Creating white text

TC
Posted By
Todd Cary
Jan 4, 2004
Views
298
Replies
5
Status
Closed
I need to create a bmp file with "white" text that I can superimpose on a bmp image file (I use a program that merges two bmp files). If I use a transparent canvas and set the color to white, the text is invisible.

What am I missing here?

Todd

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K
kenkelb
Jan 4, 2004
Are you flattening the image before saving as a bmp?

AMD’r

"Todd Cary" wrote in message
I need to create a bmp file with "white" text that I can superimpose on a bmp image file (I use a program that merges two bmp files). If I use a transparent canvas and set the color to white, the text is invisible.
What am I missing here?

Todd
E
edjh
Jan 4, 2004
Todd Cary wrote:
I need to create a bmp file with "white" text that I can superimpose on a bmp image file (I use a program that merges two bmp files). If I use a transparent canvas and set the color to white, the text is invisible.
What am I missing here?

Todd
Where is the type not visible? In Photoshop or the other program? What is the Blending Mode?

What are you setting to white, the canvas or the type? Or both?


Comic book sketches and artwork:
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MR
Mike Russell
Jan 4, 2004
Todd Cary wrote:
I need to create a bmp file with "white" text that I can superimpose on a bmp image file (I use a program that merges two bmp files). If I use a transparent canvas and set the color to white, the text is invisible.

What am I missing here?

BMP files don’t save transparency – instead you get white where the file would have been transparent. Even if that didn’t get you, it’s likely that your merging program assumes that pure white is transparent as well.

Being a photoshop person, and as long as you are already creating the text in Photoshop, I’d suggest you ditch your bmp merger and create a Photoshop action to merge the text. You’ll have other effects such as drop shadow available that way as well.

If you want to stick with your bmp utility, though, one solution would be to use slightly off-white text. Try darkening the text a bit to see if that does the trick. You may be able to use 254,254, 254 for your text, but you may want to start with a brightness of rgb 250,250,250 or so to avoid any issues with roundoff error.


Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net
TC
Todd Cary
Jan 5, 2004
Mike –

It must have to do with transparency and bmp files – I need to look at the code and determine what is happening.

The reason I use the program that merges the two files is because it does a complete directory: converts the jpg photo images (after I have worked on them with PS), resizes them to thumbnails are to a specified size for the Web, merges the copyright, puts a border around them and a drop shadow and creates the HTML (http://209.204.172.137/dictionary/ ).

Now, I tried black with 100% opacity and the anti-alias (PS 7) is "smooth". I am getting what appears to be aliasing.

http://209.204.172.137/test/dsc_1315.jpg

Is that correct?

Todd

Mike Russell wrote:
Todd Cary wrote:

I need to create a bmp file with "white" text that I can superimpose on a bmp image file (I use a program that merges two bmp files). If I use a transparent canvas and set the color to white, the text is invisible.

What am I missing here?

BMP files don’t save transparency – instead you get white where the file would have been transparent. Even if that didn’t get you, it’s likely that your merging program assumes that pure white is transparent as well.
Being a photoshop person, and as long as you are already creating the text in Photoshop, I’d suggest you ditch your bmp merger and create a Photoshop action to merge the text. You’ll have other effects such as drop shadow available that way as well.

If you want to stick with your bmp utility, though, one solution would be to use slightly off-white text. Try darkening the text a bit to see if that does the trick. You may be able to use 254,254, 254 for your text, but you may want to start with a brightness of rgb 250,250,250 or so to avoid any issues with roundoff error.
MR
Mike Russell
Jan 5, 2004
Todd Cary wrote:
Mike –

It must have to do with transparency and bmp files – I need to look at the code and determine what is happening.

The reason I use the program that merges the two files is because it does a complete directory: converts the jpg photo images (after I have worked on them with PS), resizes them to thumbnails are to a specified size for the Web, merges the copyright, puts a border around them and a
drop shadow and creates the HTML (http://209.204.172.137/dictionary/ ).

Now, I tried black with 100% opacity and the anti-alias (PS 7) is "smooth". I am getting what appears to be aliasing.
http://209.204.172.137/test/dsc_1315.jpg

Is that correct?

This is a white matte around the black text. One workaround is to use a 50% gray background, which will cover most of the problem most of the time.

Another solution is to turn off anti-aliasing. This will give you jaggies, but it will look a lot better than what you’re getting now. Still another solution would be to add the text before resizing the thumbnail, if you have that option.

The ultimate solution is to use an alpha channel to get a clean anti-aliased mask, but that would require the use of full Photoshop, or some other alpha-aware imaging app.


Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

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