Table of Contents

Adjust the opacity of a layer

Almost every layer you add to Pixelmator Pro is, by default, fully opaque, meaning the layer itself is fully visible and it obscures everything beneath it. If you reduce the opacity of a layer, it becomes partially transparent, so the selected layer becomes less visible and whatever is underneath starts to become more visible. A layer with 1% opacity is nearly transparent, while a layer with 100% opacity is entirely opaque.


Adjust the opacity of a layer

  1. Select the layer or layers you would like to edit.
  2. Choose the Style tool by doing one of the following:
    • Click in the Tools sidebar.
    • Choose Tools > Style (from the Tools menu at the top of your screen).
    • Press the S key on your keyboard.
  3. Move the Opacity slider or enter a value from 0% to 100%.

You can also quickly change the layer opacity and blend mode at the bottom of the Layers sidebar.

Note: If you’d like to save an image with transparency, make sure to export it to a compatible file format. PXD, PNG, PSD, TIFF, and GIF file formats currently support transparency.


Pixelmator Pro User Guide