A final word about PNG. The PNG format offers impressive capabilities. For instance, it supports transparency through an 8-bit alpha channel, i.e.
256 different levels of transparency. The real problem is to find a browser that is able to display the PNG transparency.
If you have good contacts at Netscape or Microsoft, tell them that we, the graphic designers, would appreciate the possibility
of working with a better solution than the GIF transparency.
Webmaster
Design : Transparent Images
[ Contents ]
Lynda Weinman
Summary
There is no doubt that adding transparent graphics to your site will make your page more attractive visually. The tricky thing is to know how to avoid these undesirable halos and borders resulting from the anti-aliasing function.
- If you create a graphic with irregular shapes over a plain colour background, don't even try to use GIF transparency. Rather,
you should use a method that imitates it.
- The application of sharp edges to your images will remove all halos and borders.
- For glow, drop shadow and blur effects, apply anti-aliasing according to the targeted background colour.
- If you plan to use a tiled background in your page, apply anti-aliasing according to the prevailing colour of the tiling pattern.
A final word about PNG. The PNG format offers impressive capabilities. For instance, it supports transparency through an 8-bit alpha channel, i.e.
256 different levels of transparency. The real problem is to find a browser that is able to display the PNG transparency.
If you have good contacts at Netscape or Microsoft, tell them that we, the graphic designers, would appreciate the possibility
of working with a better solution than the GIF transparency.