Photoshop CC 14.2.1 - Icon transformation Help

[btugalover]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to use some icons with a program called Arcmap but i haven't been successful yet.

The icons are squared and i want to remove the white part around (or to make it transparent). Is this possible?



Thanks in advance!

 

[IamSam]

Hello and welcome to PSG.

Yes.

Open the icon you wish to use in Photoshop.

Use any of the selection tools to make a selection of the area(s) you wish to remove.
Here, it's the white areas...



Then hit delete or use a layer mask to hide the white areas.



Rename and Save this as a PNG file.

Just open the icon into your map document and duplicate however many times you would like it to be used.
Move the duplicates around the map using the Move Tool.

 

[btugalover]

Hi Sam, thank you for welcoming me! and for helping me!

The problem is that the images i have don't show the white area in photoshop but when i paste them into the program (arcmap) they get that white area around it...



This is the image i get in the photoshop...so no white areas.

Remember, i'm doing the transformation in photoshop but then i use the final icons in the arcmap program...

The arcmap program accept the JPEG, GIF, TIFF, EMF, BMP, PNG, and JPEG 2000 extensions.

 

[MrToM]

In what format are the icon images?

ico?
png?
gif?

Is that outside colour really 100% white?
It could be using 255,255,254 as a 'matte' colour for the transparency....just check it.

Also when you open the image in PS is the surrounding area 100% transparent?
Check it with the info panel and one side or the other set to 'Opacity'....remember it may 'look' transparent, but PS works by the numbers...check em out.

It looks like the image is a 'gif' which supports only 0% or 100% opacity, anything else will result in being white when used in applications or displayed in a browser.

Just my thoughts.

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[btugalover]

Png

How do i check the transparency...sorry guys i'm a newbie.

The image i open in the PS is the one i have put above. It looks like 100% transparent no?

The info panel is the one on the right? When i decrease the opacity until 0 i have no image...the opacity is 100% from the original image.

Thanks in advance Tom!

 

[MrToM]

Png...How do i check the transparency...sorry guys i'm a newbie.

Image 1: Display the 'Info' panel.
Image 2: Click the eyedropper on the right...
Image 3: Select 'Opacity' from the list.

The right hand side of the 'Info' panel will now display the 'Opacity' of the pixel beneath the cursor.

It looks like 100% transparent no?

Well, yes it does...but IS it 100% ???????

As I said, its best to check opacity with the tools provided, just looking is not enough....1% opacity is virtually undetectable with the naked eye and yet it can cause all sorts of problems when it comes to displaying images in applications....a bit like the problem you have here.

I'm not convinced that'll answer your original question, png's are more than capable of displaying 1% opacity, but its a little info on the side anyway.

If it it turns out that area IS 100% transparent then it must be the application which is adding the white.
I'm not familiar with the app in question so how are you getting these images? Are they meant to be changed or have you got them through some other means?

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[btugalover]

Thanks Tom!

I'm going to try that now!

 

[btugalover]

Just checked everything you mentioned and the supposely transparent area has an opacity between 22% and 0%.

So the app is a cartography program called arcgis (Arcmap)...the program loads the satellite images of the world and i can do everything with it...build maps with legends, build routes on maps etc. My goal is to produce a tourism map of a particular part of Lisbon (Portuguese Capital) using the icons i get from here:

http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/category/markers/offices/

Is it possible to remove the opacity?

 

[MrToM]

Ah, right......they have a slight grey (68,68,68) drop shadow.....ok, no problem......try this...

With the image, (the downloaded icon), open in PS:
CTRL + CLICK the THUMBNAIL of the icons layer....in the 'Layer' panel.

This will place a selection boundary around all non-transparent pixels.
INVERT the selection....Select > Inverse
Hit DELETE a few times...with the MOVE tool selected you can check the Opacity as you do this...hover the cursor over a pixel near the edge of the icon and hit delete until the opacity reads 0%.

This will remove the pixels around the icon.

If the icons DO NOT have to be a specific size for the app to accept them then you could, and I stress could, TRIM the transparent pixels off by using Image > Trim.

If the surrounding pixels get cropped then you know for sure they have all been deleted.

If they DO have to be a certain size then just ignore that and save the image as-is.

