- 1). Download and install GIMP from its website. GIMP is a free image editor that is capable of handling multiple layers and alpha channel transparency.
- 2). Open or create the image you wish to modify with the GIMP software.
- 3). Click the "Layer" menu and select "Transparency." If the "Add Alpha Channel" option is grayed out, then the image already has an alpha channel on the selected layer. If the option is not grayed out, click it. If your image has multiple layers, repeat this step with each layer.
- 4). Select the portion of the image you wish to make transparent. You can use the selection tools from the "Toolbox" menu to isolate the correct portion. If you wish to make just the background of the image transparent, the "Fuzzy Select Tool" is very helpful in isolating and protecting the foreground.
- 5). Click "Edit" and choose "Clear" from the menu. This should delete the selected area, leaving a transparency behind. A grid of gray squares represents a complete transparency; if you load a file with gray squares on a web page, the page's background will appear behind the image instead of the gray squares.
- 6). Click "File" and choose "Save As." Make sure your file ends in ".PNG" to correctly save it as a PNG file.