How to save a PNG with a transparent background

For PhotoCraft 0.10.0. Keep the original file and check layers, fonts and the saved or exported result before relying on a complex PSD.

Export as PNG, with the background layer hidden or deleted — and never as JPG. JPG has no alpha channel, so a “transparent JPG” always comes out with a filled background. This guide is for the 0.10.0 build on this site.

What does the checkerboard mean?

The grey checkerboard is the standard sign of transparency: those pixels have no color. If the checkerboard shows where you expected a background, the background is genuinely gone (or hidden) and an exported PNG will keep that area empty.

If you see a solid color instead, the background is still there — usually a locked Background layer at the bottom of the Layers panel. One caution in the other direction: not every viewer draws a checkerboard for transparency, and some fill it with white. An absence of checkerboard in a photo viewer does not prove your PNG lost its alpha — verify the exported file as described at the end of this guide.

How do I hide the background before exporting?

First check what kind of image you have — the two cases are different:

Case A: the background is its own layer. If the Layers panel shows the background as a separate layer (typical for PSD files), click its visibility toggle to hide it, or delete it. If the layer is locked, unlock or rasterize it first. The subject stays visible because it lives on other layers.

Case B: the photo is a single flat layer. If your image is one photo layer that contains both the subject and the background, hiding that layer hides the whole image — the export comes out fully transparent with no subject at all. Do not hide the only layer. Instead, keep the layer visible and remove the background with selections or the eraser: select the subject (or the background), invert the selection if needed, and erase or delete the background pixels on that layer.

PhotoCraft has no one-click AI background removal in this build — the selection tools are the way in both cases. See working with layers for visibility and ordering.

Why does my PNG turn white?

Three common causes:

1. The file was exported as JPG — JPG cannot store transparency; white (or another color) is filled in. Export as PNG instead.
2. The background layer was visible during export — hiding it is what creates the alpha area.
3. A viewer filled the transparency — some image viewers and social platforms composite PNGs onto white. Open the exported file in a browser or an editor that shows the checkerboard to confirm the alpha survived.

How do I export and verify?

1. With the background hidden (Case A) or erased (Case B), choose File → Export and pick PNG.
2. Verify the alpha channel, not just the preview: open the exported PNG in an editor that reports transparency, or place it over a colored background in an HTML page. If the area behind the subject shows the colored background through it, the alpha survived. A plain image viewer that fills transparency with white (or the canvas checkerboard alone) is not reliable proof on its own — some viewers never show a checkerboard.

The export flow itself is covered in save and export. If you plan to keep editing later, save a PSD copy first — hidden layers survive in PSD documents too.