Alpha Color - create
free-shaped objects using graphics with transparent areas |

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Applies to:
Working with BrowserBob
BrowserBob
allows you to define transparent areas for each graphical object you use.
The transparent region of a graphic will not be visible, so you can see
the underlying objects through the picture. Using this feature, graphics
don't have to look square anymore - and you can design real free-shaped
objects. There are no restrictions regarding the shape of your application
or functional objects.

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The Lara Croft browser for example uses a lot
of transparent regions, making it a real nice free-shaped browser.

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Usage:
If you want to use transparent areas in your graphics, you should already
prepare it while designing them in your graphics editor. Future transparent
areas should be designed in one single color only (monochromatic).
Use a single color only for transparency
Make sure you really use a single color only, not a set of similar colors,
like some brush options of common graphics editors would provide them.
Also make sure
that the color you use is not used in the part of the picture you want
displayed later - if not they will be transparent as well. For this purpose
you might want to use very strange, unusual colors.
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Use Sharply
separated colors and edges:
Please avoid any anti-aliasing on the borders of the part of your picture
which should later be visible (no soft edges etc.).
The area
which will be transparent later on, should be sharply separated from later
visible parts of your graphic everywhere (create sharp edges, like shown
in the example to the right).
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Use Bitmap or Gif graphics for best accuracy
Graphics containing transparency should be saved in windows bitmap (BMP)
or graphics interchange format (GIF). JPG's should not be used, as JPG
compression does not generate areas with uniform colors (one single color)
even if your picture has been created correctly before. |
Define the transparent area in your project
by selecting the intended invisible color.
After having added your graphics to BrowserBob via assigning them as a
button or background graphic for example, you define the transparent area
by selecting the color which should be defined as the transparent one
- picture by picture. This is done by the function Alpha Color
on the properties window.
The easiest way to choose the color is by grabbing it directly from the
picture, using the Alpha color "pick" button. Click on this
button first, then click into your picture (in the design area, not on
the preview image) on that very color. The transparent color will be shown
in the Alpha Color box on the properties window.
Alternatively you can click on the Alpha
Color box to open a windows color dialog to choose the color from
there.
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Note: each graphic in BrowserBob can have transparent
regions. As you define the transparent color picture by picture, you do
not need to use the same color for every graphic - the transparency color
could be different for each single picture you use.
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Related topics:
Buttons as graphical elements
BrowserBob
objects overview
Properties
by object |

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