Hello Y'all!
A couple of months ago I shared a quick Instagram Live of how I create a transparent background for my watercolors, and several people asked for a more detailed video/post, so here it is! More details about what is in the video below!
1. High-Resolution Scan For this example, I am showing you how I created my custom social media icons for my website. I used my HP printer to scan the icons on my computer. On my laptop, I change the scan resolution to at least over 600 dpi and import the file.
2. Open file in Affinity Designer / Prep file Affinity Designer is a beautiful graphic design application, like Photoshop and Illustrator combined. Once you open the file head to the Layer tab, go to New Adjustments and click on Black and White. For a better contrast between the icons and the background, you will want to turn all the colors to the lowest setting. Making the next step easier!
3. Create Transparent Background Make sure you are in Pixel Persona in the upper left-hand corner. Make sure the file is selected and click on the Select tab. Pick the "Select Sample Color..." button. Click on the central background area and hit apply. Then click the delete button on your keyboard and boom! Depending on the paper's texture you may need to delete several different shades in the background. If you have a note or spot that needs to be deleted use the eraser to finalize the cleanup.
4. Prep file for Export. Now that you have the transparent background delete the black and white layer from the file, and you have your art back to the original settings. At this point, you can play with the contrast or any other edits to the art. Once you are satisfied with the graphic, make sure you export it as a PNG to have a transparent background.
I hope you found this and the video helpful! If you are interested in how I make my Pinterest graphics or anything else leave a comment below!
