How to Fade in Photoshop

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This wikiHow teaches you how to create a transparent "fade" effect for a photo in Photoshop. This is possible on both Windows and Mac computer versions of Photoshop.

Steps

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    This app's icon resembles a blue "Ps" on a black background.
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    This should be the image to which you want to apply a "fade" effect. To do so:
    • Click File
    • Click Open...
    • Select a photo.
    • Click Open
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    It's an image of a paint brush with a dotted line next to it. You'll find this option in the far-left toolbar. [1]
    • You can also just press W to bring up the tool.
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    Click the photo once with the "Quick Selection" tool equipped, then press either Ctrl + A (Windows) or ⌘ Command + A (Mac) to select the whole photo. This will ensure that no part of your photo is left out of the fade process.
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    It's at the top of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
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    This option is at the top of the Layer drop-down menu.
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    It's in the New pop-out menu. You should see a "Layers" window appear in the bottom-right corner of the window.
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    Click the Layer 1 option in the "Layers" window.
    • If there is a layer entitled "Background" or something similar below the main layer, first select it and press the Delete key.
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    It's in the upper-right side of the "Layers" window. You should see a slider appear.
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    Click and drag the slider to the left to lower the photo's opacity, thus creating a fade effect.
    • If your photo becomes too transparent, you can drag the slider back to the right to finesse the transparency.
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    If you want to fade the first photo into another photo, do the following:
    • Drag another photo into the main Photoshop window, then drop it there.
    • Click the photo, then click Place when prompted.
    • Click and drag the first photo's layer to the top of the "Layers" menu.
    • Adjust the first photo's opacity as needed.
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    Click File , click Save , enter a name, save location, and file format, click OK , and click OK on the Photoshop pop-up window. Your faded photo (or set of photos) will be saved in your preferred file location.
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      Tips

      • Another popular fade option is the Gaussian Blur, which can be applied by selecting a layer, clicking the Filter menu item, selecting Blur , clicking Gaussian Blur in the pop-out menu, and adjusting the blur's radius to your liking.
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      Warnings

      • Any action in Photoshop will most likely require a bit of trial-and-error, as no two Photoshop projects are identical.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.shutterstock.com/support/articles/en_US/kbat01/how-to-fade-an-image-in-photoshop

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Select the entire image.
      2. Click the Layer tab.
      3. Go to New > Layer Via Cut .
      4. Select the main layer.
      5. Click the "Opacity" drop-down menu.
      6. Decrease the opacity.

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