PNG with transparent background shows white background in Finder

[tepperleen]

I hope I can explain this clearly.  I'm making a bunch of .pngs in PhotoShop.  Originally I was using File save for web, but the image size was exploding.  So now I'm just using file save as png and I'm getting exactly what I want.  Great. The pngs have a transparent background.  I'm sure of it.  But as you can see, in my Finder window, the images on the right (the ones I made using file save as png) look like they have a white background even though they don't show that way when pasted in anywhere, and the images in the center and to the left (the ones I made using using File save for web) show no background.  Can someone explain this to me?  And is there anything I can do to fix it?  First post here, and I'm not a graphics genius, so be kind.  Thank you. 

[gener7]

I'm not seeing this with pngs generated by "Save As" in Photoshop CC 2018-19.1.5.

What version are you using?

If Save As Png is not doing the job properly, I would recommend the free SuperPng which when installed, will bbe an option in Save As.

SuperPNG

[Chuck Uebele]

Looks like the OP is using CS6, Gene.

[gener7]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Chuck+Uebele  wrote

Looks like the OP is using CS6, Gene.

Yep. First screenshot.Well perhaps superpng might clear it up.

[tepperleen]

Yes CS6.  Thanks for the response.  I guess I'll try it. 

It's odd because we have CS6 at work as well, and we did pretty much the same thing there, and when I look at them on my Mac at home those are fine.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong. 

[Omar.Fathy]

The file saved by Save As command is larger in size and you GPU may have a problem previewing these files in finder.

But when save it by Save for web it is a smaller file size and no problem for GPU to preview it in Finder.

[tepperleen]

It's actually the opposite.  The files created with save for web look right in the Finder, the files created with save as look like they have a white background, even though they don't. 

[gener7]

Then I can suggest a Preferences reset (Hold down Cmd-Opt-Shift while starting and delete the settings file) and be sure CS6 is updated to 13.0.6. If you have an version of MacOS later than 10.9, CS6 is not guaranteed to work properly, especially on Sierra and High Sierra.

[Jeff Arola]

What version of macvOS are you using?

Odd i never noticed that before, but i just tried with photoshop cs6 13.0.6 on Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

and got the same result as you, that is the transparent png saved by using File>Save As>PNG shows a white background in finder.

Earlier when i saw your post i was using a mac book pro with High Sierra and did the same with photoshop CC 2018

and the saved png showed transparency in finder.

I'll experiment with cs6 on that mac and also with a few others that have different mac os systems and see what the results are.

[tepperleen]

Interesting, so I'm not crazy perhaps.  I have the same OS (El Capitan 10.11.6). 

Let me ask you this.  I'm really a novice.  I don't mind using save for web, but when I save my 2x5 image at 300 dpi, when I open the PNG it is now 8 by 20.  I want my image to be 2x5 at 300 dpi, but I can't get it that size unless I do save as. 

Or maybe I just shouldn't worry that the image is showing with a white background in finder since it's transparent everywhere else. 

Thanks so much for your time.  I really appreciate it. Probably off to bed soon, but I'll check back in the am. 

[Jeff Arola]

Well i went all the way back to mac os x 10.6.8 Snow Leopard with cs6 and the png result is the same, that is png with transparency  using Save>As>PNG still has the white background in Cover Flow.

All the photoshop versions i tested going back to photoshop 6 on the mac side saved the pngs the same way and got the same results in Cover Flow, that is showing a white background when the png is indeed transparent.

Photoshop versions after photoshop cs6 starting with photoshop cc (version 14) save the pngs so the transparency does show in Cover Flow, so obviously adobe changed something in the png code, but thus far my searches for an conformation of that have turned up nothing.

I also tried the Super PNG plugin and unfortunately that didn't make any difference.

As far as what method to save the png as, i guess if for some reason you really need the 300 then save as is the choice

and just ignore the white background since you know the pngs are transparent.

[tepperleen]

Okay Jeff.   Thanks so much!!  I really appreciate it. 

[Jeff Arola · Accepted solution]

Perhaps your using windows at work?

Anyway, i tried a png with transparency saved from photoshop cs2 using File>Save As>PNG on windows xp (a virtual machine since i don't have access to a real windows box right now) and the png shows transparency in Cover Flow on a mac.

[gener7]

I vaguely recall Chris Cox talking about the old "resource fork" way of rendering thumbnails being changed after CS6.

[tepperleen]

Yes, Jeff, at work we use windows, and the png shows fine on my mac.  So I guess you are able to recreate the same thing. 

And good to know it's called cover flow.  I never heard that.

Thanks again for your time. 

[Zach33298560oyr0]

Well that answer  was fcking useless.