ProFantasy Community Forum

Make vector symbols transparen?

rattokanrattokan
in Mapping with ProFantasy's Software
Hi!
I am drawing a map with BW Overland Vectorstyle and i want to have a parchment paper as background.
I just realized that the symbols themselves will have a white filling anyway. Is it possible to make them transparent?
Or do I have to manipulate the map later with i.e. GIMP?
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Comments

  • jigsawmanjigsawman
    edited December 2012
    Save them as PNG files with a transparent layer below the image. Of course delete all of the color you wish to be transparent in the image layer.
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  • NilsNils
    I wonder whether it might be possible to save the finished map as a high-resolution PNG and afterwards make the white color of the map transparent in GIMP. Then you could add the parchment as an underlying layer. Since the vector symbols are vector symbols, anti-aliased edges should not be a problem when masking the transparent areas, I guess?

    Nils
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  • jigsawmanjigsawman
    That might only work if the parchment background closely matched the parchment background of the map. Placement of the symbols in a slightly darker area of the map woith a slightly lighter parchment on the symbols would probably show up. I have have never used GIMP Before. Can you make layers in GIMP? I assumed so when I posted above.
    JSM
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  • rattokanrattokan
    probably the best way would be to make the map b/w only in CC3 and then make the white transparent in gimp and also add the parchment background in gimp
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  • NilsNils
    edited December 2012
    Hm, I'm not sure what you mean with the parchment background of the map, but I'm not too familiar with the B&W overland style and the symbols, to be honest.

    For this example, I took the B&W sample from the August 08 annual product page, which had this style. Then I used GIMP and applied the menu option "Ebene -> Transparenz -> Farbe zu Transparenz..." - not sure what it is in English, but it lets you choose one color (white in this case) which then becomes transparent, and the underlying layer (blue background here) shows through.

    Was pretty easy in this small example, but of course it was no full-fledged map. Nevertheless, it seems easier than to make a PNG out of every symbol.

    Nils

    Edit: Added the correct image.
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  • jigsawmanjigsawman
    That's pretty cool Nils.
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  • rattokanrattokan
    yeah. and german is ok for me ;)
    what i dont get is why a vector symbol cant be transparent. having a bitmap background (parchment) and a vector lineout on top of it should be one of the easiest things
    to do, shouldnt it? It wouldnt even involve alpha-chanel like in bitmap symbols
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  • pdjpdj Traveler
    Posted By: rattokan
    what i dont get is why a vector symbol cant be transparent.
    It can, there's a "hollow" set included with with Symbol Set 1. They're a pain to use though, because
    you can't overlap what are effectively line-drawings without making a mess. I imagine that's why you
    don't see many :)
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  • rattokanrattokan
    ah ok, i get the point. so i guess the postprocessing in a bitmap editor is the way to go
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