# Transparency on FA



## Yami-Dokuro (Aug 9, 2009)

Hi everyone, I've tried my hand at making avatars with transparency in them...and failed miserably, just goes black, any ideas what to do?

I'm currently saving them as a .png if that helps.


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## Aurali (Aug 9, 2009)

Yami-Dokuro said:


> Hi everyone, I've tried my hand at making avatars with transparency in them...and failed miserably, just goes black, any ideas what to do?
> 
> I'm currently saving them as a .png if that helps.



Fur affinity fails at compressing images XD

upload the graphic as a gif if you can, or make your own thumbnail


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## Kangamutt (Aug 9, 2009)

You'll have to upload it as a .gif file, which does support transparency.


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## Aurali (Aug 9, 2009)

Kangaroo_Boy said:


> You'll have to upload it as a .gif file, which does support transparency.



PNG supports transparency.


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## SnowFox (Aug 9, 2009)

Eli said:


> PNG supports transparency.



Does FA distinguish between PNG8 PNG24 and PNG32?

I think PNG8 transparency is similar to GIF, where PNG32 has the full alpha channel.


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## Runefox (Aug 9, 2009)

The site's converter will save the file as a GIF regardless of the extension, meaning you should probably just save it as a 100x100 GIF file on your own, to get the best colour palette and keep your transparency.



SnowFox said:


> I think PNG8 transparency is similar to GIF, where PNG32 has the full alpha channel.



Yes, this is true.


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## Aurali (Aug 9, 2009)

As said earlier. The converter doesn't read the alpha channel of PNG images. So saving it as a GIF and using that as a thumbnail would be best. (might get Glow though)


SnowFox said:


> Does FA distinguish between PNG8 PNG24 and PNG32?
> 
> I think PNG8 transparency is similar to GIF, where PNG32 has the full alpha channel.



PNG24 has full alpha as well.. PNG32 is overkill. IMO.


Runefox said:


> Yes, this is true.


:/


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## Runefox (Aug 9, 2009)

Eli said:


> PNG24 has full alpha as well.. PNG32 is overkill. IMO.
> 
> :/



PNG32 = 8 bits per channel + 8-bit alpha.

PNG24 = 8 bits per channel, no alpha (indexed transparency, if any).

Photoshop mixes this up and uses the "PNG24" terminology to refer to both types. I suppose this causes less confusion, except when you then have to go and use the format somewhere else...


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## Aurali (Aug 9, 2009)

Runefox said:


> PNG32 = 8 bits per channel + 8-bit alpha.
> 
> PNG24 = 8 bits per channel, no alpha (indexed transparency, if any).
> 
> Photoshop mixes this up and uses the "PNG24" terminology to refer to both types. I suppose this causes less confusion, except when you then have to go and use the format somewhere else...


:/ Not true. 

from http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/pngfaq.html


> Also note that both grayscale and RGB PNGs can have 16-bit samples--that is, 16-bit and 48-bit pixels, respectively--and both can also have an alpha channel for transparency information. Thus an 8-bit grayscale image or a 24-bit RGB image may contain an 8-bit alpha channel, for a total of 16 or 32 bits per pixel; while a 16-bit grayscale image or a 48-bit RGB image may contain a 16-bit alpha channel, for a total of 32 or 64 bits per pixel. However, when tools occasionally mention PNG32, they are invariably referring to 32-bit RGB+alpha (RGBA), not 32-bit gray+alpha. (Few tools support both reading and writing of images with 16-bit samples; such images are typically used only in science, medicine, and the film industry.)


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## Runefox (Aug 9, 2009)

Eli said:


> :/ Not true.


Yes true. They're talking about bits per-channel (red, green, blue, alpha), not bits per pixel (which is what's referred to by PNG8/24/32).



> Also note that both grayscale and RGB PNGs can have 16-bit samples--that is, 16-bit and 48-bit pixels, respectively--and both can also have an alpha channel for transparency information. Thus an *8-bit* grayscale image or a *24-bit]* RGB image may contain an *8-bit alpha channel*, for a *total of 16 or 32 bits per pixel*


So an 8-bits per pixel grayscale image can have an 8-bit alpha channel added to create a total of *16 bits per pixel*. A 24-bits per pixel RGB image can have an 8-bit alpha channel added for a total of *32-bits per pixel*. This is what's meant by PNG32.



> while a *16-bit* grayscale image or a *48-bit* RGB image may contain a *16-bit alpha channel*, for a total of *32 or 64 bits per pixel*



This refers to 64-bits per pixel colour; Not many people use this.



> However, *when tools occasionally mention PNG32*, they are invariably referring to *32-bit RGB+alpha (RGBA)*, *not* 32-bit gray+alpha. (Few tools support both reading and writing of images with 16-bit samples; such images are typically used only in science, medicine, and the film industry.)


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## Wolf-Bone (Aug 9, 2009)

Runefox shut up so I don't have to keep hearing about it


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## Runefox (Aug 9, 2009)

Wolf-Bone said:


> Runefox shut up so I don't have to keep hearing about it



Hi, thanks for stopping by. I don't recall you doing anything in this topic, so I'm not quite sure why you're hearing about it. If you don't like what I'm posting, then please feel free to ignore it. However, it does contain relevant information to the topic, unlike this post and the one I'm currently responding to. Thanks for being a jerk. =D


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## Aurali (Aug 9, 2009)

*reads more into this* No matter where I turn.. PNG-24 is said with transparency... but when mentioning PNG-32.. it suddenly doesn't..
Internet you have failed me again XD


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## Runefox (Aug 9, 2009)

If PNG24 did indeed have an 8-bit alpha channel and that added up to 24-bits per pixel, then in terms of colour depth, it would necessarily have only 4 bits per channel / 16-bits per pixel, or 65536 distinct colours plus alpha (256 steps). However, PNG24 actually has a color depth of 8-bits per channel / 24-bits per pixel, which gives it 16.7 million distinct colours. PNG32 refers to this, plus 8-bit alpha.


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## Kangamutt (Aug 9, 2009)

Eli said:


> PNG supports transparency.



True, but FA's kinda iffy with PNG, especially when compressing to the 100x100. But then again, OP is only making avatars, and GIF hasn't caused problems for me when it comes to transparency. It's not like you need to have a low compression file for an avatar, anyway.


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## Wolf-Bone (Aug 9, 2009)

Runefox said:


> Hi, thanks for stopping by. I don't recall you doing anything in this topic, so I'm not quite sure why you're hearing about it. If you don't like what I'm posting, then please feel free to ignore it. However, it does contain relevant information to the topic, unlike this post and the one I'm currently responding to. Thanks for being a jerk. =D



blame Eli


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## Runefox (Aug 9, 2009)

Wolf-Bone said:


> blame Eli



I figured that's what was going on.  Sorry for being snarky.


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## Yami-Dokuro (Aug 9, 2009)

Ok I have no idea what the hell Rune is talking about, I'm not THAT bothered with transparency but I guess you all got the point across, .gif it is then


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