Microsoft KB Archive/131687

= PPT: CompuServe GIF89a Doesn't Import Transparent Background =

Article ID: 131687

Article Last Modified on 8/16/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft PowerPoint 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 2.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 3.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q131687



SYMPTOMS
When you import a picture in the GIF89a graphics format, with one of its colors set to transparent, the picture imports into PowerPoint 4.0 or 7.0 with the transparent area filled with the original color.



CAUSE
The GIF import filter supports both the GIF87a and GIF89a formats. However, the transparent color option of the GIF89a format is not supported by the filter. The GIF graphic import filter reads the GIF file and converts the image data into generic bitmap data. The generic bitmap data format does not support transparent colors or regions.

NOTE: The GIF import filter is only shipped with PowerPoint 4.0 and later and Microsoft Office 4.2 or later, but if you have it installed, all versions of PowerPoint can use it.



RESOLUTION
If your GIF image is a monochrome image--that is, it only uses black and white as its colors--you can save it as a monochrome Windows Bitmap. PowerPoint imports this image format directly, bypassing the generic bitmap, and maintaining a transparent background. To do this:
 * 1) Open your GIF file in an application such as Microsoft Imager, which allows you to open GIF files and save it in a different graphic format. For example, save the image as a Windows Bitmap (.BMP) or a Publisher Paintbrush (.PCX) file.
 * 2) Open this new .BMP or .PCX file in Windows Paintbrush.
 * 3) Save the file as a Monochrome Bitmap . This choice is in the Save File As Type list in the Paintbrush Save As dialog box (File menu).
 * 4) Start or switch to PowerPoint and import the bitmap created in step 4 above.

If your GIF file is grayscale or uses more than two colors, this may not be an option. Converting grayscale images to monochrome may produce unwanted results, and color images will look even worse when converted to a monochrome color scheme.

Depending on the image, you may be able to convert the GIF file into a vector-based graphic by using a program, such as Corel Trace, Micrografx Designer,or Adobe Superpaint.

Vector-based graphics are simply file formats that contain instructions on how to draw objects and what colors to fill them with. The following are some of the various vector-based formats supported by PowerPoint 4.0:
 * Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM)
 * Windows Metafile (WMF)
 * Macintosh PICT format (PCT)
 * CorelDRAW! version 3.0 (CDR)

Once converted, you can import the new image into PowerPoint and ungroup the picture, converting the picture into a PowerPoint object. The object can be recolored, deleted, or made transparent.



MORE INFORMATION
PowerPoint 97 supports transparency in bitmapped images.

For information about transparent images in Microsoft PowerPoint 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

159014 PPT: Transparent Image Support in PowerPoint 97 and 98

Additional query words: ppt95 2.00e 2.0 2.0e 3.0 4.00a 4.00c 7.0 PowerPoint 95 power point w_powerpt win95

Keywords: kbconversion kbprb kbgraphic KB131687

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