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5. Working with PhotoLine / 5.7 Creating Images For The Web

### 5.7.6 Transparency in GIFs

PhotoLine is saving transparent image areas in GIF files, too. Transparency is usually indicated by a red checkered pattern (see chapter 2.3.2).

But you have to note, that GIF is not able to store transparency with 256 graduations - like PhotoLine - but only with 2 graduations, that means GIF knows only visible and invisible Pixels, values in between do not exist. If there are such intermediate values in an image, they will automatically or manually be removed on saving by using Reduce Colors (see chapter 5.7.2 and chapter 5.7.3).

If there is no transparency in your image, but you want a certain color to be displayed transparent in you GIF file, the function Tool/Color/Select Colors can accomplish this task. After opening the dialog you can select the desired color by clicking with mouse in the document window. The preview control will show the selected area. Clicking while holding Shift adds another color to the area, clicking while holding Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) removes a color from the area. Now you have to select Alpha as destination Alpha is another word for transparency. After leaving the dialog with OK the selected area will be transparent. Now you can save your image as GIF.

Note, that JPEG is not able to save transparency at all.