Fade an Image to Transparent in Photoshop

Learn how to fade an image to transparent in Photoshop with a gradient applied to a mask. Details below...
Patreon: / michaelbullo
0:00 - Introduction
0:49 - Drawing a Gradient
Having chosen the Gradient Tool (keyboard shortcut: G), gradient options will be shown across the top of Photoshop. Clicking on the gradient will open up the Gradient Editor where any gradient can be manually created. Clicking on the drop down arrow next to the gradient allows for the selecting of pre-made gradients. This tutorial makes use of the Black to White gradient.
To draw a gradient, click, drag and release the mouse anywhere across the Photoshop canvas.
Make a gradient square (horizontal or vertical) by holding down the Shift key while drawing the gradient.
4:12 - Adding a Mask to a Layer
With a layer selected, click the "Add a mask" button at the bottom of the Layers panel.
When working with masks, "white reveals, black conceals". White parts of a mask will reveal the equivalent portions of a layer while the black parts of a mask will conceal (hide) the equivalent portions of a layer. Shades of grey partially hide the equivalent layer content.
5:15 - Applying a Gradient to a Mask
Before drawing a gradient, ensure that the mask, not the layer thumbnail, is selected. This prevents drawing over the pixels on that layer.
A short gradient drawn on a layer mask will create a quick transition between the opaque and transparent parts of a layer.
A long gradient drawn on a layer mask will create a slow transition between the opaque and transparent parts of a layer.
Reference Image:
unsplash.com/photos/mqO0Rf-PUMs
Thank you to Paul Gilmore

[@MichaelBullo]

For those of you wanting to add multiple gradients to a single mask, this video should help... Stacking masks in Photoshop for ultimate non destructive editing kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6ebpWeLea2tick

[@yohan7083]

Thanks! I was looking for this. 😊

[@MichaelBullo]

@@yohan7083 Cool. Thank you.

[@lucutes2936]

ur amazing

[@MichaelBullo]

@@lucutes2936 Thanks again mate

[@dragontattoo84]

Your tutorial is exactly what I was looking for. I thought the process was going to be complicated but it's really easy. Thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Happy to hear that. Hope you create some cool designs with this.

[@haifamohammed7897]

Very clear, simple yet the results are beautiful and exactly what I was looking for thank you🙏🏼

[@MichaelBullo]

That's very kind of you to say. Thank you.

[@levelwu]

Thank you for this great tutorial, you made it so easy! No more duplicating layers to 'save' the image.

[@MichaelBullo]

Great to hear. Best of luck with all your edits.

[@engrvarsi3774]

Fantastic Thanks for being so kind to actually discuss the mechanics of the masks... not just cut chatting

[@MichaelBullo]

I appreciate that. Thank you. Hope it proves useful.

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@Birdieblogger]

and LEGIT EXPLAINED!!!!

[@vgreatrix]

perfect tutorial, concise and informative. thanks!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for the comment. Hope it proves useful in your designs.

[@amluebke]

Thank you so much. This was clear and easy to follow. And it works. Great job.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Great to hear. You having fun with Photoshop?

[@AlexParkYT]

Thank you. This was one of the most helpful tutorials and super easy to understand.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Alex. I appreciate the feedback. Hope you're having fun learning Photoshop.

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@livelovedreamnow]

Thanks so much for this video! Short, sweet, and to the point!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Anjanette. Best of luck with all your designs.

[@emilymorgan3364]

So helpful and informative! This helped me get my poster project done quickly!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you and happy to hear this helped you out Emily.

