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whitty-boo — TUTORIAL::How to make Transparent BG in SAI

Published: 2012-03-08 17:26:39 +0000 UTC; Views: 326542; Favourites: 5095; Downloads: 1747
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Description EDIT 2: Some people have noted that their SAI does not do this. It is because it is not an updated version of SAI that supports transparency. There used to be a journal/ link that I had in the comments which led to a Transparency-supporting SAI, but this link is now down. I do not have a new link; please research and find a transparency-supportive SAI by your own means. 


My first tutorial lolol //fail

A lot of people have been asking me how to do transparent backgrounds in Paint TOOL SAI. There weren't any tutorials on dA that seemed to be as simple as how I did it (there were barely any in the first place so.)

If you have some trouble understanding the summarized pictures, here's some more info on it.

Basically, in SAI everything you draw is automatically "transparent". When you save as JPEG, which doesn't support transparency, everything "transparent" is turned to white, like how you see it when you are drawing in the program.

Adding a new layer underneath and making it a different color allows you to see things you missed, preferably the whites. Let's say that when I added the yellow, Casey's white hoodie turned yellow also. That means I need to go in and color it white or else it will become transparent as well.

Saving it as 32bpp makes all the areas you didn't draw on turn transparent.

Some tutorials say that you have to merge all your layers into 1. That is not true. I could have had 3 or 4 layers on that Casey picture, it doesn't affect transparency.


I hope you guys find this helpfull!
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Comments: 1143

whitty-boo In reply to ??? [2013-05-26 19:26:50 +0000 UTC]

read the description

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CrystalSprite In reply to ??? [2013-05-18 08:49:41 +0000 UTC]

Helped loads! Thanks so much!

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C0depink In reply to ??? [2013-05-16 03:21:07 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! Helped a ton

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NListening In reply to ??? [2013-05-15 03:46:40 +0000 UTC]

Holy crud, I've been looking for this everywhere! Thank you so much

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Alia78904 In reply to ??? [2013-05-13 23:56:34 +0000 UTC]

Thank you~

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FunSizedReesesCup In reply to ??? [2013-05-12 18:44:10 +0000 UTC]

This helped SO MUCH. Thank you !

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

VannahChelle In reply to ??? [2013-05-09 18:33:56 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! This helped me so much

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limo-the-cat In reply to ??? [2013-05-07 22:46:55 +0000 UTC]

Aaand.. If the window don't pump up?? :U

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whitty-boo In reply to limo-the-cat [2013-05-31 14:48:00 +0000 UTC]

Read the description.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Olliepup02 In reply to ??? [2013-05-06 00:09:48 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much m(_ _)m This was super helpful!!!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

BoxedSushi In reply to ??? [2013-05-05 19:37:10 +0000 UTC]

omg let me love you forever

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rini12 In reply to ??? [2013-05-05 14:42:33 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! this saved my life

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knight-punk In reply to ??? [2013-05-04 12:43:00 +0000 UTC]

thank you so much for doing this! it really helped me a lot! <3

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

kenzija In reply to ??? [2013-05-03 17:12:15 +0000 UTC]

When I click save, the option doesn't come up. Can I fix this?

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kenzija In reply to kenzija [2013-05-03 17:17:21 +0000 UTC]

Oh wait. nvm. lol XD

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Kobayashi16 In reply to ??? [2013-05-03 02:03:41 +0000 UTC]

Oh yes, its very useful.
Thank you very much!

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Soujun In reply to ??? [2013-05-01 12:08:10 +0000 UTC]

Thank you ! ~

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

CheeslDandruff In reply to ??? [2013-04-28 19:56:58 +0000 UTC]

thanks!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

xNekoNekoNyan In reply to ??? [2013-04-27 21:15:46 +0000 UTC]

It doesn't works ._. ok ok i try it again xD

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Gkenzo In reply to ??? [2013-04-26 20:04:40 +0000 UTC]

Really thanks!

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Mdragonflame In reply to ??? [2013-04-25 03:34:16 +0000 UTC]

Thankyouu!!! I've wanted to know that for foreverrr!

