How to make bmp images transparent

Color #255,0,255 is known as "Magic Pink" and will show as transparent. Use with care.

Don't work.

show's up black and doesn't show us army or the yellow in back ground.

Download one that show the transparency you're interested in. Change the extension to .zip open the zip file and extract the images and see how it was done.

what you mean? like downloading a logon screen that already has it and use that?

if by 'use it' you mean as a learning tool in order to figure out how it was done in order to create your own = yes

if by 'use it' you meand just take that one and insert into yours = no

are you referring to the alpha normal?

elements = user > user account

properties user account

3 states

alpha normal, alpha mouse, alpha selected

set between 0-255

0= transparent

open marines2 and see what it's set at - from the screen it appears to be 30-40

I think what he wants is to have Bitmap_112 basically 'float' so the main image will show thru so as to avoid all the cut and paste needed to make it appear as if it is transparent.  I think...  

FWIW, mainly because I've been attempting to find a solution to the same problem, I've did a little checking into some of the older LogOns and have found that back in the day 'magic pink' worked,  Two that I found were XPHelium and VistaPlus (both by adni18) that appear to have "magic pink" as the color of the 'user account' panel.  Neither of them work under the 'new' Logon Studio.  Neither display properly under the new format and both show the color as pink not transparent.  Both were compiled with LogonStudio v1.1 - the current (at least here) shows as LogonStudio v1.2.2.

So, apparently, the 255.0.255 (magic pink) color setting has been disabled under the new LogonStudio.  Again, just FYI.

Ok let me try to explain this so it will work like you want it too.

You are going to have to understand how to edit the ui file to get a handle for getting the alpha animation to work with the accout list. As seen here ...

logonaccount
    {
        cursor: hand;
        foreground: rgb(239,153,102);
        background: rgb(196,188,188);// rgb(48,70,179);
 animation: /*LogonAnimation1*/ alpha | log | fast;
        alpha:96; // mouse within

thus the logon animation1

then there is another animation logon animation2  to give it a full and/or no trans seen here...

logonaccount [logonstate=1]
    {
        animation: /*LogonAnimation2*/ rectangle | s | mediumfast;
        cursor: arrow;
        alpha:255; //????

notice the alpha settings and how it will say it gives 2 animation effects.

This will control the bitmap 112 and you can use whatever background for that area as you wish. With or without pink..

I would not use pink - I prefer using a 32bit bitmap image with alpha channels. But as I said it is up to the person to understand their own code and it works with what they are trying to do with the ui file to make the logon work correctly.

This feature for XP logons has no editor! If edited with Logon Studio the features will be rewritten to the base format for Logon Studio. Thus erasing anything done outside of the basic scope of the program itself.

Here is a fair type of reference for reading as to what the ui file is and how it is written. But be aware all code is still being developed for logons everyday we use them. To really understand it  you must try the code yourself to see it in action and then see if you want to change it for your purpose. Here is the link...

http://doc.trolltech.com/3.3/designer-manual-16.html

This is not for the logon studio code - but is a base for all the ui type files coding. In the past I have found there is no base for the code and it will be written over and over to suite the maker of whatever logon we design. In short with the right code you can make your images work as you want them too and just about do whatever is possible with anything in the logon.

Look at this to get your ideas and then open that marine 2 logon ui file and see what he did with his logon. I have found that a good editor is needed to do such a thing also with any and all ui files. Such as Notepad ++ found here at this link

http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm

get the excutable file for install on win xp. not the source files...

with this editor if there is an error code presented by your logon because of a bad ui entry into the code - it will usually say as to what line it is on and you will be able to easily find it with this editor.

I wish you luck on your logon and can't wait to see the finished product. Do contact me if I can be of any futher help to you.

Been playing a bit and found that you can get 'magic pink' (or any other color) to go transparent in LogonStudio.

The trick is to set the portion of the layout (Bitmap_112, for instance) as an 'indexed' file type in PhotoShop.  Make up a 'colormap', click the 'sample' icon in the colormap window, and select the color from the colormap you want to be transparent, then save the file.  I've tested it on several of mine and it does work.

The downside is that in doing so you lose the ability to apply any further 'layer style' options to the image.  But it does go transparent.

@ShelbyGT:  Thanks for the excellent examples and refs on ui files.  You are definitely da' man!!!