[@Quiz-Mania-Pra-Familia]

Hi Michael! First time here and this is a very good tutorial. I've learned things that I didn't know about gradient masks and I like the way you teach. But, if I may so, I'd like to add that this works very well with straight lines, but it doesn't work with wavy ones, especially in a small area of the image. In this case, I think the best tool is the eraser, with low opacity, directly on the image. It worked like magic to me moments ago. But, I think that, maybe, I wouldn't have had this idea if I didn't watch your tutorial. So, you have a new subscriber :) Thank you and keep safe

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for the sub Lu. I appreciate you taking the time with this feedback. I strongly advise against erasing pixels wherever possible. If you want/need to bring these back at a later point you can't. I would recommend using a mask wherever possible. If you are wanting to "erase" small, specific areas, try painting with black on the mask while using the Brush tool. If you need to bring these areas back, simply paint with white. I have a quick video that demonstrates this exact technique if it helps… Rapid masking with the D and X keys in Photoshop kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWG1l32lq697nKs

[@Quiz-Mania-Pra-Familia]

@@MichaelBullo Thank you very much for taking your time to answer me, too. I have a 'bust' of a lady illustration and the 'cut' got too harsh at the bottom edge. So, all I wanted was to soften the harshness at that specific place and it worked very, very, well. It was exactly what I wanted. And, in this case, I don't want to bring it back any time in the future. But, of course, I'll try what you just taught me the next time I need and see how it goes. Thank u so much for your attention I will click on the link you left to me :)

[@MichaelBullo]

@@Quiz-Mania-Pra-Familia Thank you. Happy to help. I appreciate that there are times when a quick bit of erasing might be the way to go. If you do so, I'd recommend at least first duplicating your layer and then turning off the visibility of the original layer. That way you have a copy of the original pixels just in case you need to access them. Happy designing :)

[@tgreer72]

THANK YOU! A million times!! Works perfectly!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Fantastic. Thank you. Hope you design some cool stuff :)

[@Slash4747]

Architecture student here. This helped me in making presentations for my plates. Thanks a lot Michael!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. I'm always keen to hear how these videos get put to use. Best of luck with your studies.

[@Birdieblogger]

OMG I think I am FINALY GETTING LAYER MASKS!!!! I could cry. Too late. I'm crying. I'm SO grateful for this explanation!! Now I will think of the white 'mask' as a 'transparency' and I can totally understand now how black ON the layer mask, CONCEALS, and white reveals. It always just seemed like an abstract concept I was trying to manifest physically but could never connect the dots. And I'm an artist! Music and Acrylic and installation. Learning photoshop has felt like trying to surgery with no fingertips. This makes me way less un-confident to try and keep learning this program. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. (I've really struggled)

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey that's amazing. Thank you. So layer masks are starting to make sense you say? Awesome. These things are so powerful. I do have a bunch of other videos on Photoshop masks that may help. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Best of luck with all your art.

[@all4cyrus]

Thank you so much. This helped me when I was in a pinch.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Cyrus. Happy to hear that. Happy designing :)

[@easeea3317]

Hi, thank you for making this helpful video. One thing I want to know is how did you make that color fill1 layer?

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. To create that "Color Fill 1" layer go to the bottom of the Layers panel and click on the icon that is a black and white circle. This allows you to add different kinds of Adjustment layers including the Solid Color. This type of layer is awesome as it fills the image with that color even if you change the image dimensions. Having added this layer, you can easily adjust the color by double clicking on the thumbnail within the Layers panel.

[@TB0Y298]

Thank you. Great tutorial, no non-sense and clear instructions. I appreciate it you divided the video into chapters too

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for all that positive feedback. Glad you liked it. Hope you're having fun with Photoshop.

[@beninua]

What an amazingly simple explanation, and SO easy to understand. I hate these artsy-fartsy academic approaches where I end up falling asleep before I get to the solution. This is exactly the kind of tutorials you need when you've just switched to Adobe from other production tools. And particularly when Photoshop isn't even my main app, but just something I need for inserts, boxes, infographic, etc. in the movies I make in Premiere/Aftereffects, then this is awesome. I don't need all the 7 different ways this can be done. Just show me the quick and dirty. I love that. This is exactly the way to make a tutorial - at least from my perspective.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for taking the time to write this comment. It's greatly appreciated. Welcome to the world of design in Adobe.

