Transparent Background.

Photo with sky in the background

Abby Olivo, a reader of this blog, is asking: Is there a way to make the background of an image transparent in Pages?

- If you want to make transparent an image IN the background of a document select it and drag the Opacity slider in Graphic Inspector.

If you can't select the image go to Arrange menu and choose Make background objects selectable. If the image is locked (it shows small black crosses in the corners) choose Arrange>Unlock.

- If you want to make transparent the background of a photo (lake, mountains, sea or sky with you and your children in front), first make a cutout of the people in the photo and then import the same photo into your document again, Send to back or Send Object to Background (Arrange menu), make it transparent (Graphic Inspector, drag Opacity slider). With the cutout over the second photo itself it will look as though the background is transparent, or semi-transparent.

Sky removed with Alpha.

To make a cutout, use Format>Mask with Shape. 

Choose Oval and when the mask appears go to Format>Shape>Make editable. Little red dots (editing points) will appear on the mask. 

Click on a dot and move it with the mouse of the keyboard arrows so that all of the image is inside the mask. 

This method is more complicated, but fun. 

If the background in your photo is in solid colour, eg blue sky, you can remove it with Alpha tool (it's in the toolbar and under Format>Instant Alpha. 

Photo by me A.Anichkin: war memorial in a Normandy village.

Read 'Mask vs Alpha: How to make a cutout' and 'DSK: How to make a closely cropped cutout in Pages' on I Work in Pages.

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