Download Article
Download Article
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
-
Open Photoshop. This app's icon resembles a blue "Ps" on a black background.
-
Open an image in Photoshop. 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
Advertisement -
Click the "Quick Selection" tool. 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.
- You can also just press W to bring up the tool.
-
Select the entire photo. 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.
-
Click the Layer tab. It's at the top of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
-
Select New . This option is at the top of the Layer drop-down menu.
-
Click Layer Via Cut . It's in the New pop-out menu. You should see a "Layers" window appear in the bottom-right corner of the window.
-
Select the picture's main layer. 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.
-
Click the "Opacity" drop-down menu. It's in the upper-right side of the "Layers" window. You should see a slider appear.
-
Lower the photo's opacity. 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.
-
Add another photo if you like. 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.
-
Save your photo(s). 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.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
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.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
Warnings
- Any action in Photoshop will most likely require a bit of trial-and-error, as no two Photoshop projects are identical.Thanks
Advertisement
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.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 644,728 times.
Advertisement