How to make a transparent background/selection on an image using GIMP


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Open your image in GIMP.

Select the area you want to make transparent.Select the appropriate selection tool from the Tool window or the Tools – Selection Tools menu on the Layer window
I usually use the magic wand/fuzzy select (Select contiguous region) tool or the Select regions by color tool.

Click in the region you want selected.  Use shift-click to add more regions/colors.
Tip: It’s easier if you zoom in (View – Zoom menu) to see finer details of exactly what you’re selecting.

In the Layer window (the one showing your image), select Layer – Transparency – Add Alpha Channel.  If this is blanked out then it’s already done.  This makes sure your image can store transparency data.
Select Edit – Clear.  This makes the selection transparent.
Save the file.  

Note: If you save it as a PNG file, be sure to select the ‘Save colour values from transparent pixels’ option in the Save as PNG dialog box.