Removing text from background with opacity

Question

I have a png diagramm (see first image), which has some sort of opacity. I need to remove the text and insert the translated one preferably without hurting this opacity. I tried many things in Photoshop, and the least bad was to just rectangle select and delet the text. But I would like to know the proper solution for removing the text, because when applying non-white background to the edited picture it looks ugly - as show on the second picture.

Any comment and idea is welcome. Thanks

Answer 1

There is a very translucent white over the entire image. You can use a Layer Mask to hide that white....

• Command/Ctrl-click the image thumbnail in the Layers Panel to load the transparency as a selection.
• With the selection active, click the New Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel
• Highlight the Layer Mask you just created and adjust the contrast of the mask. I used Image > Adjustments > Levels, but Curves should all work.
• Finally, take a brush and paint black on areas the mask didn't pick up, like that white edge at the top of the image.

You should then be able to add any solid layer under the image and not have to deal with the translucent white.

The reality is, if you are replacing all the text labels, it may be nearly as fast to redraw such a simple graph.

Answer 2

I realise you have already chosen best answer, but there is another way to do this and still maintain the semi transparent areas, using Photoshop.

1. Select a blank part of the semi transparent background with the rectangle select tool, and create a Pattern from by clicking Edit > Define Pattern.

2. Select around the text you want to delete, and hit delete.

3. Then Edit > Fill > and Choose the pattern you made. The deleted area will be filled with the semi transparent colour.

Here's the result - I removed all the text - the semi-transparent areas are intact.

Now all you need to do is add the text.