SYSK 301: Sets a color at a given indexed location as transparent using Microsoft Office

The other day I needed to change a background of a .gif image from white to transparent. Since I didn’t have any image creation software that would do the job installed on my computer, I had to be creative… Recalling from my C++ days the SetTransparentColor API, I was about to create a C# application and change the transparency color programmatically… Luckily, before I acted on that thought, it occurred to me to that Picture Tools in Microsoft Office products allow you to format an image, including ability to re-color it.

So, here are the steps required to set a transparent color of a .gif image using MS Office 2007:

1. Open PowerPoint (or other Office applications like Word)
2. Copy and paste your image into the document (e.g. into a PowerPoint slide)
3. Click on the image to select it – this will set the tool context to Picture Tools
4. Click Format menu option
5. On the left side of the ribbon, click on Recolor option and then select Set Transparent Color.
6. Now, click anywhere on the image background (indicating the color that should now be transparent)
7. The final step is to right mouse click on the image and choose Save As Picture option to save the modified image.