Problem with transparent stamps

[TerraD]

I tried to add a stamp with transparent background. I did not use the tools recommended in https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowledgebase/225 but those standard on my PC.

1) KB225 says only PNG will work for stamps with transparent background. First I found (in contradiction to KB225) that only GIF is working straightforward.

2) After some experiments I found a way to create a transparent PNG as well: While editing I had to change the picture to 256 colors and set the transparency. When I safed this image I got no transparency. But: Saving the image created as described above will create a file with transparency if it is changed back to 32-bit color depth in the moment of saving the file!

3) I'm not fully satisfied with my stamps using GIF and PNG. I would like the green part of the stamp to be intransparent, the white fully transparent and the grey shadows to be partially transparent, thus superimposing the text. With my tools I can set only the white background to be transparent. Green and all shades of grey will be intransparent. Is there a way to this?

I'm using PDF-XChange Editor Version 5.5 (Build 315.0)

I was not able to add an image. So I uploaded it to my dropbox.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/twkd4rn7iwju0 ... 3.png?dl=0

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi Terra,

Thanks for the post - it's not that only PNG will work, but that PNG is simply one of the better formats to use and is our preferred. Firstly, the format must support transparency i.e. GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF. JPG, for example, does not support transparency.

3) I'm not fully satisfied with my stamps using GIF and PNG. I would like the green part of the stamp to be intransparent, the white fully transparent and the grey shadows to be partially transparent, thus superimposing the text. With my tools I can set only the white background to be transparent. Green and all shades of grey will be intransparent. Is there a way to this?

If you'd like to make these areas transparent, you would need to edit the image in a dedicated image editor such as GIMP (described in the KB), Photoshop, or some other image editor that allows you to create/edit alpha channels. This cannot be done in our software, so a 3rd party image Editor is a must.

I would strongly recommend that you follow the steps in the KB, to use GIMP, otherwise you will need to contact the creators of the image editor that you're using, to request assistance with adding transparency.

Thanks,

[TerraD]

Thank you for this answer. I'll test the proposed solution. I have heared about Alpha-channels but never used any. If I can not make it work in Corel Paint Shop Pro or one of my other tools I'll give GIMP (once more) a try.

I don't have a good feeling when I remember GIMPs UI... I think it was difficult to understand and to adjust to it...

Concerning PNG I fully agree - I try to do almost everything graphical in PNG as result is good and (for me even more important) predictable quality.

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi Terra,

No worries at all

I don't have a good feeling when I remember GIMPs UI... I think it was difficult to understand and to adjust to it...

I'm not a huge fan of GIMP's UI either, but I suggest it because it's completely free and, for a free application, it's also pretty powerful.

Cheers,