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transparent (quick)

What is the most all around simple but efficient way of taking a gif picture, lets say... a ball and putting that picture on a background seeing just the ball on the background... not the square of the other solid color that is around the ball... I need to make the color transparent.

I am making a pong game and I want a cool looking ball but i dont want that dang square around it...

Either an explanation, or a link to an easy to follow comprehensive tutorial would be very helpful...

Thank you for your time,

Facade

CEHJ

Use an AlphaComposite

http://javaalmanac.com/egs/java.awt/Composite.html

CEHJ

And (better)

http://www.jguru.com/faq/view.jsp?EID=130031

Mick Barry

Easiest is to simply create your gif with a transparent background in the first place.

facade

ASKER

objects: How would i just create the transparent gif backgroun in the first place? would i need a special program? Right now im just using paint to make my gifs.

CEHJ: im sorry but im mostly a beginner to this language. i don't quite understand how i would apply either of those methods. Which one should i use? in the second one do i need all that code just to do what i want to do?

plus i dont get how anywhere in either code i specify that i just want the background AROUND the ball, (the black square that borders the ball) to be transparent. Im sorry but can you please help simplify a little?

Thanks,

-Facade

Mick Barry

http://www.mit.edu:8001/tweb/map.html

CEHJ

An easier option for you then - why don't you draw the ball

graphics.drawOval(0, 0, 15, 15);

Mick Barry

> An easier option for you then

No easier than drawing an image

Mick Barry

in fact its really more complicated

CEHJ

I'm sorry but it is if the image doesn't happen to be transparent in the right places

facade

ASKER

objects: hmm, so i cant do it right off my c: drive? or can i? when it says "you should configure your web browser to load the next retrieved URL to local disk." what does it mean? how do i do this in ie? If i do just specify the path to c://ball.gif then the page comes up with the picture, but then when i click on it it says:

"TransWeb was unable to retrieve the image you specified because the URL you specified was not valid. Note that TransWeb only supports HTTP URLs; support for FTP URLs has not been implemented yet. Check to make sure you entered the URL correctly and try again."

What should i do?

-Facade

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Mick Barry

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facade

ASKER

Thank you guys very much for your help. And that method of just making the image transparent in photoshop really works perfectly objects :)

Thanks again for your time

-Facade

Mick Barry

Glad I could help :)
Let me know if you have further questions in the future.