Is "Desktop alpha" possible?

POLARIS FOOTER
A specific win32 question: is it possible to create an ‘antialised’ effect on a shaped window? The CS generation of Adobe uses transparent png’s in their loading-window, where the desktop or underlying apps ‘shine’ trough.

Can wxPython manage this?

Cheers. Koen.

POLARIS FOOTERA specific win32 question: is it possible to create an
'antialised' effect on a shaped window? The CS generation of Adobe uses
transparent png's in their loading-window, where the desktop or underlying
apps 'shine' trough.

are you 100% sure? :slight_smile: I think they do a little trick like copying a rectangle portion of your screen and overlaying they graphics over that copied bitmap.... there might not be a "live" AA shaped window transparency :wink: only clever tricks :wink:

Can wxPython manage this?

this kind of tricks wxPython can manage :wink:

Cheers. Koen.

Peter.

···

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 23:03:32 +0300, :. POLARIS Creative Backline _ Koen Betsens <koen@polarisnation.com> wrote:

:. POLARIS Creative Backline _ Koen Betsens wrote:

A specific win32 question: is it possible to create an 'antialised' effect on a shaped window? The CS generation of Adobe uses transparent png's in their loading-window, where the desktop or underlying apps 'shine' trough.
Can wxPython manage this?

Not currently. A different set of APIs are needed to make a window have alpha transparency, and those APIs are only available on XP and beyond, so the shaped frames are still using the older APIs.

But the trick Peter mentioned would certainly be possible.

···

--
Robin Dunn
Software Craftsman
http://wxPython.org Java give you jitters? Relax with wxPython!

Can wxPython manage this?

Not currently. A different set of APIs are needed to make a window have
alpha transparency, and those APIs are only available on XP and beyond,
so the shaped frames are still using the older APIs.

But the trick Peter mentioned would certainly be possible.

Look at this: www.creativebackline.com/software/adobe-shot.jpg . The
Photoshop-loader is even more spectacular, since they use a png with a
'hole' in it (no screenshot available).

It's not related to winXP, i tested this on win2K and NT.

are you 100% sure? :slight_smile: I think they do a little trick like copying a
rectangle portion of your screen and overlaying they graphics over that
copied bitmap.... there might not be a "live" AA shaped window
transparency :wink: only clever tricks :wink:

So the way to work is actually just taking a screenshot? How sly...
... and how painfull, if there ain't any quick tricks in wxPython to manage
this... any tips?

···

-----Original Message-----

:. POLARIS Creative Backline _ Koen Betsens wrote:

···

-----Original Message-----

Can wxPython manage this?

Not currently. A different set of APIs are needed to make a window have
alpha transparency, and those APIs are only available on XP and beyond,
so the shaped frames are still using the older APIs.

But the trick Peter mentioned would certainly be possible.

Look at this: www.creativebackline.com/software/adobe-shot.jpg . The
Photoshop-loader is even more spectacular, since they use a png with a
'hole' in it (no screenshot available).

It's not related to winXP, i tested this on win2K and NT.

are you 100% sure? :slight_smile: I think they do a little trick like copying a
rectangle portion of your screen and overlaying they graphics over that
copied bitmap.... there might not be a "live" AA shaped window
transparency :wink: only clever tricks :wink:

So the way to work is actually just taking a screenshot? How sly...
... and how painfull, if there ain't any quick tricks in wxPython to manage
this... any tips?

Use a wx.ScreenDC and draw the bitmap with a mask or alpha onto that DC.

--
Robin Dunn
Software Craftsman
http://wxPython.org Java give you jitters? Relax with wxPython!

Look at this: www.creativebackline.com/software/adobe-shot.jpg . The
Photoshop-loader is even more spectacular, since they use a png with a
'hole' in it (no screenshot available).

Use a wx.ScreenDC and draw the bitmap with a mask or alpha onto that DC.

Tried this a couple of days ago, and works perferct, cheers!

I use the ScreeDC to create a smooth Splash-screen.
As long as you use a bitmap smaller then your app-size, it gets cleared
automaticly (app comes over the ScreenDC bitmap). But... if your Screen DC
bitmap is bigger than your app, the image keeps it visiblity, and I don't
find a way to clear or refresh it... (and I really tried everything the
toolkit offers).

:. POLARIS Creative Backline _ Koen Betsens wrote:

Look at this: www.creativebackline.com/software/adobe-shot.jpg . The
Photoshop-loader is even more spectacular, since they use a png with a
'hole' in it (no screenshot available).

Use a wx.ScreenDC and draw the bitmap with a mask or alpha onto that DC.

Tried this a couple of days ago, and works perferct, cheers!

I use the ScreeDC to create a smooth Splash-screen.
As long as you use a bitmap smaller then your app-size, it gets cleared
automaticly (app comes over the ScreenDC bitmap). But... if your Screen DC
bitmap is bigger than your app, the image keeps it visiblity, and I don't
find a way to clear or refresh it... (and I really tried everything the
toolkit offers).

Take a copy of the screen dc before you draw your bitmap onto it, and then you can redraw it when you are done, with the clipping region set to exclude the area occupied by your app window.

···

--
Robin Dunn
Software Craftsman
http://wxPython.org Java give you jitters? Relax with wxPython!