Expert: LizaL - 5/7/2006

Question
my partner and I have been testing a slide show software package (PHOTODEX ProShowProducer). The show enables us to layer multiple slides in a single frame. It shows that you can use a border (not attached to the photos themselves) for each frame. To do this, we just have to keep the border frame as the very top layer over the slide(s) we want to have the border around...but the border image must be a transparency. We can't figure out how to create a border image that is a transparency. How do we do this. we have Photoshop CS 8.0 and CorelDraw9. Thank you so much for your help. We have a Dell8400 dimension with WindowsXP. The more detailed your reply the better as we're on a steep learning curve!


Answer
Hi Susi,

I'm not familiar with Photodex, so I can't be absolutely sure what I tell you will work for that specific program. But more on that in a second.

One question I have is, are you creating slide shows for standalone use, or will you be publishing them on the Web? I ask because the Web is very specific about what can be displayed as transparent, and opaque. For instance, photographs, as I'm sure know, are best saved as JPEG images for the Web, and flat expanses of color (like backgrounds and text) should be saved as GIF files.

But if you're simply creating slide shows for use on your computer, or burning them to CD, it sounds to me like you just need to know how to make a layer transparent, or at least reduce its opacity.

I'm going to assume the latter here and with this link, show you how you can change a layer's opacity.

http://little-works.com/all_experts/layer_opacity.mov

What I did here was create a border, and I actually put it on the top layer, since you said your border had to go on the top. To lower the border layer's opacity, all I did was single-click on the name of the layer (in this case, 'border') to activate it. To change its opacity, I moved the slider in the upper right of the Layers palette.

This procedure  holds true for all layers in Photoshop, and changing their opacity. By the way, the Background layer in a new Photoshop document is always called 'Background' and is locked. To unlock it, just double-click on the layer name in the Layers palette. Now you can move it around in the palette, and adjust it, like any other layer.

Now, if this isn't what you're trying to do, what I'd like you to do is send me a link to where I can look at the manual for Photodex. I'd be happy to take a look and see what you need to do. My business email address is lizal@little-works.com

Hope this helps!

Lisa