Transparency issue. Sorry!

[JackOats]

Hi,

I have opened a .png image in Gimp. It's some handwritten text in red. 

I'm trying to isolate the text & make the surrounding background transparent.

I want to have this handwritten text appear over another.png image in a short video I'm making in REAPER (the D.A.W.) without it's background.

At the moment the text image appears as red on a black background which obviously masks the underlying image.

Is it posible to make the background on the text image transparent, please?

Many thanks.

[Blighty]

It is possible in Gimp. The method depends on how red the red text is and also on the background. Is it possible to post the image (or a small representative crop) here?

I have no knowledge of REAPER. How does it treat transparency in images?

[rich2005]

I am the same as Blighty, never heard of/used REAPER but it is for digital audio production. Where does video fit in there?

Are you making a video demonstrating REAPER and if using a video editor, which one are you using?

Traditionally, video will not overlay transparency, it shows the 'background colour' as you discovered. The way was a grayscale mask (black/white) between the overlay and the base video to hide the bits not needed.

A lot easier these days where some editors do the work for you. example: http://www.openshotvideo.com/2012/09/tut...os-on.html

edit: amazing, there is an OSX version

[JackOats]

Hi Blighty,

Well this is the original image drawn in the Paint app. 

(Sorry about the size!).








And this is how it looks on Desktop as a .png.





And this is how it looks when I insert it into a Reaper video project. 

As you can see the black background masks any other image that I might have underneath.

What I'd like is to have the red text overlaid onto another still shot without the black background.

[Blighty]

I suspect that your image does have a transparent background. What does the png look like in Gimp? Checker board pattern for the background?

Different software displays transparency in different ways.
Your desktop displays transparency as white?
Reaper displays transparency as black?

[JackOats]

Hi rich,

Thanks very much for the Openshot link - just downloading & checking it out now!

[rich2005]

(06-25-2017, 09:06 AM)JackOats Wrote: Hi rich,

Thanks very much for the Openshot link - just downloading & checking it out now!

hope it works    I do know that the Windoze version is a bit flakey.

I have been making video for 17 years with various video editors, believe me, nothing to do with Gimp and everything to do with how your graphic and video tools in OSX handle transparency.

Dead easy in linux: That is a regular Gimp png with transparent background.



edit: having said that, I do know OSX has one of the best video editors around.

[JackOats]

Well, in Gimp the background is white - but with an area of checkerboard where I highlighted & deleted pre Gimp when I was working in Paint.

Good news! The text overlay works fine - just as yours in your screenshot above.

Thanks so much for Openshot - I am ridiculously happy (I'm sure it will pass though!).

[JackOats]

Actually, just discovered REAPER has introduced an 'Image Overlay' facility into it's Video Processor in the latest update. Just what I was looking for. 

REAPER really is an excellent DAW - & is being steadily improved all the time. 

Thanks again for all your help rich & Blighty. Much appreciated.