# PhotoPainter transparency export, Flash masking dillema **URL:** \ **Category:** design\ **Created:** [March 25, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299 "2006-03-25T17:14:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Absent](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Absent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/1 "2006-03-25T17:14:27Z")
I just exported a transparent gif file from Corel PhotoPainter, imported the image to flash and applied it as a mask. The problem: the image won’t mask using its shape, instead the mask just uses a square in roughly the same size as the image. I’m stuck, I need help. ---
**Author:** ![Bokke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Bokke](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Bokke)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/2 "2006-03-25T18:52:16Z")
> [@Absent](#): > > I just exported a transparent gif file from Corel PhotoPainter, imported the image to flash and applied it as a mask. > > The problem: the image won’t mask using its shape, instead the mask just uses a square in roughly the same size as the image. > > I’m stuck, I need help. Did not understand your story that good but: If you have Flash 8 you can us the bitmapData class to make alphamasks. In older flash versions you will always see those boxxes… What you could do is make a mask thats as big as your gif. Then in a layer on top of that you place jour gif. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Absent](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Absent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/3 "2006-03-25T19:15:47Z")
I guess I might have been a little stingy with my words. What I meant by transparent gif was that the the background is the part which is trasparent. I was planning on using the gif’s outline in my flash animation but Flash keeps turning it into a square. ---
**Author:** ![Bokke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Bokke](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Bokke)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/4 "2006-03-25T19:30:06Z")
try exporting to an PNG 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Absent](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Absent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/5 "2006-03-25T21:57:33Z")
That was a good idea, I should have thought of that. Unfortunately it didn’t work. It turns out PhotoPainter can only export images with transparent background on a gif file. I’m starting to think PhotoPainter and Flash weren’t built for each other. ---
**Author:** ![fasterthanlight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@fasterthanlight](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/fasterthanlight)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/6 "2006-03-25T22:10:56Z")
why do you think all the cool people use _good_ programs like photoshop or fireworks ---
**Author:** ![Absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Absent](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Absent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/7 "2006-03-25T22:16:44Z")
It turns out that flash can only mask using the dimensions of the object meaning a raster file (whose dimensions are basically that of the stage used and a stage is always a square or rectangle) will not mask using the outline of the drawing even if the background is set to transparent. I figured this out when I used other programs to export my files and thought you guys might wanna know. In any case I think I must make a vector illustration of the shape I want to use as a mask… which is pretty tough. ---
**Author:** ![fasterthanlight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@fasterthanlight](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/fasterthanlight)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/8 "2006-03-25T22:18:09Z")
or you could just do the entire image mask and all in whatever program you use and export that as a regular jpg and use that in your flash, no masks required… ---
**Author:** ![B\_L\_U\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@B\_L\_U\_E](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/B_L_U_E)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/9 "2006-03-25T22:19:48Z")
I’ve also encountered this problem. What I do is: take you mask image and put a solid color overlay on it, then export as PNG, and import that into flash. The apply a Trace Bitmap with settings 10, 1, pixels, many corners, and use that as a mask. ---
**Author:** ![fasterthanlight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@fasterthanlight](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/fasterthanlight)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/10 "2006-03-25T22:20:28Z")
but he cant export pngs with the program he uses ---
**Author:** ![Absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Absent](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Absent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/11 "2006-03-25T22:21:42Z")
I wanted to animate the image to be masked on so… :sigh: ---
**Author:** ![B\_L\_U\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@B\_L\_U\_E](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/B_L_U_E)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/12 "2006-03-25T22:22:20Z")
> [@fasterthanlight™](#): > > but he cant export pngs with the program he uses Oh, well it should work with GIF or any format that uses transparencies. ---
**Author:** ![Absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Absent](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Absent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/13 "2006-03-25T22:31:08Z")
BlueNar it bloody worked!:beam:!!! Thanks mates!!!:party: It turned out Bitmap Tracing works on gif as well! ---
**Author:** ![B\_L\_U\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@B\_L\_U\_E](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/B_L_U_E)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/photopainter-transparency-export-flash-masking-dillema/183299/14 "2006-03-25T22:42:58Z")
> [@Absent](#): > > BlueNar it bloody worked!:beam:!!! Thanks mates!!!:party: > > It turned out Bitmap Tracing works on gif as well! No prob 🙂 The trace is quite useful but I only use it for solid color shapes. Anything else kills my computer when I run it.