Clear picture frames and windows.

I keep trying to import frames that I have made in PSP, saved there on a transparent background. When I import them, however, they end up with a white background that I don't know how to get rid of. There has got to be a way.

Help!
fiona Seraph

Make sure you're saving out of PSP as 32bit TGA. If you save as 24bit you won't get an alpha channel and your transparent areas will be white instead.

heh, i keep having to post this. IF you are using PSP version 9, there IS no option to save as a 32 bit. Fear not! alpha channels will still be saved under the 24 bit TGA option, you just need to create them (a transparent background is not an alpha channel).

There are multiple ways to create alpha channels. You can select stuff and under the selections menu "save" it to an alpha channel.

Or, if you already have your background transparent, a REALLY fast way is: Layers menu option -> new mask layer from image -> use "source opacity". OK, now you have a mask layer.

Now, also under the Layers menu, go to "save mask to alpha channel" (or something close, I don't have PSP in front of me)

if you want to make sure you have an alpha channel now, look under the Image menu option, and you should see a "delete alpha channel" now un-greyed.

BTW, i have heard that it is a good practice to only have one alpha channel in your image file before saving to your TGA.

have fun!

I wanted to thank both of you for responding. I was not able to follow the first suggestion, but the second one worked beautifully, and I have created some beautiful frames and glass windows and uploaded them now. I have even sold some of them.
You guys are my heros. Thanks again.

I'm not a PSP user so I've never done alpha with it, but just a point of clarification... if it has an alpha channel it's a 32bit image (8 bits each for red green and blue, and 8 bits for alpha per pixel). Sounds like when you save the alpha channel PSP automatically saves as 32bit. In photoshop it works differently. When you save an image as a TGA you're presented with a popup asking what bit depth to save as.