which version of Photoshop do you have?

Scott

[ScottDMSimmons]

Hm, guess we were posting around the same time.
I always look at my posts a few times before posting.
The teacher in me.

Scott

[Roquefort Raider]

There are a few ways to do this (problem is that I don't have you in front of me to show the tools, or to see what you are working on). Anyway... Here are two ways.

You can easily select the white with the magic wand tool and delete. This might entail having to set up a certain tolerance level within the tool to get it perfect. If it's almost a pure color, you shouldn't have much of a problem.

If the wand isn't being as accurate as you'd like, you could use the lasso tool to select around the white areas themselves and hit delete. The lasso is my favorite tool; zoom in and just hold option as you click and drag the lasso to select your areas. This is using the regular lasso, and some people may suggest the magnetic lasso. I've used the regular lasso for over a decade while working at Hasbro, two photo studios, and a school.

I use the lasso a lot as well (in all its iterations)! But it's precisely the need to designate the area to remove pixel-by-pixel that I wished to avoid.

There is also a way to do it using masking, but if you find the eraser time-consuming, you may find the masking process using brushes equally so.

Yup.

However, it doesn't sound like you are using a brush size eraser. Pixel by pixel, are you using a block eraser?

Well, removing chunks of the background is easy; it's the detailed erasing around the objects to preserve that I went after pixel by pixel.

Hm, guess we were posting around the same time.

Hey, no sweat; your help is really appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to point me in the right direction.

[howyadoin]

Personally, I think layer masking is the way to go here. Maybe a little more time-consuming, but it's much more flexible than, say, clipping paths.

And have you tried varying the opacity of the image layer itself?

[Roquefort Raider]

Personally, I think layer masking is the way to go here. Maybe a little more time-consuming, but it's much more flexible than, say, clipping paths.

Why is that? I try to avoid working with masks as much as I can (mostly because I find Photoshop masks scary).

And have you tried varying the opacity of the image layer itself?

Yes, but it didn't provide the effect I wanted. I wanted the objects in that layer to remain as they were, but to remove the background in any one-click fashion.

Cheers!

[howyadoin]

Why is that? I try to avoid working with masks as much as I can (mostly because I find Photoshop masks scary).

For starters, you can have a mask that has crisp edges, or more gradual ones, depending on the brush settings you use when you paint the mask. You can also vary the opacity of the brush you use, which can make areas partially transparent.

And if you use layer sets, you can apply a layer mask to several layers at once. (I use this feature all the time.)

And finally, masking areas of a layer doesn't destroy those areas; it just hides them. That way they're still there should you change your mind.

[Roquefort Raider]

For starters, you can have a mask that has crisp edges, or more gradual ones, depending on the brush settings you use when you paint the mask. You can also vary the opacity of the brush you use, which can make areas partially transparent.

And if you use layer sets, you can apply a layer mask to several layers at once. (I use this feature all the time.)

And finally, masking areas of a layer doesn't destroy those areas; it just hides them. That way they're still there should you change your mind.

Thanks! the remainder of the required 10 characters are masked.

[BrentHackers]

The only way I know how to do it is when saving an image as a gif file,
but I'd like to do it in a regular psd file.

I know exactly what you mean.

I know this is an old topic but I got stuck on this recently and this thing is all I could find... Best way to do this is to go to 'select' then 'color range' and simply click on the part of the image you want to be transparent.

You will be able to expand the tolerance for the area selected in the 'select colour range window'.

Once its selected hit delete and everything within the selected area is removed. This can be way more useful than selecting every instance of the effected color on a complicated image.

hope that helps someone.