remove the background from a signature [Edited by moderator. Was :Poor Technical Support Service]

[donnap28608647]

I just spent nearly 3 hours on line and on the chat option seeking very basic tech support to remove the background from a signature in either Photoshop or Illustrator. The suggestion from the last tech??? Look for a Youtube Tutorial. I pity anyone with a more complicated question. 

[Peru Bob]

I'm moving this to the Photoshop forum.

[donnap28608647]

Hello, I appreciate your effort to be helpful.  My post was about the poor technical support versus a question about how to accomplish a task in either Photoshop or Illustrator.  I saw that others had similar experiences and shared mine. I have just completed the Adobe customer satisfaction survey. Is there a way to actually effectively register a complaint about tech support with Adobe?  

[kglad]

for a photohsop question, post in the photoshop forum.  for illustrator, post in the illustrator forum

[donnap28608647]

Thank you for that advice. I am not given to complaining online but three hours was 2.5 hours too long. Is there a complaints section in this forum? I read several from others frustrated with tech support.  

[jane-e]

Hi

Basic instructions are:

• Save in a format that supports transparency: .psd, .gif, or .png. If you save as a .jpeg, the background will return.
• Assuming the background is white, select it and then either delete it or add a layer mask.
• Another option is to Place it into Illustrator and run Image Trace with the option for paths instead of fills, then tweak the paths as necessary.

If this doesn't answer your question, can you post a screen shot of at least part of the signature including the background?

~ Jane

[donnap28608647]

Thank you for your reply.  I had no trouble placing the .png image but neither I, nor the tech could remove the background sufficiently in Illustrator to make it usable, it appeared that bits of the background "clung" to the image of the handwriting. We tried with image trace but were unable to move the "lines" to get a crisp image. I simply did it in Word.  Unfortunately, I deleted the file earlier or I would share the portion of the image that was problematic. I do appreciate your reply.

[jane-e]

Hi Donna,

In Image Trace under "Advanced", I chose Strokes and not Fills so I could modify the paths before adding a stroke. Also notice the "Ignore White" setting that will leave transparency where there was white.

Since you are no longer asking about this, though, and want to voice your valid complaint, do it here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/using-the-community/bd-p/Using-the-Community

I would move this back, except it has so many replies that you might be best off starting a new thread.

~ Jane

[Ussnorway]

the main issue is how clear the two colours are; for example white text on black bacground will be much better to work with than blue text on a green background because its hard to tell them apart

another issue is what you want to do with this after its removed... as pointed out already, saving as Jpeg will simply put the background back in again

[donnap28608647]

Thank you for your reply. It was a black image of a signature on white paper. I did it in Word later. I have created signatures for use across other software in Illustrator in the past, the trouble is it was a few years ago and my skills are very rusty.  

[gener7]

If it's simply black on white, use Layer Effects to remove the white.

This sample is RGB/8 mode. Move the sliders from 100% until you get the transparency, save as .png to preserve transparency. Also as a side note, Adobe chat support is about solving technical issues such as printing or display, not techniques. The user support forums here have experienced users who can can help you there.

[Norman Sanders]

The top image shows the simulated handwriting, a patch of white and at the left a darker tone with the lettering overprinting it. At the bottom, using the Bend If command with a white layer bellow the image layer, the slider eliminated the tone at the left, and the signature surface which has a texture, becomes pure white and the elegant loop in the letter H and thin lines are maintained.