Put PhotoShop's Opacity Tool to Work for You

by Elaine Burroughs

A common synonym of "opacity" is "obscurity," which accurately describes the PhotoShop tool because designers often don't realize its usefulness.

The Opacity tool allows you to change the opaqueness of a photo, graphic or background color. Once you make the background image opaque, you can add layers and use dark text on top of the opaque layers to achieve the desired effect.

Below is a step-by-step "How To" for using the Opacity feature. Examples demonstrate how the tool can enhance your work.

  1. Open a PhotoShop image file or scan in a new picture.
  2. PhotoShop will not allow the Opacity tool to work on the background layer, so choose "Select" from the top navigation menu, then choose "All."
  3. Choose "Edit" from the top menu, and then choose "Copy."
  4. Choose "Layer" from the top menu, then "New," then "New Layer," You can name the new layer whatever you want; it's a good idea to use something descriptive. In the example below, " I named the layer "Photo" because that is my image for the example shown in this article."
  5. Choose "Edit," then "Paste." Your image should now be on a new layer.


  6. Choose "Window," then "Show Layers" to display the layers toolbox, if you don't have it displayed already. You should see the layer toolbox open, with an "Opacity" percentage box you can edit.
  7. Right click on the "Background" layer and choose delete layer. Answer "Yes" to delete layer. Depending upon the effect you want, choose a 20% to 60% opacity amount. Experiment to find what you think works best.
  8. Once your image is opaque, create another layer by choosing "Layer," then "New," then "New Layer."
  9. Name this new layer "text." (NOTE: Create as many new layers as you need to keep your image organized.)
  10. Use the PhotoShop text tool to insert your text, making sure you are using a dark colored font that will stand out on your opaque background. Experiment with the color and font style to find out what you like best. The effect you want is an opaque background that relates to the text you are presenting.
  11. Save your original PhotoShop file as a *.PSD, just in case you ever want to modify the image.

Opacity Tool Tricks

  1. The Opacity feature helps tie your images and text together. If you are designing a logo for a financial company, use a photograph of money or gold coins as your opaque backdrop, with the company's name and address in a dark-colored font.
  2. Use the Opacity feature to create navigation buttons for a web site. The color of the buttons or an image can be made opaque, with darker text on the button so that the information stands out.
  3. Use the Opacity feature to make a travel photo more opaque, and then use dark-colored text to promote the travel destination. See the Opacity examples below for Crater Lake in Oregon, a popular tourist destination.

Now that you've dug Photo Shop's Opacity tool out of obscurity, put it to work for you. Have fun and don't be afraid to experiment!

Examples of opacity variations:

15% Opacity 30% Opacity 45% Opacity

About the Author: Elaine Burroughs is a freelance writer and graphic designer based in Atlanta, GA. She is the editor of the Caliber Journal, a monthly online magazine associated with the Quality Assurance division of Fidelity Information Services. Her graphic design and technical writing background includes projects for USAA, Toyota, McGraw-Hill and ALLTEL. In her spare time, she enjoys writing short stories. Her short story "Nautical Charms" appeared in The Other Side of the Doorbell anthology, published by the Purple Pen. Two short stories, "Finally" and "Disarming Disillusionment" are in the process of being published. "Disarming Disillusionment" was also a contest winner. Contact:mailto:cajungal68@bellsouth.net
Visit: www.thewriterscanvas.com