[Scribus] Q: Adding image with transparency

[Craig Ringer]

D. R. Evans wrote:
> Craig Ringer said the following at 03/05/2007 08:24 PM :
>> Image frames have their own background colour, which in older versions 
>> defaults to opaque white. If it's white, set the image background to 
>> "None" to allow transparency to show.
>>
> 
> OK, mine seems to be opaque white (at least, if I untick "Image Visible",
> the frame turns opaque white) but where do I set the image background to
> "None" instead of white?

Properties palette, colour. You're changing the frame's background 
colour, which defaults to white, to make it transparent (no colour) instead.

Scribus is in fact honouring the alpha channel data in your image - it's 
just rendering it translucently onto a 100% opaque background (the frame 
background colour). If you eliminate the frame's opaque background, as 
is the default in the latest version, you get the desired effect.

To set the background colour on an image frame or any other frame type, 
use the properties palette (Windows->properties if it's not already 
open, or use F2) and go to the "colours" tab after selecting the desired 
frame. With the background colour active (the bucket icon for fill 
rather than the pen icon for stroke), click on "none" for no colour.

>> A quick test here allowed me to create one layer with a large flat 
>> colour frame, then place a transparent PNG created in the GIMP above it 
>> in a separate layer. It worked exactly as expected. I'm using 1.3.3.8 on 
>> WinXP.
> 
> That sounds exactly like I'm trying to do.

What version and platform are you working with?

It doesn't sound like 1.3.3.8 since that should work how you want by 
default, since frames are no longer opaque white by default, but are now 
transparent. On older versions you just need to set the frame background 
colour to "None" and you will be fine - transparent images have been 
handled for AGES.


If you change the opacity in the colour tab this will affect all 
contents of the frame, since it's frame opacity not background colour 
opacity. Scribus does not yet support RGBA colours, so you can't define 
a "colour" like "20% translucent pure green", but as you can control 
frame opacity and use translucent images this generally won't be a big 
problem.

--
Craig Ringer