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Question - IDE How to remove background color on sprite import

I probably overlooked it but I can't find it anywhere in the manual or on the forum:

How to import a sprite in GMS:2 while removing the background color?
There's no checkbox for it, like in GMS.
 

Jobo

Member
GMC Elder
Import the sprite, open the image editor and use the Magic Wand tool to select the background color and press the Delete key.
 
Thanks, I understand, but that's only a workaround.

That means that for every sprite (300+) AND every subimage (sometimes more than 10) I have to manually delete the backgrounds?! That's insane.

Are you sure this feature from GMS was not implemented? And why on earth was it left out?
 

Jobo

Member
GMC Elder
Well... Why did you put a background under them in the first place? :rolleyes: You can file a suggestion to have it added, then it will be considered.
 

Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
You can also use the colour replacer. Select a colour to replace with - black, 0 alpha, then select the replace tool and select ALL frames. Then pick the colour while holding ALT. It will apply this change to every frame (and also force in the new ALPHA)

We do have a colour delete tool coming, but no plans currently for a different import system where you have a dialog asking about colour removal.
 
I'm quite sure this is how all sprites were saved before there were image formats that could save transparency data. And since this was never an issue in GMS all my sprites were created this way.
I'll file a suggestion. I just can't understand why such a simple feature was suddenly dropped from the program.

EDIT:
@Mike Allright, thanks for the extra info. I guess that's the new way to go for now.
 
D

Dani

Guest
@Jobo @Mike This is a very useful feature that was present in GMS 1.x and has been removed from GMS 2 for no reason. Most pixel artists don't work using GMS2 image editor and usually will provide assets with solid background, i.e, no alpha background. This feature should be added back into GMS 2, as I explained and requested time ago here: Import From Strip and Removing Background. Removing this feature was an error.
 

Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
Well, there was a reason. Whenever you add a sprite from disk - either dropping it on the IDE or loading via the file requester, I didn't want to have a dialog pop up to ask about whether you happened to want a colour removed. This I believe isn't the norm. Alpha is now prevalent through 2D, both in basic transparency (on/off pixels) and to allow smooth anti-aliasing of sprite edges. Because of this, it means removing a colour is very much "the old way" of doing things, and as such for an IDE that's looking forward, not something I wanted as the default way of doing things.

I don't mind having extra tools in the image editor to allow you to do this, but I certainly don't want the default import to have it. For importing of animations, (which already has a dialog) we will look to add it into there it won't hurt or interfere with the process.

You may not agree with these choices, but these are the decisions we've made.
 

gnysek

Member
and has been removed from GMS 2 for no reason
It was just not added :)

As far as there should be option to remove background later from editor, that message box on import is a bad idea, as since GMS2 supports PNG with transparency, this kind of message box would be annoying for most of people.
 
D

Dani

Guest
@Mike

For importing of animations, (which already has a dialog) we will look to add it into there it won't hurt or interfere with the process.
And many of us will be very grateful for that.

Thanks.
 
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