How to make a picture transparent in PowerPoint

Are you looking for a unique appearance for a slideshow image? Do you want to overlay pictures that you can see through in your presentation?

We’ll show you a few ways to make a picture transparent in PowerPoint. You can make the entire background transparent, adjust the transparency for the whole picture, or make part of an image transparent. This gives you three methods for applying transparency, depending on what you want to accomplish.

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Method 1: Remove the background from an image

If you want to completely remove the background from an image, this is a handy feature in PowerPoint. By eliminating the background, it becomes transparent for you to do what you please with the subject that remains.

Keep in mind that the effectiveness of this tool depends on the image colors and definition of the photo’s subject.

1. Select the image on your slide and go to the Picture Format tab.
2. Choose Remove Background on the left side of the ribbon.

3. You’ll see the background turn purple which is the portion that will be removed. If you need to adjust the portion that will be kept or removed, you can do so next.
4. Pick Mark Areas to Keep or Mark Areas to Remove per your preference.

5. Draw to select the area, connecting the ending point with the starting point, and release.

6. Continue this process to select additional areas to keep or remove and click Keep Changes when you finish. If you have trouble keeping or removing areas and want to start over, click Discard All Changes to return your image to its initial state.

You’ll see your picture with a transparent background. From there, you may crop it to remove the empty background for smaller dimensions if you like.

Tip: Learn how to flip an image in PowerPoint for a nifty effect!

Method 2: Use a preset and adjust the transparency

Maybe you don’t want a transparent background for your image, but transparency applied to the entire picture. You can do this by starting with a preset and then manually adjusting the amount of transparency to your liking.

1. Select the image on your slide and go to the Picture Format tab.
2. Open the Transparency drop-down menu and choose an amount from 15 to 95 percent.

3. In addition to or instead of using a preset, you can adjust the transparency amount manually.
4. Reopen the Transparency menu and pick Picture Transparency Options.

5. When the sidebar opens, expand Picture Transparency if necessary.
6. Drag the Transparency slider, enter a percentage in the box, or use the arrows to adjust the amount. You’ll see the changes update immediately.

Close the sidebar using the X on the top right when you finish.

Method 3: Apply transparency to part of an image

Another unique effect you can apply to your picture is to make part of it transparent. Once you do so, you’ll see through that portion made transparent, straight through to the slide background.

Note that you can only choose one color to make transparent in a single image with this feature.

1. Select the image on your slide and go to the Picture Format tab.

2. Open the Color drop-down menu and choose Set Transparent Color.

3. When your cursor changes to a tool icon, click the color in the image you want to make transparent.

You’ll see your image update to remove that color wherever it appears, making it see-through.

Remember, if you don’t get the desired result, you can use Undo in the Quick Access Toolbar or press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac.

Arrange images and elements with Plus AI

For creating an eye-catching presentation that flows well, consider Plus AI for PowerPoint. This add-on helps you arrange slide elements for an attractive appearance.

If you set up a new slideshow, Plus AI delivers slides to accommodate your prompt, text, or file and includes matching images.

If you edit an existing slideshow, you can use Plus AI’s Remix feature to rearrange the slide content with a new layout.

What’s great about Plus AI is that you can build a presentation with an effective structure from the get-go or get a little help transforming your slideshow into a memorable one --- and do it all effortlessly.

Plus AI is available for both Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides, offers a free trial, and provides plans for teams and organizations for consistent presentations every time.

Conclusion

When you want to add transparency to an image for your presentation, you can do so directly in PowerPoint without the worry of external editing software. Whether a photo background, part of a picture, or the entire image, you now know a few ways to apply transparency in PowerPoint.

And for arranging those slide elements effectively after you edit your images, take Plus AI for a test drive. With a bit of help from artificial intelligence, you can ease the burden of structuring a successful presentation.

FAQs

Why is picture transparency not showing in PowerPoint?

You might not see the Transparency feature for a picture if you have an unsupported version of PowerPoint. The feature is currently available in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and PowerPoint 2021.

How do you change the transparency of an object in PowerPoint?

If you have an item like a shape or icon on a PowerPoint slide, you can remove the fill color to make it transparent. For a shape, go to the Shape Format tab or for an icon, use the Graphics Format tab. Open Shape Fill or Graphics Fill and select No Fill.

To make the object more transparent without removing the fill color, right-click and pick Format Shape or Format Graphic. In the sidebar, use the Transparency slider in the Fill section to increase the amount of transparency for the entire object.

How do I save a picture with a transparent background in PowerPoint?

You can save pictures you edit in PowerPoint to use in other applications. Right-click the image, select Save as Picture, choose the location, and click Save.