Have you ever been in a situation where you had to copy certain parts of one image to another? Surely you must have been; either when creating a meme to send in the group chat or for any other project. This is done by first creating a transparent image/background that can take on the effect of whatever background it is placed on. Having transparent details is an essential part of any graphic design process, especially when it comes to logos and stacking multiple images on top of each other.
The process of creating a transparent image is actually quite simple and can be done through a variety of applications. The old, complicated and advanced software like photoshop had to be used to create transparency with tools like masking, selection, etc. But what most people don’t know is that transparent images can also be created with something as simple as MS Paint and MS Paint 3D, the former of which is available on all Windows operating systems. Here, a specific combination of tools is used to highlight regions in the original image, while rendering the rest a transparent background.
How to make background transparent in MS Paint?
Method 1 – Make the background transparent with MS Paint
Microsoft Paint has been a part of Microsoft Windows since its inception. It is a simple raster graphics editor that supports Windows Bitmap, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and raster files. TIFF format of a single page. Paint is primarily used to create images by drawing on a blank white canvas, but also cropping, resizing, selecting tools, skewing, rotating to further manipulate the image. It is a simple, light and easy to use tool with many potentials.
Making the background transparent is really easy in MS Paint, just follow the steps mentioned below.
1. Right-click on the required image, scroll through the menu below, and hover your mouse over ‘To open with’ to start a submenu. From the submenu, select ‘Paint’ .
Alternatively, open MS Paint first and click on the menu ‘Archive’ located at the top right, then click ‘Open’ to browse your computer and choose the required image.
2. When the selected image opens in MS Paint, look to the top left corner and find the options of ‘Image’ . Click the arrow icon below ‘To select’ to open the selection options.
3. In the dropdown menu, first, enable the option ‘transparent selection’ . Choose the shapes that best fit between ‘Rectangle selection’ Y ‘Free form selection’ . (For example: to select the moon, which is a circular entity, freeform is a viable option.)
4. In the lower right corner, look for the bar ‘Zoom in / Zoom out’ and adjust it so that the required object covers most of the available screen area. This helps create a space to make an accurate selection.
5. Slowly and carefully trace the outline of the object with the mouse while holding down the left mouse button.
6. Once the start and end points of your path match, a dotted rectangular box will appear around the object and you can move your selection.
7. Right click on your selection and select ‘Cut off’ in the menu or just press ‘CTRL + X’ on your keyboard. This will make your selection disappear, leaving only a blank space.
8. Now, repeat step 1 to open the image you want your selection to be combined in MS Paint.
9. Press ‘CTRL + V’ to paste the previous selection into the new image. Your selection will appear with a noticeable white background surrounding it.
10. Go back to the ‘Image’ settings again and click the arrow below Select. turn on ‘transparent selection’ once more and the white background will disappear.
11. Adjust the position and size of the object according to your requirements.
Once satisfied, click the File menu in the top left corner and click ‘Save as’ to store the image.
Always remember to change the file name when saving to avoid confusion.
Method 2: Make the background transparent using Paint 3D
Paint 3D was introduced by Microsoft in 2017 along with several others through the Windows 10 Creators Update. It combined features of the Microsoft Paint and 3D Builder applications into one lightweight and easy-to-use application. One of the main aspects is Remix 3D, a community where you can edit, import and share ideas and digital objects.
Making the background transparent is easier in Paint3D than MS Paint because of its Magic Select tool.
1. Open the image in Paint 3D by right clicking on the image and selecting the appropriate software. (Right Click > Open With > Paint 3D)
2. Adjust the image for scale and convenience.
I touched ‘Magic Select’ located at the top.
Magic Selection is an advanced but fun tool with a lot of potential. With its advanced learning technology, it can delete objects in the background. But here, it lends its hand to making a precise selection, drastically reducing the time and energy spent, especially when dealing with complex shapes.
3. Once the tool is selected, translucent borders will appear. Manually zoom them in so that only the necessary object is highlighted while everything else is left in the dark. Once you are satisfied with the selection, press ‘Following’ located in the tab to the right.
4. If there are errors in the selection, they can be corrected at this stage. You can refine your selection by adding or removing areas using the tools on the right. Once you are satisfied with the selected area, tap ‘Ready’ located at the bottom.
5. The selected object will appear and can be moved. Press ‘CTRL + C’ to copy the particular object.
6. Open another image in Paint 3D following Step 1.
7. Press ‘CTRL + V’ to paste your previous selection here. Adjust the size and location of the object according to your requirements.
8. Once you are satisfied with the final image, click ‘Menu’ located on the top left and proceed to save the image.
Recommended: 3 ways to create a GIF in Windows 10
How to save an image with a transparent background?
To save an image with a transparent background, we will use MS Paint or Paint 3D along with the help of Microsoft Powerpoint.
1. In MS Paint or Paint 3D, select the required object by following the steps mentioned above, and then press ‘CTRL + C’ to copy the selected object.
2. Open Microsoft Powerpoint and on a blank slide and touch ‘CTRL + V’ for paste.
3. Once pasted, right click on the object and click ‘Save as image’.
4. Make sure to change Save as type to ‘Portable Network Graphics’, also known as file ‘.png’ while saving.
If the above methods i.e. using Paint and Paint 3D to make images transparent seem like a hassle, then you could also try using online converters like Free Online Photo Editor | Transparent background or Make transparent background images online : free online tool to create transparent images.