Saving a Transparent GIF Image
Saving for the web is always a tricky business, specially when it comes to transparent images. At one point or another we have all been there, wondering why our GIF image has rugged edges and does not seem to be all that transparent.
The Problem
Because IE6 does not handle PNG images very well, GIF images are your best option for a transparent logo background or image. But your image has rugged edges, why?
The Solution
One thing that nobody seems to tell you when saving a GIF image is that you need a matte color. In simple English, the matte color is the color of the background where the GIF image will be placed. So, lets say I am placing a logo with a transparent background on something with a white background, then my matte color would be white.
How To
Once you have your PSD file is open in Photoshop do the following:
- Go to File > Save for Web
- Under the Preset menu you will see a drop down menu which contains different file formats, select GIF
- Make sure the Transparency box is checked.
- Click on the Matte box and select the color of the background on which the image will be placed.
- Save.
This should have done the trick.
Photoshop Expert?
By no means am I the best Photoshop user out there. However, I can tell you this works. I have been using this method for all my web work for quite a while now. If you have any problems or a better solution, please let me know. Hope this was of some help.
