|
#1
11-12-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
PNG transparent masks?
I've been fascinated by the button.btn file format as I have with the use of the PNG format.
What intrigues me is how to create a PNG image with a transparent drop shadow for use in some custom-made BTN files. What program do you use to create those the PNG files with the transparency factor? Is it just a mask over the black area? A few hints or a link to a site with a good explanation would be great! Thanks. John 
|
|
#2
11-13-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Hi John. OK I whipped up a quicktime video tute for you. Get it here http://www.indigorose.com/temp_web/button.zip [11 min. 12MB]
Sorry I rushed through, busy times. There's a much more comprehensive sequence about this on the upcoming training CD although this vidcap probably covers everything a keener such as yourself needs to know. But if you have any follow up questions I'm happy to help.  One more thing. .btn files are archives, you can unpack them using winzip or winrar and see the images and xml manifest inside. This makes it very feasible for you to create button batching tools and the like right in AMS... Corey Milner Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software
|
|
#3
11-13-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Thanks
Hi Corey, Thanks a million for some excellent coverage.
Yes, I had understood that a *.btn file was just a renamed *.zip file - that in itself is absolutely amazing in its simplicity! Just brilliant. I've been reading a few web sites on the PNG format, it seems only a few programs (including with PhotoShop) actually support saving PNG files with alpha transparencies. I use Corel PhotoPaint 11 and this feature doesn't seem supported there. PhotoPaint can read them, but can't be created as such. Perhaps PhotoShop may be the way to go there. Thanks again, Corey. Cheers, John
|
|
#4
11-13-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Addendum
An example of the limits of PhotoPaint - as attached.
It can create the alpha transparency for the native Corel PhotoPaint CPT format, but tells me when attempting to save as a PNG that alpha channels are not supported by the PNG format! In the far right example, I thought I might be able to convert from a CPT or TIFF using Graphics Workshop Professional, only to achieve That's where I had hit a dead end! Thanks again for your video tutorial.
|
|
#6
11-13-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Yes, I've had some good success with Macromedia Fireworks. As PNG is its native format, it's pretty easy to get things into PNG format with Alpha etc! Of course, you can't beat PhotoShop, but Fireworks has some really neat features as far as I'm concerned.
|
|
#7
11-13-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
I use Paint Shop Pro. It will support PNG24 and PNG8, but in viewing Corey's video it is not as apparent. There is a PNG Optimizer or when saving as .png there is an options button where you can set your options.
I was playing with PNG and the custom masks. It is cool what you can do with them. I have attached a little project using the windows mask.
|
|
#10
11-14-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Anytime... I must say I'm pretty hooked on the video training thing right now. It's just a great way to learn and communicate for people like me...
Corey Milner Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software
|
|
#12
11-14-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
With screencap based training stuff you can generally get QT down to about 1MB per minute at 800 X 600 with decent enough quality by going down to 7fps with MP3 audio... If someone can show me how to do that with .swf or .flv I'd drop the QT...
Corey Milner Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software
|
|
#13
11-14-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Corey,
I have been doing a few tutorials using Camtasia and Techsmith native codec. As an example, working in 640X480, a 13 minutes video in Techsmith codec (under avi wrapping) takes 41MB, converted in Camtasia to swf, it will be 5MB. I would say it beats your specs. Yossi
|
|
#14
11-14-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Hmmm, can't be. If you go to their site, their demo .swf is 2.35 MB for 3 minutes. The thing is they record their audio at 11,250 which I don't consider to be fine, I use 22,500 and I'm not entirely happy about that, the example here for the button was 48kps, much better sounding. I prefer the better sounding audio when I'm wading through training stuff, especially after a couple hours. Fact is I find the audio in their .swf sample to be of unacceptable quality.
(Also Don't forget 800 X 600 is 1.6 times larger than 640 X 480) So the producers of Camtasia themselves are in over 1MB per minute at 640 X 480 if they improve that audio even slightly. But even if they don't, let's take their example "as is", it's 0.8 MB per minute which would be 1.4 MB per minute at 800 X 600. That's a whopping 40% larger than the QT, and that's going by Techsmith's best sample created by their experts. Not to mention that, at that size, the QT will be crisper both visually and audibly than the .swf... If you have some .swf video which you feel would change my mind I'd love to see it. I'm anxiously awaiting improvments in Flash to make it feasible for these... Corey Milner Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software
|
|
#15
11-14-2003
|
||||
|
||||
|
Persistence Pays
I have been interested, over the course of this week, to learn that CorelPhotoPaint cannot [that I know of] create a PNG image with an Alpha Transparency Channel.
However, after closely following Corey's excellent video tutorial, [no I don't have PhotoShop] I have discovered that such a PNG can be created in CorelDRAW 11, and successfully exported to PhotoPaint to make excellent PNG images with alpha transparent shading. So the learning curve never ends. Working in IT there is a market for such short video tutorials. Many learn very quickly that way, and they certainly create good karma. Cheers, John
|
 |
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:30 AM.
