How to Adjust Image and Object Transparency in PowerPoint

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Use transparency to jazz up your PowerPoint presentations
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This wikiHow teaches you how to make a picture or object fully or partially transparent in a presentation slide in Microsoft PowerPoint, using Windows or Mac. The desktop versions of PowerPoint allow changing transparency, but the mobile and online versions don't have this feature. [1]

Quick Steps

  1. Open a PowerPoint presentation.
  2. Select the image you want to change the transparency of.
  3. Click the Format tab.
  4. Click the Transparency option.
  5. Select a transparency.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using Windows

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  1. You can open a new slide show presentation or a saved document from your files.
  2. It'll be surrounded by white boxes to indicate that it's selected.
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  3. You can find this tab above the toolbar panel when the shape is selected.
    • Depending on the type of object you selected, the wording will vary slightly. You might see "Picture Format" instead, for example, if the object you want to make transparent is a picture.
    • If the object is a shape or another element, right-click it and select "Format Shape."
  4. It's in the Adjust category.
    • If you're editing a different element, like the slide background or a shape, skip this step.
  5. If you don't want a picture to be opaque, drag the transparency slider on the right side of the window.
    • If you are adjusting a picture, click to select a transparency level. For more options, click Picture transparency options .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Mac

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  1. You can open a new slide show or a saved presentation file.
  2. Just click on the picture or shape to select it.
  3. You can find this button on the tab bar above the toolbar panel at the top. It will open your formatting options.
  4. This button looks like a picture icon with a dashed, vertical line in the middle. It will open a drop-down panel of your transparency options.
  5. This will instantly change your picture's transparency to the selected preset level.
  6. You can find it at the bottom of the Transparency drop-down. This will open the picture formatting menu.
  7. If it's not extended, click the
    Android 7 Dropright
    icon next to it, and expand your transparency tools.
  8. You can manually adjust the transparency level of the selected shape and picture in your presentation here.
    • Alternatively, you can type in a transparency percentage in the box or use the up and down arrows here. [2]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/make-a-picture-transparent-ce96ac80-5afc-436c-ae3f-0c78009bf704#OfficeVersion=_Online
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-a-picture-transparent-ce96ac80-5afc-436c-ae3f-0c78009bf704#OfficeVersion=Newer_macOS_versions

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open your PowerPoint file.
      2. Click the Insert tab.
      3. Click Shape , and select your picture's shape.
      4. Click and drag on the slide to create a shape.
      5. Click the Format tab.
      6. Click Shape Fill , select Picture , and add your picture.
      7. Right-click the picture, and select Format Picture .
      8. Click the paint bucket icon at the top.
      9. Adjust the Transparency slider.

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