7 Feb 2012

How to Cleanup Background Colour from Logo Images

In Showcase it is quite common place to want to place a Logo or Image onto your design as a Decal. These images can come from various sources, including the Internet.

If you have access to the image in question, it might be in a BMP or JPG format with a coloured background surrounding the logo itself. Not such a good look when you are trying to make your design look as real as possible.

Again, there are lots of ways to remove this, some easier than others. However, I prefer to turn these types of files into PNG files, which can carry a transparent background.

If you have one of the new Product Design Suites, then you already have a tool to help, SketchBook Designer. The following steps, take a JPG file, remove the background colour and export to PNG, take a look yourself.
  • Start by opening SketchBook Designer, then go to File > Open > find your Logo or Image.
  • The image file will appear on a Paint layer in SketchBook Designer, use the Wand tool, then click inside the coloured background area. This area will highlight with a dashed outline to tell you what is selected.

  • Assuming the area it has automatically selected with the Wand is OK, then hit Delete on the keyboard. This will remove the coloured area inside the dashed selection area.

  • Now simply go to File > Save As, in the Save As dialogue pick where to save the image, input your name and set Save as type to PNG.

  • Now when you use the PNG in Showcase you will not get the coloured background colour.

3 comments:

  1. Hi, have you been allowing any kind of ads on your web site? I’d love to buy a banner ad for a few months advertising my personal web site which is closely related.

    product design consultant

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  2. It is nice that Autodesk Sketchbook is patterned so closely after Adobe Photoshop.
    So many features are the similar, "marching ants" on selection and Control-D key combination to get rid of the ants, magic wand, lasso, dodge, burn etc.
    A person with Photoshop skills can use Sketchbook in minutes if Photoshop is not available on their machine.
    p.s. I am certainly not suggesting Sketchbook can replace the power of Photoshop.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, yes as a Photoshop user myself, it is quite easy to make the switch. However as you say there are limitations, but with development, they will improve. Thanks again.

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