


( Learn how to use the paint bucket tool in Photoshop. If so, right-click on the gradient tool and then select the paint bucket. As mentioned before, this might be stacked with your gradient tool. To use a solid color, select your background layer and then the Paint Bucket tool. If you’re intending to add text or just want to create a simple background fade effect, a solid color will likely do best. Now that you’ve got your gradient, it’s time to add a background that it will fade into. (You can do this at any point in the process.)įor this image, I prefer coming up from the bottom right corner: Simply hit Cmd -Z (Mac) or Ctrl-Z (Windows) to undo, then reapply until you get the desired effect. It may take a few times to get the gradient you’re looking for. This is the part that will fade into the background. Once you release, part of the image will turn transparent. Make sure that your layer mask is selected before using the gradient tool. (You can also check our guide on how to add a layer mask in Photoshop for more details.)

Then go down to the toolbar at the bottom and click on the Add Layer Mask icon. Still in the layers panel, select the layer that has the photo by clicking on it. Your next step is to add a layer mask to the image layer. Once you’ve done this, your layer panel should now look like this: This new layer will be serving as the background, so you’ll need to unlock the original background layer (click on the lock) and then move the new, empty layer so that it’s beneath your image layer. If you prefer a keyboard short cut, you can use Command-Option-Shift-N (Mac) or Control-Alt-Shift-N (Windows). You can do this by clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. (If your chosen image isn’t exactly how you’d like it, see: how to change background color in Photoshop as one way to alter it.) This may be harder than it seems – especially if you’re fading it into another image. How to Create a Transparent Gradient in Photoshop Step 1: Choose the Main Imageįirst, you’ll need to choose an image that you think will work well being faded into something else.
