nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

transparent PNG file turning out white or black in ArcMap

JoshuaChan

I received a PNG file for a logo that I want to put on my map. The logo has a transparent background. Great. That's what I want.
But when added to ArcMap 10.1 the background turns white. I tried converting the PNG to an EMF after reading a bunch of forum posts. I used Irfanview to convert it. But now when I add the newly converted EMF file it has a black background.

Anyone know how to fix this???

Find more posts tagged with

Accepted answers

All comments

JimCousins

Under the symbology select "Display Background Value" box and enter the RGB value for the color you want transparent. Leave the background color fill as none.
Regards,
Jim

JoshuaChan

Sorry I don't understand.

I'm importing a PNG or a JPG or an EMF file for a company logo.
When you right click on any one of those file types in ArcMap there is no "symbology select" that I can find. Can you provide more details?

Under the symbology select "Display Background Value" box and enter the RGB value for the color you want transparent. Leave the background color fill as none.
Regards,
Jim

JohnSobetzer

Windows, and hence ArcMap has limits to producing clear raster backgrounds. You might see if you can vectorize the logo. Adobe Illustrator probably can do it but if you don't have it there is the free Inkscape. I was able to do it with one logo but there is a learning curve with it. I think I even once used Arcscan to turn a logo into a shapefile and used that as a quick and dirty workaround.

JimCousins

Apologies, you are adding a picture element to a layout.
How about adding a new dataframe, add the picture to the dataframe as a raster layer, then set the background to transparent. You can also set the dataframe frame to no color, so visually the logo is free floating, as you can move the dataframe and hence the logo where ever you want to on the layout.
Jim

JoshuaChan

thanks John & Jim for the suggestions. I'll give them a try

Apologies, you are adding a picture element to a layout.
How about adding a new dataframe, add the picture to the dataframe as a raster layer, then set the background to transparent. You can also set the dataframe frame to no color, so visually the logo is free floating, as you can move the dataframe and hence the logo where ever you want to on the layout.
Jim

GregoryElwood1

Jim, do you know a trick for getting a .png file that has multiple transparencies in to an ArcMap document? (i.e. solid black text over a 50% transparent color oval on a 100% transparent background?)

Thanks!

Gregory

JimCousins

That is more difficult. You can not set different transparencies on a single object. Construct it in ArcMap - make the oval and set it to 50% transp, and then put your text overtop of that.
Regards,
Jim

JacobTully

A workaround I discovered was to open the .png in Inkscape (free and open source), then copy the object from inkscape and paste directly into the layout mode in arcmap. Once it's in an .mxd you can copy straight from .mxd to .mxd and preserve the transparencies. The resolution looks degraded in layout mode for some reason but once exported to .pdf looks just fine.

LarryKung

The LOGO in either a PNG or GIF file looks fine on the screen but when I print or export (even in the Print Preview) it shows the white background. I'm using ArcMap 10.0 SP2

AustinJohnson

Just to add, the suggestion of adding the transparent .PNG file as a raster layer in a new data frame worked for me. The transparency is preserved.

deleted-user-dbQhBq-o3nyM

I found a work around the other day by accident. If you have a PNG and you want the background to be transparent - first you'll need to be in layout view - 1)create a point shapefile, 2)place the point where you would like your logo to be on the map, 3)Edit the symbology to be a Picture Marker Symbol 4)Change the size to something very large

By doing it this way, it preserves the transparency layer. It's a simple work around, and doesn't require a person to use another program to export a different file type.

Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you have questions in the process.

deleted-user-dbQhBq-o3nyM

Actually, the same works without creating a shapefile. Just add a point drawing to the map layout and change it to a picture marker symbol. It is the same, but you don't have to edit a layer if you want to resize or move it. Much more simple.

Anonymous User

Thought this was going to be great because it looks good in ArcMap. But upon export to PDF I get a mess. See screen shots. Any ideas on how to fix that? I'm going to try a different workaround listed here too... thanks.

logo ok in ArcMap.jpg

BobPerham

Put the image in a Word Doc. With it highlighted in word, Ctrl+C. Then activate ArcMap and Ctrl+V. You're basically Copy/Paste-ing it into the ArcMap layout. Stupidly simple, but it worked (for me at least).

HeathMaconachie1

I don't know how you found this out or why this works, but it did the trick, cheers Bob

SaraPluta

This is ridiculously simple, and I don't know why it works, but Thank You!!!

JeannatteRosser

When you import an image directly to the map, there is no symbology options for it. That’s only for items in the legend or symbology tab for legends. That we know. It’s independent graphic images directly onto the map that this happens to.

Join the Conversation

Signed in members can post, follow updates, and more. New here? Register a free account.

Quick Links

Community Help
Find useful guides, FAQs, and documents to help you navigate and make the most of Esri Community.