Q: My scanned signature image has a white opaque background. Is it possible to make the background transparent when creating an image stamp in PDF Studio?
A: While there’s no way to change the background of an existing image to be transparent from within PDF Studio, PDF Studio supports transparency in stamps so you can use an image editor to make the background transparent and then create an image stamp or signature from the transparent image.
To make an image background transparent:
- On Mac, use Preview. Here is a demonstration video to make a background transparent with Preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVBChc639BY
- On Windows or Linux, use GIMP (free, open-source image editor)
- Open your image.
- Using the magic wand/fuzzy select (Select contiguous region) tool or the Select regions by Color tool, select the area you want to make transparent
- Click in the region you want selected. Use shift-click to add more regions/colors.
- In the Layer window (the one showing your image), select Layer > Transparency > Add Alpha Channel.
- Select Edit > Clear. This makes the selection transparent.
- Export the file as a GIF file or as a PNG file. If you export it as a PNG file, be sure to select the ‘Save colour values from transparent pixels’ option in the Export dialog box.
