How do I create an invisble background?

Question

Im currently trying to make an image that isnt square or rectangle, how do I create it with a transparent (invisible) background?
Im currently using PhotoImpact XL if that helps.

Answer 1

A real easy way to do it is to make an Interlaced GIF file and select the color from the pallette that will be the invisible part.

Answer 2

You havent said where you want the image to end up. If I assume you want to add it to a webpage then it can be done with Graphics packages ( I use Xara Etreme to create graphics for my sites but have no knowledge of Photoimpact)

There is an easy way you can accomplish the same effect using paint, but it takes a little effort.

First, download the programme Get Color from the llink below. Its quite small and free. Install the programme. All it does, once you click on the icon, is to give you a small eyedropper icon you can place over any area and it will give you the RGB or Hex code for the colour it is over.

Then, take a screen shot of the webpage you want to put the image on.

Bring it up on screen hit Print Screen, nothing will happen but thats OK, it will take a copy of your screen to the clipboard.

Launch your paint programme and go up to file, paste. You will probably get a message saying image is too large do you wish to expend, answer yes. Now you will have the picture of your web page. You can crop a small square of the background to use and discard the rest of the bmp.

Launch Get Color and place the eyedropper over the small square of colour you saved from your screen shot and write down the RGB and or HEX code.

Open your image in your paint programme and choose the fill colour option, but the advanced / custom option that will let you enter the RGB values. ( I prefer the HEX as they are more accurate but on a small image RGB values are fine)

FIll the background behind your image. Now the background colour is identical to your webpage. Crop as close to you image as you can so you only have a small amount of background colour showing around the image.

Save the image and transfer to your page. Hey Presto,No white box, it and it should blend in seamlessly to your page.