Existing Img to Transp Back

Adobe Photoshop Tutorial -

Edit an Existing Image to Become Transparent

1. Open artwork, but make sure its a copy of the original file!

2. Look at the “Layers” palette. If you have more than one layer you’ll need to flatten the image.

3. Flatten the image by selecting Layer>Flatten Image

4. Make the background into a layer. Double click on the Background layer in the layers palette. The New Layer window will pop-up. Leave the default settings and click OK. You should now have a Layer 0 and are ready to get started.

5. Use the Magic Wand tool to remove the white background.

6. Make sure the Anti-aliased and Contiguous are selected. You can experiment with the tolerance, but the default of 32 should work for most images with obvious borders between the image and the background. If you deselect contiguous all areas of white will be removed (including the white within your design). In our example image, the “Arizona” text inside our design will become the same color as the shirt if we deselect contiguous!

7. Click within the background area to select the background for removal. You should see “marching ants” or a dotted line around your design.

8. Expand the selection by one pixel to avoid jagged edges or artifacts that might remain around your design. Go to Select>Modify>Expand

Type 1 into the box and click OK.

9. Hit the Delete key on your keyboard and remove the background! You should see a checkerboard pattern instead of a white!

10. Preview your design on a dark background

Create a new layer underneath your design and fill it with a dark color like Black or Navy Blue. This will give you an idea how your design will look on a dark colored shirt! If you still see a “halo” around your design you might need to manually edit the border of your design or experiment with the tolerance setting. Make sure to delete this layer before saving your image.