Hello,
I did a search on watermark and couldn't find a complete answer to my question.
I'm trying to build a custom watermark for ktools.net PhotoStore.
Their instructions are: A watermark file needs to be a 2 layer png file. The background layer needs to be 100% transparent. The foreground layer can be anywhere from 20 to 30% opacity.
I've also read that: Inkscape's background layer is transparent by default.
I've tried exporting as a .png two ways:
1. no layers specified, just a 20% opacity version of my logo with an "in and out" shadow; and
2. said logo on a "foreground" layer with a "background" layer set to 0% opacity.
Both result in a solid white image... not transparent background, no shadow on the logo.
Any suggestions? Is there something I need to select before saving ad a png to preserve what I see in my svg?
Thank you in advance,
Jeff

Inkscape's background layer is transparent by default.

Technically, Inkscape doesn't have a background layer, not like GIMP, for example. The background IS transparent, the background of all Inkscape's layers is transparent by default, but the layers are opaque (unless you change them). When you open the program, you'll get Layer layer 1, which is fully opaque, except it's blank at this point, and consists of nothing but the transparent background. Once you draw something on it, you see that it's opaque.

As for the shadow not showing up -- I'm thinking maybe it IS showing up, except at 20 to 30% opacity, isn't very obvious. Try bumping up the zoom (a lot) and see if it isn't there.

Instead of Save As PNG, go ahead and Save As SVG. Then File menu > Export bitmap. This saves a PNG format of your image (but doesn't display it -- you'll have to either open it or look at it in some kind of viewer to see it).

If that doesn't work, then I'm not sure what's going wrong. If you still can't make it work, you might want to upload attachment to your next message, the SVG file, so we can examine it.

joybox-jeff wrote:a 2 layer png file

You can't create a 2-layer PNG file with Inkscape, since PNG doesn't support layers. (Of course, PNG is extensible, so people are free to define private chunks that specify layers. But Inkscape won't write such non-standard PNG files.)

I believe the save as PNG doesn't respect transparency. Use export as brynn suggested and it should be fine.

-Rob A>

They might be defining special internal layers for the PNG format, or they might just be referring to the fourth channel which contains the transparency info. It sounds as if they want 100% percent transparency in the clear areas and a maximum of 30% percent opacity in the image areas. Although inkscape can export a PNG you might want to do this kind of thing in the GIMP - much easier, and since you are going to have a bitmap anyway ...

Do as Brynn suggests, but two other things to check:
1. Make sure your inkscape background *is* transparent, in Document Properties->Page->Background Color
2. The default png viewer on Windows (MS Paint) doesn't support transparency, so a transparent background looks to be white.