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boxxs In reply to ??? [2013-04-21 13:54:57 +0000 UTC]

This is amazingly helpful! Thank you! <3

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nekoshadow In reply to ??? [2013-04-19 23:20:08 +0000 UTC]

That's really helpful, thanks!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Sinshana In reply to ??? [2013-04-19 16:33:27 +0000 UTC]

Oooh this is a great help.

Btw if I can ask, how do you write in white like that with a black outline?

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

IllusoryImpurity In reply to ??? [2013-04-19 04:55:12 +0000 UTC]

Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver! ; A;

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

xXKiiroHotaruXx In reply to ??? [2013-04-19 02:03:26 +0000 UTC]

It did not ask for the 32bbp when I was trying to save. :< It just saved without any option or menu.

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

whitty-boo In reply to xXKiiroHotaruXx [2013-04-21 03:22:46 +0000 UTC]

read description.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

xXKiiroHotaruXx In reply to whitty-boo [2013-04-21 12:49:54 +0000 UTC]

Yes, I read it now.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

xXKiiroHotaruXx In reply to xXKiiroHotaruXx [2013-04-19 02:06:19 +0000 UTC]

Nevermind... I was too stupid to read.... Sorry of my stupidity. :<

Btw thank you for the great tutorial!

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Samichii In reply to ??? [2013-04-18 01:57:27 +0000 UTC]

thank you

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

lil-schadenfreud In reply to ??? [2013-04-16 17:42:03 +0000 UTC]

thanks lot!!!

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LazyMaskedArtist In reply to ??? [2013-04-12 20:06:24 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much! This helped out a lot.

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semica In reply to ??? [2013-04-11 19:15:11 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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Arty-Hunter In reply to ??? [2013-04-09 16:32:34 +0000 UTC]

If you already have GIMP 2 installed in your computer, you can also save the file in SAI as a .psd, open it up in GIMP and save as a .png from there, making sure the box that says "transparent pixels obtain color values" (or something like that) is ticked.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whitty-boo In reply to Arty-Hunter [2013-04-09 23:32:31 +0000 UTC]

True, but not everyone has gimp

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Arty-Hunter In reply to whitty-boo [2013-04-11 08:48:26 +0000 UTC]

I know, I was just mentioning it just in the case (like me) you found out from this tutorial that you don't have a version of sai that supports transparency and you're way too lazy to install the version that does AND have GIMP installed. (Very specific set of requirements, I guess? )

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Sketchcee In reply to ??? [2013-04-07 23:32:58 +0000 UTC]

OMG! Thank you so much!

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chickenmcfuckit In reply to ??? [2013-04-05 16:32:01 +0000 UTC]

the window wont pop up
wow well im fucked

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whitty-boo In reply to chickenmcfuckit [2013-04-08 00:26:47 +0000 UTC]

Read the description you can fix that.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Mr-Evilness In reply to ??? [2013-04-05 07:03:09 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!!!!It's helpful!!!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Mr-Evilness In reply to Mr-Evilness [2013-04-05 07:16:43 +0000 UTC]

But,after i save,there's no window pop up

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Niju-Ichi In reply to ??? [2013-04-05 03:55:26 +0000 UTC]

I love you.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

potatoe-sama In reply to ??? [2013-04-03 10:18:51 +0000 UTC]

YOU're AWESOME! THANKS ! > w <

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

minagi-megurine In reply to ??? [2013-04-03 07:16:17 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for everything, it works ~ (using the link in the description that not many bother to read)

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Cornpop123 In reply to ??? [2013-04-03 01:42:22 +0000 UTC]

I Don't get the PNG save options. :/

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whitty-boo In reply to Cornpop123 [2013-04-03 04:15:36 +0000 UTC]

read the description.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Cornpop123 In reply to whitty-boo [2013-04-03 04:18:43 +0000 UTC]

sorry !

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

SuperAdele In reply to ??? [2013-03-30 09:35:55 +0000 UTC]

Oops I read the description, forget what I say. x) Well, it still won't open and I can't find how to download the oldest version of Paint Tool Sai.. ;v;

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SuperAdele In reply to ??? [2013-03-30 09:31:48 +0000 UTC]

The window doesn't pop-up when I saaave ;3;

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

cupcakemokasugar In reply to ??? [2013-03-29 02:38:26 +0000 UTC]

How can you make the color white well... not transparent? I'm kinda new to the transparent thing.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1


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