Is there a way to make a specific color transparent?

[arcbound_bruiser]

I'm trying to make a brief animation using a gif that doesn't have a transparent background. It's background is a solid color though. I've tried opening it in Photoshop and using "remove background" on it, but that messes with the image, and when I import the finished product into Animate, the last two frames of the animation display at the same time, even though the resulting gif plays normally when I open it outside Animate, but exporting the mess out of Animate DOES export the erroneous double layer... SO I'm trying to go what I personally think is the simple route. Is there a way that I can simply tell Animate "make anything that is white transparent?" Some kind of transparency mask that just makes it transparent if it's white? 

[kglad]

why don't you assign the background an alpha of zero in animate?

[arcbound_bruiser]

Does that require multiple layers, or can I do something like that directly to the gif?

[kglad]

it doesn't require different layers, but it requires a selectable background.

[arcbound_bruiser]

This one doesn't have a selectable background.

[kglad]

why not?  is it a bitmap?  if so, convert it to a vector using modify>bitmap >trace bitmap.

[arcbound_bruiser]

Just tried that, and it ruins the image, makes it look like it's been painted on with water colors to vaguely resemble what it should be. Maybe I did that wrong, let me fiddle with the settings.

[kglad]

yes, adjust the settings.

[arcbound_bruiser]

I think this might be too far above me. I fiddled with the settings until the bitmap trace result looked good, but I don't know what to do with it after that, and it's still got the problem of playing fine outside of Animate, but after importing the second to last frame of animation doesn't go away and is visible under the last frame. Since each image lasts for 4 frames, and it's 30 fps, it's VERY noticeable. I managed to get Photoshop to remove the background in a fashion decent enough that it's acceptable, and I think I'm just going to export it as a series of images and redo the animation that way. 

[kglad]

ok

[arcbound_bruiser]

I greatly appreciate the attempt to help, I suppose that's mostly on me for trying to do something like this when I barely know how to use the software to begin with. Thank you.

[kglad]

using animate to remove a bitmap background isn't always easy and is not automated (like it is in photoshop).  ie, using photoshop was a good idea.  and if the photoshop removal wasn't perfect and left some background, then importing that into animate, converting to a vector and manually removing the few background pixels should be pretty easy.  or clean up the image in photoshop.

[arcbound_bruiser]

Managed to finish the thing. It's not pixel perfect, but I did do some background pixel elimination in Photoshop after the remove background thing, and it's pretty solid. Turned the thing into a movie clip, then got the whole thing animated, finally managed to get it all working with transparency, and now I've got the hardest part of the thing done for when people raid my twitch channel. Obviously I still have an immense amount to learn, but again, thank you for taking the time to try and help me and being so patient. 

[kglad]

you're welcome. and good luck!!