If that doesn't work then I dunno, the app obviously supports transparency indicated by the shape of the icons but transparency can be implemented in different ways....like 'matte' for example. if thats the case then finding out the 'matte' colour could be extremely difficult...unless its documented.

Lets see what happens.

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[btugalover]

Hi again Tom,

I just tried to do all you said but still it has the white area on the program...i tried saving in png and jpeg and it's the same.

I trimed the image after and it gets like this (the bottom part remains the same...with the transparent area that appears in the program as white)



If there's no solution, im thinking about doing some printscreens of the region i want and paste them in a unique document in photoshop and just copy/paste the icons because they work well in photoshop. Is it possible to have a 1meter by 2 meter document in photoshop?

 

[MrToM]

Is your first image (in the last post) from the app or PS?

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[btugalover]

PS Tom

 

[MrToM]

So....where did the white edge come from?

I've downloaded those icons, and, using the method I described above get this result:



On the LEFT is without cropping...no white.
On the right is cropped, proving no transparent pixels....apart from what should be.

These are png's, jpeg does NOT support transparency.

I don't know what you've done but if you follow my method above you will get the same.
To be on the safe side IGNORE cropping the icon, just remove the transparent pixels by the method I've explained.
Put the icon into the app and take a screen shot of it in use.
Post your icon (As saved from PS) AND the screen shot of the icon.

Regards.
MrTom.

PS...

Is it possible to have a 1meter by 2 meter document in photoshop?

Technically, no.

Digital images consist of pixels and have no linear measurement.
PS, for this reason, also works in pixels, not meters.

 

[btugalover]

The white edge is because i choose the icon on the website that has a white edge so it's ok. If a choose one that has a grey or blue edge like you did i can get the same results.

Ok i will do what you asked for.

Thanks for helping me btw...

 

[MrToM]

Thanks for helping me btw...

LOL....I'm not sure that I am!
Just trying to understand whats going on.....

From looking at it again the site with the icons should provide you with icons that look like the ones in their header image.....with, I now notice, a drop shadow.

You're saying that when you generate the icons you want on that site and download them, when used in the app they have that white background to them.

If this is the case then nothing you do in PS is going to change anything, the icons are, as far as I can see, perfectly ok for use in the app without having to alter them in PS first.....or so their header image would lead you to believe.

As to why they don't appear the way they should in that app is, to be honest, a mystery.

I don't believe this is a transparency issue that should be solved in PS.
Its a problem with the app, the icons or both.

Your best bet is probably to find a forum dedicated to that app and see if anyone else has had the same issue with icons from that site.

Sorry to make you redo stuff unnecessarily, I should have looked at the problem more closely than just answer the question.

Good luck anyway.

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[btugalover]

I just asked in the arcgis forum. But i still have to thank you for "losing" time trying to help me.

By the way, just one more question:

The icons work perfectly on PS. I still want to try to build the map even if i can't do it on Arcmap. As i understood i have to work with pixels in photoshop. My goal is to printscreen 8 to 10 panels of the area i want and to get them together in a big image in photoshop. This is possible right? But then i also want to know the size of that big image so i can print it later and have a big map with a good quality image and good quality icons. Is it ok?

 

[MrToM]

I just asked in the arcgis forum...

Please lets us know what the problem was, it may be helpful to other users of the app.

...i also want to know the size of that big image so i can print it later and have a big map with a good quality image and good quality icons. Is it ok?

Of course, it'll just take a little calculation but sure you can do it.

The basic maths is this: (PPI = Pixels Per Inch, incorrectly called DPI)

If you want a certain Output 'print' size:
Print Size = Pixels / PPI

For a certain PPI:
PPI = Pixels / Print Size

For a certain pixel dimension (no upscaling or downscaling)
Pixels = Output Size * PPI

From that you should see that you need to know TWO of the three factors. Which calculation you use depends on which two you know, you can then work out the third.

Example 1: (Fixed Output Size AND fixed PPI)
You want to print an image 10" x 6"
You have been told that you need to print @300 PPI(dpi)
This means in order to achieve this you need to have an image of: 3000px x 1800px (10 * 300, 6 * 300)
If your image isn't those dimensions then you have to do 1 of 2 things:
If the image is smaller then you have to UPscale it. (Reduces quality)
If the image is larger you can do 1 of 2 things:
You can CROP it to remove the excess pixels (Retains quality)...OR...
You can DOWNscale it. (Reduces definition)

Example 2: (Fixed pixels AND fixed PPI)
Your image is fixed to 3000px x 1800px
The PPI is also fixed @200
Therefore the Output Size will be: 15" x 9" (3000 / 200, 1800 / 200)
For a SMALLER output size you would have to INCREASE the PPI.

