Comments on: Instant Alpha and Masks: Saving the effect http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/ The place for all things Keynote Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:19:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Wyatt http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-13033 Wyatt Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:27:52 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-13033 I can copy and paste the image into Pages, but once I try to copy and paste from there into Word, it shows up with a black rectangle around it. I can copy and paste to iWeb and conserve the alpha, but how do I export an image from iWeb to a folder? I can copy and paste the image into Pages, but once I try to copy and paste from there into Word, it shows up with a black rectangle around it. I can copy and paste to iWeb and conserve the alpha, but how do I export an image from iWeb to a folder?

]]> By: Ken Drake http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12989 Ken Drake Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:58:18 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12989 Preview's Instant Alpha is slightly different from iWork's. Depending on your image, you're likely to get different results. For example, Keynote attempts to smooth it's mask. This is great for picture edges as it removes aliasing, but it's bad for small features as they get smoothed out. Because of this, it's difficult to replicate a Keynote Instant Alpha in Preview and vice versa. You don't have to save as PNG, any of the other file types that support Alpha transparency will work too (like TIFF or JPEG-2000). Also, I do mention above that Pages and Numbers don't have the same problem with retaining the Instant Alpha effect when copied to other apps. That's why one workaround for Keynote users is to "Copy the masked object in Keynote then Paste into Pages or Numbers" Preview’s Instant Alpha is slightly different from iWork’s. Depending on your image, you’re likely to get different results. For example, Keynote attempts to smooth it’s mask. This is great for picture edges as it removes aliasing, but it’s bad for small features as they get smoothed out. Because of this, it’s difficult to replicate a Keynote Instant Alpha in Preview and vice versa.

You don’t have to save as PNG, any of the other file types that support Alpha transparency will work too (like TIFF or JPEG-2000).

Also, I do mention above that Pages and Numbers don’t have the same problem with retaining the Instant Alpha effect when copied to other apps. That’s why one workaround for Keynote users is to “Copy the masked object in Keynote then Paste into Pages or Numbers”

]]> By: Dave Young http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12988 Dave Young Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:22:22 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12988 I had this same challenge and came across a nearly hidden, but easy solution. Preview has an Instant Alpha feature. Yes, Preview. Load your image and then click-and-hold the selection button. Voila. You'll see Instant Alpha along with a lasso and a few other toys. After you do your alpha thing, you must hit "enter" just like you're finishing a crop. You must save as a PNG. Done. Pages and Numbers can also do Instant Alpha on their own with no need to cut and paste from Keynote. I had this same challenge and came across a nearly hidden, but easy solution.

Preview has an Instant Alpha feature. Yes, Preview. Load your image and then click-and-hold the selection button. Voila. You’ll see Instant Alpha along with a lasso and a few other toys.

After you do your alpha thing, you must hit “enter” just like you’re finishing a crop.

You must save as a PNG.

Done.

Pages and Numbers can also do Instant Alpha on their own with no need to cut and paste from Keynote.

]]> By: Ken Drake http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12975 Ken Drake Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:51:24 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12975 Yes, you can create .jpg and .png files from any object you can copy by using Preview. Just copy, Open Preview, do Command-N, then save as another format (png, jpg, etc). You can find out more <a href="http://www.makentosh.com/tipsfromtheiceberg/Blog/Entries/2008/6/26_Just_Passin’_Thru.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Most of the images on the pages you'll find linked to from that page were all done in Keynote (with other helper apps mentioned as applicable). OS X's text editor is sufficient, but, if you install the developer tools (which are free and come on the OSX discs), the text editor that is supplied with Dashcode is much better (color coding, line numbering, etc.) Yes, you can create .jpg and .png files from any object you can copy by using Preview. Just copy, Open Preview, do Command-N, then save as another format (png, jpg, etc). You can find out more here.

Most of the images on the pages you’ll find linked to from that page were all done in Keynote (with other helper apps mentioned as applicable).

OS X’s text editor is sufficient, but, if you install the developer tools (which are free and come on the OSX discs), the text editor that is supplied with Dashcode is much better (color coding, line numbering, etc.)

]]> By: Nathan Jeffery http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12974 Nathan Jeffery Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:38:28 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12974 using transparency as mentioned above, would you be able to create .jpg and .png files using keynote? and could keynote do .svg? just wondering, for basic graphic creation, for say web icons or navigation buttons, would keynote be suffient? can it do gradient fills etc? how do you find OS X's text editor? thanks, i found the article above, to be interesting and is definitely moving me closer to the mac direction, haven't been able to get one yet buy hope to soon. regards nathan using transparency as mentioned above, would you be able to create .jpg and .png files using keynote? and could keynote do .svg?

just wondering, for basic graphic creation, for say web icons or navigation buttons, would keynote be suffient? can it do gradient fills etc?

how do you find OS X’s text editor?

thanks, i found the article above, to be interesting and is definitely moving me closer to the mac direction, haven’t been able to get one yet buy hope to soon.

regards

nathan

]]> By: Ken Drake http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12939 Ken Drake Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:21:58 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12939 Mike, Have you tried the other route which is, once you've got it in Pages or Numbers, copy from those to Motion? I'm not sure if there's some core Motion incompatibility, but I'll be happy to help you troubleshoot it. Mike,

Have you tried the other route which is, once you’ve got it in Pages or Numbers, copy from those to Motion? I’m not sure if there’s some core Motion incompatibility, but I’ll be happy to help you troubleshoot it.

]]> By: MIke http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12938 MIke Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:15:15 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12938 Ken, Thanks, but I'm still having trouble!! I am trying to get my image from keynote to motion after alpha, but still no go...I have put it both next to a rectangle, and inside a rectangle, (with fill and stroke set to none. copied...I can get it into pages and numbers, but not into motion..sigh...any other ideas, or a sense of what I might be doing wrong? Ken,

Thanks, but I’m still having trouble!! I am trying to get my image from keynote to motion after alpha, but still no go…I have put it both next to a rectangle, and inside a rectangle, (with fill and stroke set to none. copied…I can get it into pages and numbers, but not into motion..sigh…any other ideas, or a sense of what I might be doing wrong?

]]> By: Ken Drake http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12826 Ken Drake Tue, 11 Sep 2007 02:24:49 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12826 I think this was just an oversight as both Numbers and Pages behave as we would want. Like good users, we've entered feedback hoping this to be resolved! :) I think this was just an oversight as both Numbers and Pages behave as we would want. Like good users, we’ve entered feedback hoping this to be resolved! :)

]]> By: rubaiyat http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12822 rubaiyat Sat, 08 Sep 2007 03:23:31 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12822 You really are just adding the bounding box that is required by pdfs to enclose the main graphic. Pity that Apple thinks it is a good idea to make the better features of its software so obscure and hard to use. You really are just adding the bounding box that is required by pdfs to enclose the main graphic.

Pity that Apple thinks it is a good idea to make the better features of its software so obscure and hard to use.

]]> By: Mads http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12819 Mads Mon, 03 Sep 2007 12:18:49 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12819 Nice one thx :-) Nice one thx :-)

]]> By: TalkRhubarb http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12813 TalkRhubarb Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:28:03 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12813 I was really disappointed that I couldn't copy and paste the alpha'd images as I expected. Thanks for posting this Ken. I was really disappointed that I couldn’t copy and paste the alpha’d images as I expected. Thanks for posting this Ken.

]]> By: Pommie http://www.keynoteuser.com/2007/08/13/instant-alpha-and-masks-saving-the-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-12806 Pommie Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:39:50 +0000 http://www.keynoteuser.com/news/?p=240#comment-12806 Thanks just what I needed Thanks just what I needed

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