Skin question - How to get transparency?

When I edit the png files of a certain skin, and save the new png (with one transparent color), there's always some sort of dark shadow in the background. I'm using Hypersnap to paint and edit the images.

How do you professional skinners get a transparent image?

In the screenshot below I set the background color of the system monitor to 'transparent' and replaced the png file...

(Btw, also notice how system monitor draws *outside* its canvas on the right, I always have ghost pixels there... Edit: ok, this was easily fixed in the ini file)

I see you take numbers from other skin? That numbers have shadows so you get them too

PNG transparency is different from GIF transparency. You can't just set a color as transparent in a PNG like you can with a GIF. To achieve the effect you want in a PNG, you have to actually erase the background pixels. Most programs use a checkerboard or cross-hatch pattern to indicate these "null" pixels. I've never used Hypersnap, so I can't give you specifics, but there are several ways to do this with Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop. Do you have one of those?

Alternately, if you can't figure out how to do it in Hypersnap, and don't have PSP or Photoshop, you can email me your background PNG file and I'll convert it for you.

Ok, thanks for the explanation so far!

Yuri, what numbers are you referring to? The system monitor is the line graph in the middle

I'm wondering what's happening now then. The program allows me to mark one color as transparent, and save it to transparent png. And in fact, if I paint the background magenta and mark that color as transparent, only that gray shade appears....

I bet png transparency is a bit more advanced, and I'm actually defining some kind of [ringing terms]alpha-blend subpixel transparency mask[/ringing terms]?

Let me see if I can find a nice editor for PNG files myself before I come to you for help each time :p However, thanks a lot for the offer!