Transparent Backgrounds?



  • Is there any way to get a transparent background (e.g., gray checkerboard) in an artboard? I can't find it anywhere. All I keep getting is a white artboard, and that doesn't work for me.



  • @jeff43222 You can change the artboard itself to any color you want. A fast way to change the color is to select the artboard tool in the vertical toolbar and then click the artboard to select it, then select a color from the swatches. When you export the file, it will be transparent automatically unless you change the color on export.



  • Thanks. I'd prefer to see a checkerboard behind the graphics since I often export transparent backgrounds. Sometimes I don't, though, and it makes it less obvious if I have a background or not. I guess the workaround is like you said: pick a color for the artboard that isn't in the graphics and isn't the color of the base I might need to export.



  • @jeff43222 Or maybe just knowing the artboard color is not an actual part of the design and always exports as transparent by default?
    Are there other vector programs that you've used that offer the checkerboard transparent background?

    Maybe it's an option @VectorStyler would add?



  • I sometimes export designs with white backgrounds. With a white artboard, they invisible. Than once I've exported thinking I had my white background, only to discover that I only thought I had included a white background. That's why I like the transparent checkerboard. It's a good visual indicator that shows what I have included in my design. I just wish VectorStyler had that option.

    Affinity Designer has the transparent checkerboard option for artboards. But VectorStyler has a lot of useful tools Affinity Designer lacks, so it's a tradeoff.



  • @jeff43222 On Windows you will find it under: View >Display>Transparency Grid.



  • Ahh! That's what I was looking for!

    I think I was thrown by the term "grid" since I usually think of the grid as a separate design guide element than the background.

    Thanks!