dithering (take2)

Things to try:
1. use a gradient fill instead of drop shadow on a separate layer. Then render it. Then try saving.
2. Save as jpeg instead of gif. You won’t get transparent, but do you really need it. Couldn’t you just set the background color to match you web page.
3. Save as png. This might do a better job of dithering. Modern browser can read this format.

In article <hNeob.1464$>,
says…

I’m trying to save a drop shadow over a transparent background as a gif file but I just can’t get it perfect.

here’s a screenshot from my psd file:
http://users.pandora.be/protek/example2.gif

and this is what I get when I save for web:
http://users.pandora.be/protek/example1.gif

any advice on how to get the shadow nice and smooth would be greatky appreciated.
thanks in advance.

** I posted this through another server and I think people from outside my country couldn’t read the msg so here’s take 2

—
Robert D Feinman

Landscapes, Cityscapes, Panoramas and Photoshop Tips
http://robertdfeinman.com

ez raver wrote:

I’m trying to save a drop shadow over a transparent background as a gif file but I just can’t get it perfect.

here’s a screenshot from my psd file:
http://users.pandora.be/protek/example2.gif

and this is what I get when I save for web:
http://users.pandora.be/protek/example1.gif

any advice on how to get the shadow nice and smooth would be greatky appreciated.
thanks in advance.

About the only way you’ll retain that smoothness is to use PNG instead of GIF. PNG is a bit larger, but is supported by most – but not all – of the browsers out there.

GIF can only simulate a drop shadow by dithering – a 50% shadow will be representated using a pattern consisting of 50% black opaque pixels. As you’ve seen, this does not produce a convincing drop shadow. —

Mike Russell
http://www.curvemeister.com
http://www.zocalo.net/~mgr
http://geigy.2y.net

Robert Feinman wrote:

Things to try:
1. use a gradient fill instead of drop shadow on a separate layer. Then render it. Then try saving.
2. Save as jpeg instead of gif. You won’t get transparent, but do you really need it. Couldn’t you just set the background color to match you
web page.
3. Save as png. This might do a better job of dithering. Modern browser
can read this format.

I’ll try both solutions. the problem here is that the img is part of a webpage that will be vertically and horizontally aligned in the center with an irregular background, thus making it impossible for me to set a non transparent background ‘under’ the drop shadow.
I guess png is my only option. thanks.