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@lemongrabthesecond]

You are a KING, sir. This helped so much- not too much detail, but enough to help you know what you're doing and calm without being slow and boring.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you very much for the feedback. I genuinely appreciate it. I hope it helps you make something great in Photoshop.

[@tomdotcom100]

Thanks! Simple and straight forward.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Stanley. Hope it proves useful.

[@robertmcnulty6596]

Thank you very much. Excellent video. I had looked at three other videos and no one explained what the significance of black and white were in the mask.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Robert. Happy the video helped you out.

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@garciastudios]

This was a life saver for me! Been searching how to fade a shape and never thought of using the Gradient map and mask. THANK YOU!!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey that's great to hear. Thanks for posting. Best of luck fading stuff ;)

[@Lucky7Sampson]

Very well explained. Thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Happy designing :)

[@Birdieblogger]

You are the most easy to follow Ps Instructor I have ever watched. THANK YOU!!!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Roberta. That's very kind of you to say.

[@susanellis28]

Thanks for this - it was great that you explained how a mask works, not just "do this, do that..."

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks Susan. I appreciate that feedback. Have fun making masks :)

[@stevefalcon1194]

this was a big help. thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks mate. I appreciate the feedback. Happy designing :)

[@lucagambell2850]

Very helpful Thankyou. Is there a way to have two different gradients on the one image, I.e. if I wanted to fade both the top and the bottom of the image out?

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks Luca. Great question and yes you can. I have another video which describes how to do just that. Hope it helps. Stacking masks in Photoshop for ultimate non destructive editing kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6ebpWeLea2tick

[@markjdraper]

Great video, exactly what I needed 👍

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks Mark. Have fun fading stuff ;)

[@zostarzoom]

Super easy to follow and understand, thank you so much!

[@MichaelBullo]

I appreciate you saying that. Thank you and best of luck with your designs.

[@fluiditydesigns7773]

So helpful! Thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Awesome. Thank you.

[@AccentGraphix]

FINALLY a tutorial that makes sense! Thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

I appreciate that. Thank you and happy designing.

[@essgeekay29]

exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Sarah. Have fun fading stuff :)

[@janpohorelicky6990]

Great job, everyone explains the same thing but you add extra value by explaining it :) Thank you

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Jan. I appreciate the feedback. Have fun fading stuff :)

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@hlauterb2011]

Thank you so much! Amazing tutorial!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. I appreciate the comment.

[@sclmb]

This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for making it short and to the point. :-)

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. I hope it helps you create some cool stuff in Photoshop. Best of luck :)

[@yenra]

Thank you; big help. You're a great teacher!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for that. Best of luck with your Photoshop projects.

[@animalouno]

C'mon man! Exactly what I was looking for. I was searching it for Davinci resolve and after watching this I managed to repeated steps in Davinci resolve. What a great explainer you are. Thank you!🥰🥰

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey that's awesome. Nicely solved and thank you for the kind words.

[@mistydayremainsofthejudgment]

thank you! i was trying to figure this out in photoshop 7 and it took me way too long. just had to find the right options which were helpfully explained here.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Congrats on working this out. Hope you create some cool stuff :)

[@TOUDERTCHANNEL]

Thank you so much, that was helpful ♥️

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you mate. Best of luck with all your designs.

[@Sniped118]

Great tutorial, always forget some of the basics, it's nice to have revision material like this.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Happy to hear this helped you out. Best of luck with your designs.

[@abbyc7815]

Thank you so much!

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers. Hope it helps.

[@isaiasyoyo]

Great demonstration of the gradient tool. At first I didn't understand what you were doing, but now I understand --- thanks!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you and great to hear it all makes sense. Have fun with Photoshop.

[@squidwardtentacle5]

very clear and straightforward tutorial. thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you very much. May all your designs be awesome :)

[@Vulturious]

Brilliant, I'd forgotten how to do this ... saved me a melt down - thanks loads, will sub now.

