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+--- Thread: How to make a "transparent" selection? (/Thread-How-to-make-a-transparent-selection)
How to make a "transparent" selection? - PoulpeEnCiel - 09-30-2019
Hello ! I recently started using GIMP 1.10.12, and I wondered if there was a way to make a selection with transparency.
For example, I need to apply a gradient on a text without disturbing the transparency of the edges.
I tried playing around with layer masks, but I wasn't getting the effet I wanted, but maybe I was using it wrong..?
Does anyone know how to achieve this kind of effect?
Thank you.
RE: How to make a "transparent" selection? - Blighty - 09-30-2019
The selection only marks the pixels that will be affected. The selection itself does not have transparency, it only marks the pixels that can be made transparent. But there can be partial selections, so that some pixels can be made partially transparent.
On your text layer, try using "Alpha to Selection". This will preserve the anti-aliasing - the semi-transparent pixels at the edges of the text.
1) Layer > Transparency > Alpha to Selection
or
2) Right click on the text layer in the Layers Dialogue and select Alpha to Selection
RE: How to make a "transparent" selection? - PoulpeEnCiel - 09-30-2019
Yes! That's what i was looking for.
Thank you !
RE: How to make a "transparent" selection? - Ofnuts - 09-30-2019
(09-30-2019, 01:00 PM)PoulpeEnCiel Wrote: Hello ! I recently started using GIMP 1.10.12, and I wondered if there was a way to make a selection with transparency.
For example, I need to apply a gradient on a text without disturbing the transparency of the edges.
I tried playing around with layer masks, but I wasn't getting the effet I wanted, but maybe I was using it wrong..?
Does anyone know how to achieve this kind of effect?
Thank you.
For this you don't use a selection at all. You just alpha-lock the layer (this is the checkerboard icon at the top of the Layers list), and then apply whatever pain you want (bucket, blend, brush...) without a selection(*). Due to the alpha lock the alpha-channel of pixels won't be changed: opaque pixels will remain opaque, and partially transparent pixels will remain partially transparent.
(*) unless you want to only paint part of the text. In particular, avoid alpha-to selection here, because this would make the edge pixels only partially changed. Assuming blue text and a 50% transparent pixel on the edge, painting without selection will give you a 50% transparent red pixel, but painting with alpha-selection will produce a 50% transparent purple pixel.