Transpoint

Image editing is no easy task, even though you can use an abundance of different specialized applications with all kinds of related tools. An important aspect is the transparency layer, and you might not want or need to make the whole image transparent. In this regard, you can use Transpoint to customize specific areas, leaving the rest of the picture intact.

Once the download process is finished, you’re free to run the application to see what it’s all about. The visual design is pretty simple, with a classic window style housing all features. A center canvas is where you get to preview and edit the picture with tools selected from the upper toolbar.

At its core, the application aims to let you transform opaque images into transparent ones, but with a catch. This isn’t done by adjusting the overall transparency layer, but rather focusing on color association to guess the background and only make it transparent.

As such, one of the first steps is to use the dedicated tool to select a color from the picture that is used in the most space you want to make transparent. Three threshold levels are at your disposal, and the higher the value, the larger the area covered by transparency.

Once the threshold level is set, Transpoint can initiate the process either leaving the rest of the picture intact, or inverting color. It’s a pity there aren’t more effects to play with. What’s more, there’s no preview of the process, and to make matters worse, neither is there an undo option in case you want to start over, or modify the threshold level.

File support is pretty decent, with the possibility to load images such as BMP, GIF, PNG, JPG, ICO, PNM, PCX, and TIF, but the only output is PNG, since it natively supports transparency. Sadly, you need to rely on the built-in browse dialog to select the picture, because drag and drop is not supported.

Bottom line is that transparency is a key element in proper image editing, and not all file formats support it. Luckily, Transpoint gives you the possibility to set selective transparency to pictures, making it easier to cut out certain elements later on. Sadly, the automated process leaves more to be desired, with no correction or manual options to specify target areas with more accuracy.