Allow inserted pictures to display background transparency.

on Apr 20, 2010

Comment • 18

Implemented

Score1980

+190 more

I use many company logos for my various clients and to avoid having a white block-out on inserted logos it would be great to be able to use the image transparency without having to take it into Photoshop to insert my company or client logo or to change the color of the background to match my layout. Even when inserting a transparent PNG it still comes in with a white block-out.

18 Comments

blanem Apr 20, 2010 3:07 PM
There's nothing quite like making an great looking map only to have a big blocky white box of a company logo sitting on top of everything. I run into this problem all the time. The ability to insert a picture with a transparent background would be much appreciated.
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Scole Apr 30, 2010 2:12 PM
Agreed.

The ability to do this is directly tied to ESRI's effort to re-write the GDI interface for ArcGIS. They started this 3-4 years ago and any mention of it has completely fallen off the radar. I've submitted the GDI re-write as an idea on here as well.
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fernbird22 Jun 9, 2010 9:59 PM
Yep be good if picture types you can load to style manager also included png files as this is the only format I've found to make the background transparent.
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rkubi266 Dec 6, 2010 4:45 PM
Not only that, but for overlaying images and tracing as well. I often need to trace project plans submitted by companies that use older technology, then digitize them into features.
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PYadav-esristaff Aug 12, 2011 2:51 PM
This idea is under consideration but we are unable to predict when we will be able to implement this idea. For now you may consider, these two workarounds:
1. Logos are usually designed in a vector illustration package such as Adobe Illustrator, and then exported to a pixel-based format. However, exporting the logo as EMF will maintain the vectors and allow resizing in ArcMap without loss of quality. It will display correctly in ArcMap when printed and exported since there is no background to a vector drawing. This KB Articlemight be helpful.
2. If you have PNG picture, consider using the Add data button. PNG inserted as a Raster layer can support transparency and could offer a workaround for some scenarios.
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lshaw Dec 5, 2011 9:31 AM
Add my vote for this idea. I am currently importing my map as a PDF into Adobe Illustrator so that I can place dozens of images with transparent background. Not an ideal situation. And the logo thing as well.
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lshaw Jan 17, 2012 6:27 AM
I have started embedding Excel charts as images into my maps and run into this issue all the time. I am also doing the Adobe Illustrator workaround. It would be preferable to do it right from ArcMap. It would also be helpful to be able to resize and crop inserted images in ArcMap too, similar to the way it is done in the MS Office suite.
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cleotokos Mar 2, 2012 12:35 PM
Please, please, please implement this. I can't convince my employer to purchase Illustrator for me just so I can occasionally export .emf files. It's past due.
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Federicovdb Jan 31, 2013 7:37 AM
I tried with Illustrator and it doesn't work!
Please implement this!
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dmortenson Jun 13, 2013 1:06 PM

This has been an issue for FAR TOO MANY YEARS!!!! We want to make beautiful maps. Hard to do with this clunky limitation.
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dmortenson Jun 13, 2013 1:15 PM
Adding a new data frame, then adding the png as data seemed to work ok. Still not a fix.
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dmortenson Jun 13, 2013 2:38 PM
Tried the new data frame, adding the png as data. But when you export the map to pdf, it still makes a white box. Looks good while in ArcMap. Just can't make it work on the export.
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mtrust Jun 27, 2013 9:03 AM
Hard to believe it should take this long to get this fixed. With all the great cartographic improvements to ArcMap in recent releases you'd think this would a simple fix......
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MarquezJ Jan 9, 2014 9:40 AM
I too think this would be a great idea as we usually add an attribution logo.png on the lower right corner of the map then export the layout to PDF. One workaround to the glaring white background is to make the background a light shade of grey(gray?) The effect is fairly transparent perhaps because our maps tend to brown and green colors.
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andreaslin Feb 5, 2014 9:53 PM
This may help with your white-block problem:

1. Insert your image/logo into, for example, MS PowerPoint. Using picture format tools, remove the background of your image/logo.
2. Once done, just copy the image/logo and paste it into arcmap layout view. You shouldn't see any white-block on the image/logo anymore.

Good luck
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daviddenham Dec 15, 2014 5:53 AM
This issue is long overdue for a solution. The only way that I have been able to get a transparent background is to export my image to Photoshop and then open the image in Ilustrator and then export the image as a .emf file.
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1_NCS_CNichols_78 Dec 16, 2014 5:40 AM
Yes. Very much needed feature!
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KKramer-esristaff Jun 13, 2018 12:07 PM
This is possible in ArcGIS Pro.

Issue in ArcMap layout:

ArcGIS Pro layout (this is the mxd from above imported into Pro):
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