Icon Transparency: Need Help

ok, I've searched the forums and I didn't find any other threads that addressed my problem.

first of, I've never made any icons, I just started today. I'm attempting to make some PNG icons for my ObjectDock. What I'm trying to do is make an icon where some of the areas are semi-transparent. I have a working icon with transparency. It's more or less a circle that has a black outline and everything else is transparent. Easy enough, right? Now what I want to do is fill in a transparent area with yellow, and then make it so you can see through the yellow, thus making it semi-transparent.

I've toyed around in Photoshop with alpha channels and quick mask mode, but I don't really know what I'm doing. I couldn't test out the images after this, because I was having issues saving the file as a PNG and still preserving the alpha channel.

So, I don't know if I'mexplaining this right, but does anybody know how to help me?

#291570

u could try changing the fill opacity of the layer you want to make semi-transparent...

Say u filled a circle RED... and then you change the fill opacity of that layer to say 50%... it would be 50% trnasparent then... thus allowing you to see through in a shade of red...

I think this is one way to do it...

Hope it helps

good luck ...

#291582

Just create a 256 x 256 px (72 res) file in Photoshop, but make sure you set the background to "Transparent". Photoshop indicates artwork-less areas with a grey and white checkerboard pattern. Just draw your icon on top of the background, centreize it, and save it as a .PNG file. Load it up in your dock, and it will work.

#291621

Thanks guys, looks like that works perfectly. I was trying to make it harder than it was.

Oh, just out of curiosity:

I'm working with two layers, both transparent backgrounds. If I flatten layers my background becomes white. But if I merge down, the transparency remains.

Anybody know why?

#291629

Your Welcome

Anytime...

#291630

Thanks guys, looks like that works perfectly. I was trying to make it harder than it was.

Oh, just out of curiosity:

I'm working with two layers, both transparent backgrounds. If I flatten layers my background becomes white. But if I merge down, the transparency remains.

Anybody know why?

Did you merge the layers or flatten? Always merge layers to preserve any transparency details, flatten gives it a whitebackground

#291653

right, I figured that out, just wondering if there was any particular reason flatten doesn't preserve transparency. Not important though, just wondering.

#291667