Corel Photo-Paint

Look, I know this is usually handled in Adobe Photoshop, but I’m stuck working in Corel Photo-Paint right now. I need to merge an object with the background, but without those harsh, obvious edges showing up after the merge. No matter which blending mode I pick, those borders stay perfectly visible. Is there a way to make the center of the object stay strong while the intensity fades out toward the edges, letting the background bleed through more? I'm looking for that smooth "melted" effect where the subject blends seamlessly into the scene. If this can be done in CorelDRAW or Adobe FreeHand, even better, but I just don't have access to Adobe Photoshop at the moment.

Here’s how you do it, step by step:
1. First, just load up your image.
2. Go ahead and hit Object -> Create -> From Background.
3. Then, grab the Transparency Tool from the toolbar on the left side.
4. You'll notice a Combo Box pops up on one of the top toolbars showing different types of transparency masks—just pick whichever one fits your vibe. Personally, I went with the Radial option.
5. Once you do that, a mask appears on your object, complete with two points and an arrow. That arrow usually points toward where you want things to end up. If you click on one of those points, you'll see a trackbar right there on the same toolbar where you picked the mask type; this lets you dial in the opacity level for that specific point (so, 0 for fully opaque, 100 for totally transparent). In my little demo here, the starting point is dead center at 0, and the end point is the outer circle set at 100.
6. There’s also this extra little dot sitting on the line with the arrow that you can slide back and forth between the start and end points, which basically lets you control the gradient flow—how fast or slow the transparency fades out from the center.
7. Finally, you just Save as, export it, or maybe just merge it within CorelDRAW like I did in my example, and you're all set!

I know, I know, I probably rambled on a bit too much with all these details, but if anything is still fuzzy, feel free to shoot me a private message!

The example isn't anything fancy, but it should get the job done, and once you start playing around with it, you won't be limited by the same hurdles I ran into...

Nice one. Drinks are on me if you're hanging around nearby. You there?

So, I’ve cut out someone's face using Microsoft Paint—now I want to paste it onto a different photo. The issue is that the cutout still has a solid white background, and I really need it to be transparent. Is there a way to fix this within Microsoft Paint? If not, can I do it in Adobe Photoshop? Thanks!

Carl Nguyen5 said:... how do I do that in Microsoft Paint? If that's not possible, then maybe in Adobe Photoshop? Thanks

Corel Photo-Paint? (Fair enough, you did post this in the PP thread... but looking at everything—your experience level and the whole "never heard of a transparent background" thing—it sounds like you're actually talking about Windows Paint)

coppersailor28 said:Corel Photo-Paint? (Well, fair enough—you did ask this in the PP thread... but honestly, based on everything you've said—like the "never heard of" transparency stuff—it sounds more like you're talking about Microsoft Paint)

Yeah—I was actually thinking of Microsoft Paint—for instance, if I wanted to crop someone's head out, I'd want it without that white background stuck to it.

It won't work in Microsoft Paint (at least not on Windows XP—I can't speak for Windows 7).

Since you mentioned having Adobe Photoshop, check here. /Nothing groundbreaking or vital... just one of those million random Photoshop tutorial pages./

/If you actually have Adobe Photoshop and it still fails, let me know./

If you don't have Adobe Photoshop, just download GIMP (look for "GIMP for Windows"). It's free.

From another thread:

coppersailor28 said:Try using GIMP.
Open the image, go to the toolbar, click "Layer," then select "Add Alpha Channel" under "Transparency" (this ensures the background turns transparent—the checkerboard look—once you start erasing).
Then, one option is to select the "Eraser Tool" and start wiping away the background. You can adjust the opacity and scale via the settings.

To finish, use "Save as" and under "+ Select File Type(...)" choose "PNG image". That way, the saved file actually keeps the transparent background.