[@MichaelBullo]

Happy to have helped and thanks mate for the sub

[@mervynobiero]

thank you. this was very helpful

[@MichaelBullo]

That's great to hear Mervyn. Thank you.

[@DRMHuntsville]

Thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers

[@Stratpizza]

thank you so much! the way you explain this is the best!

[@MichaelBullo]

I appreciate that. Thank you. Hope you're having fun with Photoshop.

[@phuongthao-nc3yf]

very thorough instruction! Thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for saying that

[@charlotteveldhuizen9840]

Super simple and easy! thank you very much

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey thank you. Hope it helps with your designs.

[@haritarao9522]

Thank you!!!! I learnt something new on gradients!!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Great to hear and thank you. This technique is really powerful and should come in handy many times.

[@mahziyary]

Thanks for your help

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

[@oneworldvideo]

Great explanations. Great pacing. And an awesome accent to boot! Well done! :D

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. I'll be sure to let Australia know you like the accent ;)

[@RapidBlindfolds]

can you add multiple fades? on the current settings it only allows me to vignette one part. thanks for your help!

[@MichaelBullo]

It's possible to add multiple masks that are all independent. In short, you can nest groups, each of which have their own mask. This video should help... Stacking masks in Photoshop for ultimate non destructive editing kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6ebpWeLea2tick

[@Julia-du9rb]

thank you very much. excellent video

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Appreciate it.

[@Tim1967artist]

Brilliant. Thank you very much. It worked perfectly

[@MichaelBullo]

Great to hear. Thank you Timm.

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@thepramudia3028]

thanks a lot sir... greetings from Indonesia

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Greetings from Australia :)

[@maier]

Great! Helped me immediately. Thank you.

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey that's great. Thank you.

[@daschtheducc]

this was so much easier than I expected it to be lol, thank you so much

[@MichaelBullo]

Now that's what I like to hear. Thank you and best of luck with your designs.

[@themvlek]

this was very helpful thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

I really appreciate that. Thank you.

[@hasbrobot]

Thank you for sharing this. ☺️

[@MichaelBullo]

Much appreciated Jeff. Have fun fading stuff ;)

[@novailoveyou]

It helped a lot. Thank you so much!

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey that's great. Thank you.

[@mariamolobo4948]

Great help! Thank you !

[@MichaelBullo]

Appreciate that. Thank you.

[@amruthesh]

Thanks, man. Just came across your channel today will be subscribing. Keep up the good work!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks mate. I appreciate that. Welcome aboard.

[@waltersob2000]

You're awesome! Thank you sooo much!

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey thank you. Happy designing :)

[@laliliang8019]

thank you! very helpful

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.

[@themesswascurly1]

A big help! Thanks, man!

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers mate. Great to hear. Thank you.

[@BenoNetto]

Amazing tip, well explained, thanks for sharing!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you mate. Hope it helps you produce some cool designs.

[@missxspencer1538]

I was stuck on this for days! Thanks!!!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Have fun fading stuff.

[@frankhandgraaf]

Thanks, just what I needed.

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers Frank. Best of luck with your designs.

[@ChrisDeJuanMusic]

Thanks so much, really helpeful! You erned my subsription! :)

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks for the sub Christian. Great to hear this helped you out.

[@Michael01OnRBLXmore]

Thanks it's working!

[@MichaelBullo]

Excellent. Thanks mate.

[@sabsturr]

bro this is awesome.. made my gradient look so professional for a hero image, could never figure out how to do stuff like this

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey mate. That's great to hear. Thanks for the comment. Now go create some more awesome stuff :)

[@rpgcross]

Amazing tutorial I was doing an edit just for fun, and not only did i learn exactly what the title says, but also the Shift key trick

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks mate. That Shift key trick is a game changer. Have fun with Photoshop :)

[@thepittstop]

Thanks a bunch!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you

[@uncleemad840]

very detailed , thanks

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you

[@ursshie1]

amazing explanation thank you

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Hope you are creating some cool stuff in Photoshop.

