PPT: CompuServe GIF89a Doesn't Import Transparent Background

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.