How to make a transparent signature PNG.

• Sign several times on plain white paper with a black felt-tip or gel pen, and pick the best one.
• Photograph it in daylight without shadows, phone held flat above the page, or scan it at 300 dpi or more.
• Crop close around the signature before you remove the background.

1. Open the photo in Preview and click the Markup button (the pen tip) to show the markup toolbar.
2. Choose Instant Alpha, the magic-wand icon.
3. Drag across the white paper until it’s all highlighted, then press Delete. Repeat for any patches left inside loops.
4. Choose File, Export, set Format to PNG, keep Alpha ticked, and save.

1. Open the photo in Photopea (free, in your browser) or Photoshop.
2. Use Select, Color Range, click the paper, and adjust Fuzziness until only the paper is selected. Press Delete.
3. To make the ink pure black, add a Levels adjustment and drag the black point right.
4. Export as PNG.

Tip: Zoom in on the edges before exporting. A gray halo means some paper was left behind; tighten the selection or use Select, Modify, Contract by a pixel.

Drawing your signature digitally skips the paper altogether. In Everstroke, sign with a finger, mouse, trackpad or Apple Pencil (or trace a photo of your signature), then download a 3000 px transparent PNG and a static SVG of the final frame, along with animated versions for email, video and websites.

Drawing and previewing are free; downloading uses one signature from a one-time pack.

A signature PNG suits email signatures, photo watermarks, slide decks, letterheads and brand marks. Anyone can copy an image, though, so for a public brand mark use a stylized version rather than the signature on your bank card and contracts. To sign a PDF legally, use your PDF app’s signing feature or an e-signature service, which records who signed and when.