Creating Transparent GIF Images
Using LView Pro 1.B/16 for Windows 3.1

By: Randy D. Ralph, MLIS, Ph.D.

Last updated January 13, 1996

	GIF87a	GIF89a
BEFORE -->			<-- AFTER

1. From Windows 3.1 open LView Pro 1.B/16:

Open the .GIF file from the LView Pro File pull-down menu.

2. From LView Pro select the Options Pull-Down Menu:

• Deselect the Interlaced GIF save option if you don't want the Venetian Blind load effect which is not pleasing with small images.

• Reopen the Options Menu and Select "Background color..."

  This will invoke the background color selector and masker dialog box below.
  

3. Select and mask the background color:

• Select the correct settings in the check box and radio button at the bottom of the dialog box to MASK to BLACK.

• Locate and select the correct index for the background color.

  NOTE that the numbering of color indexes begins at 0 NOT at 1.

  From the example .GIFs at the top of the page you would click on the bright yellow color index box.

  When you have correctly selected the background color index the display of the .GIF behind the dialog box will snap the non-background portions of the .GIF file to black. You should see your image in silhouette.
  

This is a check that allows you to see that you have selected the correct color index for the background.

NOTE: Not all scanners or screen capture programs will produce .GIFs with solid and smooth backgrounds. You may have to load your .GIF file into a graphics editor that allows you to consolidate the background color into a single color index before you can make a good-looking transparent image.

4. Save the new transparent .GIF file in GIF89a format:

• Make sure that you are saving the new .GIF file in GIF89a format.

• GIF87a format does not support transparent backgrounds.
  

• Load your new .GIF file using Netscape or some other browser and check to see that it looks like you want it to look.

  A little experimentation and practice may be required to get it right.

to the LView Tutorials Page.