… why is there literally 0 information on this? i just want to add a transparent color tinted texture to my object. i dont want it to be “on TOP” 
of any material. i want it to be the MAIN one. this is because i want to preview what itll look like because its going to be part of a game mod, and i dont want to have to load up the game every time just to see what needs to be tweaked in the texture.
its such a damn simple concept…
You can use a transparent PNG in the Image Texture node, and combine the Image Node with a Transparent BSDF using the Alpha output of the Image Node. There’s no way to get a “preview” without using both the Color and the Alpha outputs of the Image Node, because the color doesn’t have that channel, but that’s only three nodes, not bad at all 
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The trick to this is using the alpha channel to set the mix between the transparent shader and another shader. Note if you are using the default renderer, EEVEE, you must also set the material blend mode to ‘Alpha Blend’
To add a transparent png and see it in the the 3D-viewport with *Viewport Shading: Material Preview:
According to docs.blender Manual Editors 3D-View Display Shading:
Material Preview:
Render the 3D Viewport with Eevee…
With link to Eevee and there to (Eevee) Material Settings and especially Blend modes…
So you have to switch (maybe temporaly if you waaan use Cycles) to Eevee and set accordingly:
and even using Cycles as render engine will show:
Of course using Viewport Shading: Rendered will use the transparency of the render engine in the first
place.
That’s a bit more than zero information isn’t it? And all in the Blender Docs. 
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