Creating a custom partly semi-transparant Form without border

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VS2010

Refer to my original project to see the background: Creating a NFO Viewer in C# as a beginner[^]

I'm creating a lot of designs for it and lately I wanted to try some applications which are partly semi-transparent. The idea is as the following image shows:
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5402/policetesttransparency.png
In this case I've created 2 forms, 1 100% visible with all controls and an extra form for the semi-transparant part of the image. So the image I want to use, also has to be split in 2 parts before I import it. After importing and loading on right place, I had to create code that will move both forms at same time. I've done this by adding the 'newlocation' for form2 after moving form1 in with the mousemove method.

Problems I have with this one:
Moving isn't precisely at same time, there's some latency, which causes gaps to appear between the two picture-parts...
When I want to move my application using the 2nd form, it won't work (activates 2nd form focus). As it could override the main form, I had to set alwaysontop, so I can't put any other applications in front of it.
I want to have it working like one form.

I tried to create a partly semi-transparant image using GIMP, export it as png or gif. But it's hard to maintain the transparency and I couldn't import it in Visual Studio (transparency gone).

Is there some way to import partly transparent images in Winforms somehow?
Or is there some way to improve the way when combining 2 forms to make 1 picture?
Any advise would be welcome, this is the first time I try something like this and I almost got it working, but it's not very practical for me.

Thanks beforehand!

Posted 20-Feb-13 22:03pm

DarkTyranno

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alekcarlsen · Answer 1 · 2013-02-20T22:21:00

Solution 1

to make the Form transparent and not the Controls you do this
You can use 1 form for all of this - easily.

C#

BackColor = Color.Blue;
TransparencyKey = Color.Blue;

use this in your Form_Load
everything that is blue will be transparent.

if you need to remove the border of your form to

C#

FormBorderStyle = FormBorderStyle.None;

Posted 20-Feb-13 22:21pm

alekcarlsen

Updated 20-Feb-13 22:26pm

v3

Comments

DarkTyranno 21-Feb-13 4:44am

If I use 1 form, it will mean that my whole image will be semi-transparent right?
Using TransparencyKey means removing that color, I just want to look through specific parts of the picture as you can see on my demo picture in the question link.
You can see that I already removed the borders as well ;)

alekcarlsen 21-Feb-13 5:00am

nope - what the code does is, it makes the Forms background transparent - then you just need to add an imagebox control - for your "background" -image
check my screenshot http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8339/forwebx.png

why do you need to use 2 forms?

DarkTyranno 21-Feb-13 5:08am

I don't know if I need to use 2 forms, but for me it was the easiest way to make the lights semi-tranparent.I have form2 with background picture 'lights only' and Opacity xx% and my form1 (mainform) with the flying car and Opacity 100% + all controls. Don't know if there is an easy way that will get the same result yet using Winforms, so if anyone knows, that would be cool.

alekcarlsen · Answer 2 · 2013-02-20T23:12:00

Solution 2

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/395256/transparent-images-with-c-sharp-winforms

- read Answer 6

transparent image control

or

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5522337/c-sharp-picturebox-transparent-background-doesnt-seem-to-work

Posted 20-Feb-13 23:12pm

alekcarlsen

Updated 20-Feb-13 23:15pm

v2

Comments

DarkTyranno 21-Feb-13 5:18am

Isn't this for complete transparency as well?
I work with Opacity of the form to look through that picture, but this shouldn't work on 1 image in 1 form. The backcolor is already set to white or transparent to remove the big block of that color from around my whole application. If I chose another color from my picture, I'm sure the white returns.

alekcarlsen 21-Feb-13 5:23am

you have a picturebox with the Vehicle - right?
now add another picturebox with the lights in them, overlay and opacity of the picturebox etc.
now add the rest of your controls - turn Form1's Background color blue and set transparencykey to blue - now the background og the form will be transparent.
if this is not what you want, i dont understand your question

alekcarlsen 21-Feb-13 5:26am

link the images if you can

DarkTyranno 21-Feb-13 5:37am

Here are the images I use to try to make the lights SEMI-transparent:
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/3655/policecardesignlight.png
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7750/policecardesigncar.png

alekcarlsen 21-Feb-13 8:17am

http://imm.io/WVg3 - car with transparency (which works)
http://imm.io/WVgx - lights with transparency (which works)

DarkTyranno 21-Feb-13 8:27am

That's also not the case, I already removed the white background myself in PNG format, but I have to set transparency on backgroundcolor (which is transparent).
I just want to use 1 picture, where you can just look through the lights of the car,
or use another option with 2 pictures, but good code to make it run smoothly, as it doesn't in my case.
It's not about the background, it's about the picture itself, I want to look through some parts of it. How can I manage that? (Only solutions I tried was editing outside C# and save picture with partly semi-transparent parts, or make 2 forms and set 1 forms Opacity lower to simulate that. But it gives many extra work of course... :/

DarkTyranno 21-Feb-13 5:32am

I didn't use any pictureboxes for the car nor the lights. Both are Forms without a border set. They contain 2 pictures with a white background which is removed.
This way I could change the opacity of 1 of both forms. If this is possible with pictureboxes too, then I have to check my app again.
Remove the background of form (so no real form/border left), add 2 pictureboxes for both parts, remove borders, change background to picture, remove background from the pictures itself, change opacity for the picturebox with lights.
I don't know if this is possible, but I should try it soon.

alekcarlsen 21-Feb-13 5:38am

Read this to get transparent images http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/mahesh/DrawTransparentImageUsingAB10102005010514AM/DrawTransparentImageUsingAB.aspx