Adobe Photoshop Question

Two things I can think of.

You need to work with layers, if you can, copy the part of the image you want, create a new layer and paste it in, then turn off you original layer and see if it looks like you want it to in Flexi.

Second, only psd and tif formats I belive support the transparency option that I think you are looking for.

 

Try this in Flexi if you have a recent version.
Select your image & go to Bitmap> make transparent>set your tolerance & click inside the white area you want transparent and your done.
Very feature.

 

Karen - you'll need to move it to a seperate layer and delete the white underneath. In photoshop it will leave a gray/clear grid behind it instead that represents the transparency. What format are you saving it from photoshop in... that will make a difference.

 

save it as a .PNG file

 

If you can not get rid of the white background once in Flexi. Then get the magic wand, and select/drag in the white area. Then inverse the selection (control/shift/I). Then go to bitmap menu, select convert shape to marquee. You can put a contour cut around the marguee, make the marquee any color you wish and order it to the back. Now just your shape/object will print out. Note that you should crop any excess white area first and that you may need to muti-select other white areas in side the object if they need to be cut out too.

Good luck

 

Something which often works is to create a clipping path in PhotoShop. There are a number of ways in which you can do this... the more simple method would be to select your white area with the magic want, inverse your selection, contract the selection, and then from your path palet selct make path. You will then have to tell Photoshop from that same palet that the selected path is a clipping path. Once having done this you can save the Photoshop image as an EPS graphic. If you have good skills with the pen tool you can draw a more more effective path. You would still have to tell Photoshop that this path is going to be a clipping path and save as an EPS. Other file formats can store clipping paths too but not all applications that you bring the file into will recognize the graphics path unless it is saved as an EPS.

Yes, this really does sound like a pain but depending on the image it can be the more effective method of dropping the background. The big advantage of this method is that after you set it up in the file there's really not a whole lot you have to do in other programs. For example, place the graphic in QuarkXPress and it sees the clipping path... place it in Illustrator and it sees the path... etc. etc. Of course, on PC's some software will see the path but not show you the results on screen but you would certainly see the results if you made a PDF file.

Sounds bizarre yes, but if you plan on using this graphic over again and on many different backrounds this can save you time.

Of course I could be full of it.

Rob

 

Karen,

What application are you going to use to place the Photoshop image?

As RobGF said, the best way to knock out a white background from a bitmapped image is by using a clipping path.

However, support of clipping paths is pretty spotty from one application to the next. Page layout applications like QuarkXpress, PageMaker and Adobe InDesign support the feature. Depending on the application used you may have to use PhotoshopEPS or TIFF.

Surprisingly, I've never tried placing TIFFs or PSD EPS images into sign making applications like Flexi to see how they support clipping paths. Never know til you try.

Learning how to use the pen tool and its keyboard shortcuts will indeed allow you to hand digitize very accurate clipping paths. The "Make Work Path" command works only so well. Photoshop's pen tool keyboard shortcut work so well I often use it instead of other drawing programs to hand digitize things like scans of custom lettering or other drawings. It's just so much faster.

With some planning, you can combine the capabilities of Adobe Illustrator with Photoshop to develop perfect clipping paths for Photoshop-enhanced artwork made from paths brought in from Illustrator.

Nope. Don't save the file as a .PNG. That file format only supports the RGB color model. You can't save .PNG images in CMYK mode. On top of that, you need an alpha channel mask for the .PNG method to work.

You can try saving a CMYK TIFF or Photoshop image with an extra alpha channel mask to knock out the background. But often that doesn't work very well. Most applications will output the image with raggedy edges rather than ones with smooth, anti-aliased edges.

Some newer applications may support a native layered Photoshop image. That may be the most simple solution. But you have to be sure the transparant areas on various layers in the document don't turn white when output. You'll probably just have to test it.

The newest versions of Photoshop can also saved layered images in TIFF format. But if you're going to import or place the file elsewhere be sure that application can support the feature as well.

 

bummer... long post typed out... *poof* GONE! :

anyway, short version:
"export transparent image wizard" under help menu is another way to get the clipping path & save as .eps for use in Illustrator & possibly other un-tested (by me) progs. Again, not as clean a path as hand digitizing as Bobby mentioned, but another tool to be aware of.

If you are needing a rastor image in Flexi, I assume it is for either thermal output, or inkjet. If thermal & spot foils are intended for use with vector contours behind your image, then I sympathize with the difficulty in preparing a workable file.... BUT if all process printing will do (like in an inkjet world, or some thermal jobs)... just rastorize the rest of your vector work back into photoshop behind the image in question & save as one flattened rastor image after getting it layered properly.

 

Ohh, that is a good idea Doug, we have always did it differently but that should work and save time, Thanks.

 

just remember you can increase you vector work by any amount to rasterize it into very high resolution. Then you can always back down the file size to minimum required for your purposes. Just don't bring it in too small, spend time building the composite with your existing rastor images before discovering a resolution shortage.

also, on a slightly related topic, I just read of some of the improvements coming in the Omega upgrade. I was pleased to see clipping paths & layer support at the top of the list.

Here is an excerpt of the entire report from someone at Advantage Sign Supplies shindig yesterday: