PDF download Download Article PDF download Download Article

This wikiHow teaches you how to make an entire image transparent when using the GIMP editor, as well as how to remove a background's image. You can do this on both Windows and Mac versions of GIMP. Keep in mind that GIMP's default export settings will save your image as a JPG file, but the image's transparency will only be saved if you save the image as a PNG file.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Making a Whole Image Transparent

PDF download Download Article
  1. The GIMP app icon resembles a dog-like face holding a paint brush in its mouth.
    • GIMP may take a few minutes to open if you haven't recently opened it.
  2. Click File in the top-left corner of the window (Windows) or the screen (Mac), then click Open... in the drop-down menu, select an image to open, and click Open.
    • You can repeat this process for multiple photos if you want to layer the transparent image over a non-transparent one.
    • If you open a second image in a second window, select it, press Ctrl+C (or Command+C on Mac), select the first image, and press Ctrl+V (or Command+V.
    Advertisement
  3. This tab is at the top of the window (or the screen if you're on a Mac). A drop-down menu will appear.
  4. It's near the top of the Windows drop-down menu. Selecting it prompts a pop-out menu.
  5. You'll find it near the top of the Dockable Dialogs pop-out menu. A small "Layers" window will open.
  6. Click the name of the image that you want to edit. It should be in the middle of the "Layers" window.
  7. Click and drag the "Opacity" slider at the top of the window to the left, or click the downward-facing arrow next to it to lower the opacity.[1]
    • Make sure that you're monitoring your image while lowering the opacity.
    • Lowering the opacity from 100 to 50 should be enough to make your image transparent.
  8. Click the X in the top-right (Windows) or top-left (Mac) corner of the "Layers" window.
  9. It's at the top of the GIMP interface. A drop-down menu will appear.
  10. You'll find this option near the bottom of the Image drop-down menu. Doing so "flattens" the image, thus preserving its transparency.
  11. The default export settings will save your project as a JPG, but you'll need to change this in order to maintain your image's transparent background:
    • Click File.
    • Click Export As....
    • Find the file's name at the top of the export window.
    • Change the "jpg" part of the file's name to "png" (for example, "bear.jpg" would become "bear.png").
    • Click Export at the bottom of the window, then click Export when prompted.
  12. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Making an Image's Background Transparent

PDF download Download Article
  1. The GIMP app icon resembles a dog-like face holding a paint brush in its mouth.
    • GIMP may take a few minutes to open if you haven't recently opened it.
  2. Click File in the top-left corner of the window (Windows) or the screen (Mac), then click Open... in the drop-down menu, select an image to open, and click Open.
    • When removing the background from an image in GIMP, it's best to use an image in which the background is as close to one color as possible. Removing complex backgrounds will take a long time.
  3. It's a menu item at the top of GIMP (Windows) or the screen (Mac). A drop-down menu will appear.
  4. This is in the drop-down menu. Selecting it with your mouse cursor prompts a pop-out menu to appear.
  5. You'll find this in the pop-out menu.
  6. It's at the top of GIMP or the screen. Another drop-down menu will appear.
  7. This option is in the drop-down menu. Doing so prompts a pop-out menu.
  8. It's in the pop-out menu.
  9. Click a section of the background; if you have a particularly complex background with multiple different colors, you'll instead click and drag your mouse across it until a large portion is selected without selecting any of the part of the image that you want to save.
    • When part of the background is selected, you'll see a dotted line appear around the selected parts.
    • If the entire background is the same color, clicking anywhere on it will select the entire background.
  10. Doing so will remove the selected part of the background. If your background was one color, the background should now be gone.
    • On a Mac, click Edit, then click Cut.
  11. The default export settings will save your project as a JPG, but you'll need to change this in order to maintain your image's transparent background:
    • Click File.
    • Click Export As....
    • Find the file's name at the top of the export window.
    • Change the "jpg" part of the file's name to "png" (for example, "meow.jpg" would become "meow.png").
    • Click Export at the bottom of the window, then click Export when prompted.
  12. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Is the checkered grid on top going to be visible after making it transparent, or is that only to demonstrate that there is another layer?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The checkered grid pattern shows transparency. It won't be visible in the finished image.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Tips

  • Try opening a background as your first file, opening the image that you want to make transparent as a second file, copying the second image onto the first, and then making the second image transparent. This format is used for creating image types ranging from collages to memes.
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement

Warnings

Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Advertisement

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 671,327 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 11
Updated: August 21, 2023
Views: 671,327
Categories: GIMP
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 671,327 times.

Is this article up to date?

Advertisement