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        clinton 
           
           
         
          
          Joined: 01 Jul 2010 
          Posts: 2 
          
 
  
         
       
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				 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:51 am    Post subject: Convert black to transparent without losing red gradient | 
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				I've attempted this for 3 days now, having followed several guides and links from google and have had no luck.  Please forgive me for making this my first post and seeking some help here.
 
 
I'd like to remove the black from the attached image without losing any of the red gradient.  Preferably I'd like to make it transparent as it will sit on a (mostly) black background that will still complete the effect.  With the transparency I will be free to alter the background of the image without worrying about a "black box" around the flame area.
 
 
Any help and or advice would be greatly appreciated.  | 
			 
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        hawkeye 
           
           
         
          
          Joined: 14 May 2009 
          Posts: 2377 
          Location: Mesa, Az
  OS: Windows 7 Pro 64 bit 
         
       
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				 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:15 am    Post subject:  | 
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				I didn't spend the time it would take to get it right but it should give you the idea...cut out the yellow with the pen tool copy it to a new layer, then added a gradient to a layer below.  | 
			 
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        clinton 
           
           
         
          
          Joined: 01 Jul 2010 
          Posts: 2 
          
 
  
         
       
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				 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:55 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				Your suggestion put me on the right track.  Here's what I did:
 
 
- Used the pen tool to pull the flame into it's own layer
 
- Threw out everything else
 
- Played with the Gradient tool and created a gradient that would be heavy in the middle but drop quickly near the edges.
 
- Created the gradient
 
- Created a new layer with just black for comparison to the original
 
- I'm happy!
 
 
I've attached screenshots for you to see the results.  Thank you for your time.
 
 
Considering I just started using CS4 on Monday, I think I'm kicking some butt on the learning curve here    | 
			 
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        Patrick 
          Administrator 
           
  
         
          
          Joined: 14 Feb 2003 
          Posts: 11945 
          Location: Harbinger, NC, U.S.A.
 
  
         
       
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				 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:01 pm    Post subject:  | 
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