[@lostghoststudios]

Thank you!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers mate

[@sombrero4316]

thorough yet swift, you are a good teacher.

[@MichaelBullo]

I really appreciate that. Thank you. I wish you well with your designs.

[@Godscommoncuriosity]

Well done Sir Michael you've really helped me out so much as I'm working on a book cover for my Pastor and a photo had to be blurred. Thank you for sharing your wisdom

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Great to hear the video helped you out.

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@phluphies]

my guy thanks a lot !! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Have fun :)

[@yoxanada]

THANK YOU!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you

[@sailakshmienterprises6741]

Dear Micheal, Thank you so much for explaining the basics of a layer mask so well enough to make the concept clear. I thank you very much for clearing the doubt that made me go sleepless for days :)

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you very much. That's great to hear. Now go get yourself a good night sleep ;)

[@masinkomedia3533]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmqyoGCAiqynpsU

[@DJNADJIBBeatz]

very informative video, thank you very much

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Best of luck with Photoshop.

[@hamidrezaghafari3059]

excellent describing and very helpful thank you 😍

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you for the comment. I hope this helps you create some cool designs :)

[@Aristocacto]

THANK YOU!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers mate

[@giorgiavirgili1926]

I love your voice. And the tutorial is very clear and concise. THANK YOU for the help.

[@MichaelBullo]

And I love your comment ;) Thank you. I hope this helps you create something cool.

[@alfredstanley4879]

Very helpful. I struggled for a bit because I had left the "Mode" in Screen on a previous project rather than "Normal," so the tool didn't seem to be having any effect despite my selecting the layer mask. Liked and subscribed!

[@MichaelBullo]

Thanks Alfred and welcome aboard. Yeah that cheeky blend mode option gets us all at some stage ;)

[@a.r.3399]

This comment helped me out so much. I had mine in Screen and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working for me. Thank you!

[@mocachip1]

Same! TY!@@a.r.3399

[@miaf.8357]

Thank you Thank you THANK YOU MILION TIMES.....

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Mia. Appreciate it.

[@nobodyinterviews]

Awesome! EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you.

[@MichaelBullo]

Very cool. Thanks Jerry.

[@ambientspecials612]

thanks man, you've taught me a lot

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. That's kind of you to say.

[@mariaellers8026]

Thank you that was great

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you. Happy to help.

[@graphicallydeb9897]

I needed this this morning:) well, I know for next time.

[@MichaelBullo]

Have fun fading stuff in the future ;)

[@jruizchannel]

I don't normally comment on KZbin. However, this video was excellent, not only for the information but for the way of explaining, which makes it possible to understand it easily.

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you Jacqueline. I genuinely appreciate that. Hope you're having fun learning Photoshop.

[@coolpicsphotobooth6418]

thank you for this

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you

[@michaelkihn1305]

What tool would one use to "fade away to nothing" around edges of a photo? Like applying four gradients to each of the four edges of the photo?

[@MichaelBullo]

1. You could use a transparent to black gradient on the edges of a mask filled with white. The transparent component stops you from overriding already drawn gradients. 2. You could draw a rectangular selection, feather it and then fill it with white on a black mask. 3. You could paint with black with a soft brush on the edges of a mask that is filled with white.

[@mrorange159]

cheers mate, helpful

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers Gavin

[@UtsabChowdhury]

helped a lot... thanks bro

[@MichaelBullo]

Hey thanks mate

[@Alexosauruus]

It worked !!! Thanks so much !!!!

[@MichaelBullo]

Excellent. Cheers. Happy designing :)

[@sheilajesicashan2919]

thank you!

[@MichaelBullo]

Cheers. Hope it helps.

[@Omolord1]

Thanks mike this is helpful

[@MichaelBullo]

Thank you mate