What is the PNG alpha channel?
Alongside the red, green, and blue colour channels, PNG adds an alpha channel that records how opaque each pixel is — from 0 (fully transparent) to 255 (fully solid). Those 256 levels let PNG render soft, anti-aliased edges and drop shadows that blend smoothly onto any background.
How do you make a PNG transparent?
The simplest way is to remove a solid background colour. Our make-transparent tool turns a chosen colour into transparency and exports a PNG, entirely in your browser. It works best on graphics and logos with an even background colour.
Why does my transparency turn black or white?
Transparency is lost whenever an image is flattened onto a background. The most common cause is converting to a format without an alpha channel — for example, converting PNG to JPG fills transparent areas with white because JPG can't store transparency. To keep it, stay with PNG or convert to WebP.
Which image formats support transparency?
PNG and WebP support full, smooth transparency; GIF supports only on/off (binary) transparency; SVG supports it natively as a vector. JPG does not support transparency at all. If you're choosing a format, see what is a PNG.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I make a PNG transparent?
- Use a tool that removes a background colour and exports a PNG. Our make-transparent tool does this in your browser by turning a chosen colour into transparency.
- Does JPG support transparency?
- No. JPG has no alpha channel, so saving a transparent image as JPG fills the transparent areas with a solid colour, usually white.
- Why did my PNG transparency turn black or white?
- That happens when a transparent image is flattened onto a background — most often when converting to a format without transparency, like JPG.
- What is an alpha channel?
- It is an extra channel alongside red, green, and blue that stores how opaque each pixel is, from fully transparent to fully solid.