Example 3: (Fixed pixels AND fixed Output Size)
Your image is fixed to 3000px x 1800px
The Output Size HAS to be 12" wide exactly.
Therefore the PPI needs to be set to 250 (3000 / 12)
If this is not enough then you'll have to either change the output size or change the pixel dimensions.

Your final output size will be:
(3000 / 250) = 12" wide.
(1800 / 250) = 7.2" high.

Example 4: (Fixed Output Size Only)
You want a print 20" x 10"
The PPI would be pixels / output size.
The pixels would be PPI * output size.

Which of those you choose depends on which one you cannot change...fixed pixels = calc PPI, fixed PPI = calc pixels.

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[btugalover]

Hey Tom,

No one responded to me yet.

Thanks for the help regarding the last question.

I just tried to open a new document in PS and i can define the centimeters of the document i want to have, so maybe that's easier.

Im going to do a 120cm by 150cm map. Is it possible to add more white background (increase the size of the document) while i'm developing it?

By the way...for a map this size, what resolution (pixel/centimeter) do you recommend?

I'm right now exporting the panels to make the map in PS. I have the possibility to export them in whatever resolution i want. Do you recommend for me to export in the same resolution of the PS document?

 

[MrToM]

...i can define the centimeters of the document i want to have...

This is not really the 'document' size per-se, it is the size of the document IF it were PRINTED.
By specifying the PRINT size PS has CALCULATED the PIXEL dimensions USING the PPI (dpi)...As explained above.

Digital images do not have a physical resolution nor linear dimensions....only pixels.

Is it possible to add more white background (increase the size of the document) while i'm developing it?

Yes.
Set background colour to white.
Image > Canvas Size...
You can enter Absolute dimensions or tick the 'relative' checkbox and enter how many pixels to 'add'.

By the way...for a map this size, what resolution (pixel/centimeter) do you recommend?

Are you going to PRINT it out?
If No then don't worry about resolution.
If yes then what is the specification for the print?
Is 'size' fixed or is 'resolution' fixed?....(Refer to my last post).

Most of the time 300(dpi) is specified when going to print, but for a map you may find 200 is enough....I dunno, each job is different and I don't know the specifications for it.

I'm right now exporting the panels to make the map in PS. I have the possibility to export them in whatever resolution i want. Do you recommend for me to export in the same resolution of the PS document?

Its pixels that count.
Are you saying when it exports it will upscale or downscale the images? Weird.
If it does then you don't want it to.
Just export at 1 pixel = 1 pixel.

Resolution is only required if and when printing, I can't say that often enough, so your best work-flow would be to NOT create a new document but to just export your maps first....then...

Open all of those images in PS.
Choose 1 of them to be a 'base' image, say the top left, and copy and paste the other documents into it...they'll all be the same px dimensions right?
Each 'paste' action will be created on its own layer.
You can then use the 'Crop Tool' to expand the canvas to slightly bigger than whatever dimensions you need to 'fit' the individual 'maps' in however they are laid out.

TIP:
Zoom way out before cropping to 'expand' a canvas. Doing so will give you the room to drag outward into the workspace.

Use the 'Move Tool' to position each 'map' into its respective place...you can also use the cursor keys to nudge by 1 pixel, or shift + cursor key to nudge by 10 pixels.

Once you have each 'map' positioned correctly use Image > Trim to remove any excess transparent pixels.

At this stage its up to you whether you collapse the layers or not:
Layer > Merge Visible OR
Layer > Flatten Image

Lock the layer if you do to prevent accidental movement and / or editing.

You should save this document as a PSD file and close any other open documents.

To add your 'Icons' use the same 'open > copy > paste' routine as with the 'maps'.
Each 'Icon' will end up on its own layer so you can position them wherever you want.

I hope that clears a few things up for you even though its probably more confusing than ever.

Any probs just ask, I don't always explain things very well.

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[Kartik Shah]

Yes friends upload the transparent png images that will help you in this matter