HOW TO SAVE A
TRANSPARENT WEB IMAGE
ON A CUSTOM BACKGROUND

There are times when you might want to use the logo or wordmark against a background color other than white or black. The step-by-step instructions below are written for Fireworks™ on the Mac platform. If you're using a PC and not a Mac, the steps should be almost exactly the same. If you notice any important differences between the Mac and PC for this process, please let us know. If you don't have a personal copy of the software, it's available at an ITC computer lab somewhere near you.

1. Go to the EPS graphics page. EPS files are vector graphics which can be reformatted without losing quality. Find the logo that you want and download it to your computer—use "control-click" (Mac) or "right-click" (PC).

2. Open Fireworks. Under FILE, choose OPEN. Browse to the graphic file you just downloaded. Make sure "Remember layers" is on. For web graphics, set the resolution to 72. For PowerPoint™ images, set the resolution to 300.

3. Under FILE, choose SELECT ALL. With everything selected, under MODIFY, choose UNGROUP. Repeat the UNGROUP step 3 times to make sure all the elements of the graphic are selected.

4. With everything still selected, under WINDOW, choose SWATCHES. Select either white, black, or gold (#FFE100) depending on your design. (Note: This step is necessary even if you want to use black for the color of the logo or wordmark. Due to some translation issues, the EPS file does not come into Fireworks as true black—it's off by a few shades.)

5. Under FILE, choose EXPORT PREVIEW. Make sure that "Index Transparency" is selected. Set the matte color (not the canvas color) to match the background of your page. You can either use the color picker or type in the color number. This selection will add pixels of your background color around each of the letters. The letters won't look crisp, but don't worry. These will disappear when you insert the image into your document.

6. Export the image as a GIF and insert it into your document. If you need further assistance, we'd be happy to help.

Questions? Contact Josh Kaine, joshua-kaine@uiowa.edu.