Transparency Problems with Badge

[Tydeus]

Hi,

I used GIMP to create this badge by making a layer of transparency and then putting the circular image on top of it.

When i saved it as a tga, the program told me it had to be merged and exported, which I did. When I view this badge in-game there's black around the circular image to the extent of the "box" of the badge image.

Is anyone able to help me figure out what went wrong with the transparency? Can you tell from the image?

[The_Guardman]

Hell, yes. Your image lack the alphachannel as transparent layer. I suggest you to use photoshop (I know, the worst image editor existing, but it do alphas). More black in the alpha= more transparency. It easy, once you go behind the photoshop inherent weaknesses.

[Tydeus]

I'm using Photoshop now, but if I create an alpha channel it makes the entire badge transparent. I can't seem to get it to just make the checkered background transparent. Anyone know of an easy way to do this?

[Octopus Rex]

Okay, you need to make the alpha channel black where you want the image to transparent and white where it should be solid; you do not simply create an alpha channel and leave it at that unfortunately. What seems like transparency on the image will not appear unless you instruct the alpha channel to do so using black, white and grey.

Simple way: if your image has several layers copy all of them into a layer folder and then merge down that folder (CTRL + E) so it's all one flat layer. Take this layer and make it so it is solid white, you can use the lightness bar using hue/saturation tool (I think it's that one, one adjustment makes the edges go blocky and I think that brightness on contrast/brightness) Now, copy the image layer with CTRL + C and then paste it (CTRL + V) onto the alpha layer. Untick this layer to make it invisible. Make the alpha layer visible (transparent bits should go red) so you can double check it as the pasting process sometimes goes a bit off centre. If you keep the pasted bit selected without unselecting you can move it around till it's in the right place. Save this to TGA and all should be well.

Hope that helps.

[Tydeus]

Thanks, I ended up using the lasso tool to draw around the circular object and then moving to alpha channel and painting the area outside of it black. It has worked pretty well. Is there an easier way to "fill" areas in black, by the way?

[Octopus Rex]

Umm, use the "fill" tool perhaps? (the paint bucket) You should paint it black first to avoid complications (wasn't sure whether it started black or white when I wrote that eariler post).

[Tydeus]

It starts white, at least for me. I don't have a tool that looks like a paint bucket in mine, though. A trial problem, perhaps? I don't know, I'm not going to be using Photoshop a lot anyway.

[Octopus Rex]

Hold down the gradient fill tool I think it is. Most of the buttons have several functions that appear when you hold them.