Xara X¹ PNG and Alpha Channel Export for PowerPoint
See Also:
PowerPoint and Alpha Channels
Photoshop
TIF and Alpha Channel Export for PowerPoint
By: Geetesh Bajaj
Date Created: May 27th 2004
Last Updated: February 25th 2009
In this tutorial, we will learn how to export a PNG graphic from Xara X¹ with an alpha channel that PowerPoint can import. I have used the new Xara X¹ on Windows XP Professional. The PowerPoint version used is 2003.
You can download a 15 day trial version of Xara X¹ from the Xara website...
- Xara X¹ opens with a new open document already in place.
- Choose Utilities | Galleries | Clipart Gallery
or use the shortcut key (Shift + F10) - this will open the Clipart
Gallery.
- If no clipart is visible within the Gallery,
click the Get Clipart... button to download some clipart from the
Xara website - you'll need to be connected online for this to work.
You'll find several folders within the Clipart Gallery - for this
tutorial, I suggest you open the 'Xara Examples 1' folder. Drag
the 'Red Car' picture into the new document (see screenshot).
- Close the Clipart Gallery. Choose Edit |
Select All (or Ctrl + A) to select all shapes that comprise the
drawing and position it in the middle of the document area. Then
choose File | Export... (or Ctrl + Shift + E). This will open the
Export File dialog box. Choose a name and location for your graphic
- and choose the PNG option in the 'Save as type' dropdown box.
Click the 'Export' button.
- You'll now see the PNG Export Bitmap Options
dialog box. With all other options unaltered, select 'True color
+ Alpha' in the Palette Options tab, from the drop down list for
Color Depth (see screenshot). Xara X¹ will export the drawing
to an alpha channel equipped PNG graphic. Save your document and
exit Xara X¹.
- In PowerPoint, create a new presentation
or open an existing one. On a blank slide, just insert the exported
PNG using the Insert | Picture command - the screenshot below shows
you how the transparent areas reveal themselves.
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