How to Make Images Transparent in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most sophisticated tools around to edit graphics. Along with creating graphics from scratch, the program also provides photographers with dozens of tools to improve, warp or edit photos. One of the first tools you can learn is the use of transparency. Whether you want a whole picture transparent or just a section of it, you can do this function easily with Photoshop.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Open Adobe Photoshop and open the photo you wish to edit by going to "File" and "Open." Select the photo from the explorer window that pops up and press "OK."

2. Unlock the background layer to make the photo editable. Any imported picture will automatically lock the background layer to preserve the original. Unlock the layer by right-clicking on the layer in the "Layer" window and selecting "Duplicate." Delete the locked layer so that there is only one layer remaining.

3. Save the photo as a new Photoshop project so that the original photo is not wrecked in any way. Do this by going to "File" and "Save As." Give it a name and press "OK."

4. Click and highlight "Layer 1" to make the complete picture transparent. Click on the "Opacity" arrow and find the scroll bar that pops up. Click and drag the scroll bar to the left. Look at your photo to see how transparent you want it. Once you have reached the desired mark, let go of the mouse button and the picture will automatically set at that point.

5. Create new layers to make certain sections of the photo transparent. Use a selection tool in the tool bar to select part of the photo. The "Magnetic Lasso" tool will provide the best selection choices. Then press "CRTL" and "X" to cut that section. Press "CTRL" and "V" to paste the section back in as a new layer. Click on that layer and use the "Opacity" tool to make this section of the photo transparent.

References

• Adobe Photoshop