selective transparency?

MR
Posted By
Michael_Ry
Feb 2, 2004
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1168
Replies
8
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Closed
I have Photoshop Elements and am trying to make only the white parts of a grayscale image transparent. Ideally I would like everything that is 100% white totally transparent, everything that is 50% white 50% transparent, etc. Any suggestions on how to do this?
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selective transparency

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BG
Byron Gale
Feb 2, 2004
Michael,

Here’s how to do it:

Create an adjustment layer, but do not make any adjustment… just click OK. This gives a layer with a layer mask which can be used to mask your grayscale layer.

Place the adjustment layer immediately below your grayscale layer.

Select the grayscale layer, press CTRL-A to select all, then CTRL-C to copy all.

Selced the adjustment layer. In the layers palette, while holding the ALT key, click the righthand layer mask icon (the white one). Your image will display all white.

Press SHIFT-CTRL-V to paste your grayscale image INTO the layer mask.

Press CTRL-I to invert the grayscale image on the layer mask. (On a layer mask, white reveals, black masks, and gray is proportionately transitional)

Click the grayscale layer in the layers palette. Press CTRL-G to group it with the adjustment layer, below it.

The grayscale layer is now masked by it’s inverted image on the adjustment layer’s layer mask. Where you have white on the original, the mask has black, so the white is completely masked (transparent). Likewise, where you have original black, the mask has white, which shows through 100%. Gray areas show through proportionately.

Whatever you place BELOW this grouped set of layers will be seen as though white were transparent, black opaque, and gray transitional.

HTH,

Byron
NS
Nancy_S
Feb 2, 2004
Michael,

There is also a plugin for this, I believe it was called "Mac’s Remove White", he also had a pagecurl plugin. His stuff was free. Try a search on Google. If you want it and can’t find it, I can try to locate it.

Nancy
TF
Terri_Foster
Feb 2, 2004
Those filters suggested in Nancy’s post can be found at <http://www.freephotoshop.com>. You might also want to look at the Alphaworks filter set.
J
jhjl1
Feb 2, 2004
Another free filter you might try.
http://www.cybia.co.uk/alpha.htm

—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/
SK
Shan_Ko
Feb 3, 2004
Michael,

I am not sure if you are lookin for a background eraser. FWIW, here’s a lead to one:-

<http://campratty.com/8/8pages/8p07.html>

Shan
DS
Dick_Smith
Feb 3, 2004
Shan,

have you tried that particular tip? I just gave it a whirl and using the spacebar just puts me into the hand tool.

I’m sure I don’t understand what the author was trying to get at.
J
jhjl1
Feb 3, 2004
This is an excellent Paint Shop Pro site maintained by Porter.

—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/
SK
Shan_Ko
Feb 3, 2004
Dick,

Sorry for the mixup. It actually was used with a trial version of PSP and left on my bookmarks. Anyway, there is one from Jasc that I haven’t tried yet, but was told it works with PS. FWIW

<http://www.jasc.com/tutorials/nieuwenstein/eraser.asp>

Shan

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