# PNG help, por favor

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 22, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221 "2002-11-22T20:19:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![glarGH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/76d3ee/32.png) [@glarGH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glarGH)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221/1 "2002-11-22T20:19:38Z")

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Hii! I am hoping that some nice person can tell me about portable network graphics and their lovely alpha channel which makes lovely transparent dropshadows. Or would, if i could get my browser to display it with out the ugly gray.

So my questions are as follows:

1. How would I get a PNG file to show up, in IE 6, with out the gray box (I’m guessing the area where it would be completely transparent) showing up?

2. How would I make a transparent PNG with aforementioned drop shadow? Is it hard? Would I need any special tools?

Moo!

g

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**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221/2 "2002-11-22T21:03:30Z")

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You may find the answers here:  
[http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/](http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/)

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**Author:** ![glarGH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/76d3ee/32.png) [@glarGH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glarGH)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221/3 "2002-11-22T23:00:42Z")

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Ok back again!

Made the Png, made a cute one with the drop shadow, etc. It should work… except…

My dumbness is staggering.

I can’t get it to be transparent where its supposed to be transparent. It shows up gray.

_skritchies head_

now what?

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**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221/4 "2002-11-23T01:25:24Z")

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You might try viewing your PNG in something other than MSIE - it’s quite possible that it’s the browser’s rendering that’s crap, rather than your composition.

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**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/png-help-por-favor/138221/5 "2002-11-23T02:12:16Z")

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Yes, IE isn’t very good with advanced PNGs or MNGs. Try Mozilla.