I’m trying to edit the header .png file for a Joomla template. I need to open the background .png, superimpose a transparent .gif (or a drawing object, or any other graphic file provided that the background can be set as transparent), then save the .png with the same dimensions and resolution as the original.
Irfanview and Microsoft Photo Editor seem to have problems with transparent .gif files. And Open Office Draw, in editing the .png, somehow increases the dimensions and decreases the resolution, causing problems when the .png is put back into the Joomla template.
I’m sure Photoshop could handle this OK, but I don’t have it and don’t want to get it. Anything else that will do the job with little fuss? Or any tips on getting the above-mentioned programs to work properly?
[quote=“Taichung Social Club”]Try The Gimp[/quote]Thanks. I think I might have to. I was hoping there might be something simpler.
Actually, I think I might have found a successful workaround. It’s a pain though. I need to open the .png in Paint, then edit the attributes to make the total area about double the size. I then save as a bitmap.
I open the bitmap in Microsoft Photo Editor, paste in the .gif or other file, move it down to the free space and reset the transparency. (Otherwise the transparency doesn’t work and the background image is obscured). I save, then go back to Paint to re-edit the attributes back to the original size, because Photo Editor doesn’t have this feature.
Seems to have done the trick, but I guess Gimp could do things much more elegantly. I’m just reluctant to learn the ropes of another serious, hefty piece of software, and by all accounts Gimp isn’t particularly user friendly.
If you’re willing to spend a few $, have a look at Ulead’s PhotoImpact (trial version available) or Adobe’s Photoshop Elements. Both are said to be user friendly.
Of course, it’s still overkill for what you want to do. Maybe you can find an older version of these programs for free or for very little money on the web, ebay, computer magazines, bundled with something else, etc. Even the completely outdated PhotoImpact 8 SE was good enough to make this picture.
I don’t know if it helps, but you don’t have to use .png files in Joomla. They were supposed to be a patent-free replacement for .gif files but didn’t really take off in a big way. You can use .gif or .jpg if that’s easier but you’ll have to change the filename in your .css template file.
[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”]I don’t know if it helps, but you don’t have to use .png files in Joomla. They were supposed to be a patent-free replacement for .gif files but didn’t really take off in a big way. You can use .gif or .jpg if that’s easier but you’ll have to change the filename in your .css template file.[/quote]Thanks. I’m scared of css but I think I can manage that.
I got the .png working using the methods I described above (though only once I discovered that the file name extension is case sensitive). But if I can do everything in OO Draw that will be better. Hopefully exporting as .gif or .jpg won’t cause the same dimension/resolution problems that I had exporting a .png from Draw.
I am getting a lot of .ai and .psd files from my customers, that I need to tweak a bit before sending them for processing (printing stickers etc.)
Now, I have been using PaintShopPro for many years, and I only have an old version (6.02), which does not open the newer files made in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. As I am not sure if this litte business side-venture will pay off, I hesitate to invest in such expensive packages.
Can GIMP open .ai and .psd files? -I am not too concerned about keeping the vector graphics, so don’t worry too much about that.
My job is typically to split the design/graphic into layers, make parts of it gradient transparent and fill in with color alternatives for the customers to see various color alternatives on the design. Example would be if you have a picture of a car, and want to see how it looks with various colors, stickers and other accessories.
Would GIMP be a good solution for such jobs, and can GIMP work with .ai files?
The description of the GIMP installation process and user interface has scared me from trying.
Has anyone sucessfully bought 2nd hand and/or older versions of software like Photoshop and Illustrator?
Paint.NET is image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the MS Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple tool for photo and image editing.
The programming language used to create Paint.NET is C#, with a small amount of C++ for installation and shell-integration related functionality.
Paint.NET is image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the MS Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple tool for photo and image editing.
The programming language used to create Paint.NET is C#, with a small amount of C++ for installation and shell-integration related functionality.[/quote]Thanks for the tip. Looks like a good program. However, when I try to install a window appears that says I have to download the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. Not sure that this is something I want to do, given that my computer is slow and old and running out of space.