How to merge photos with Background, Fade a Picture or Part of a Picture in PowerPoint (Using a Gradient)

Fade an Image into the Background in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint versions 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 365 for Windows, you can achieve a picture fade effect by overlaying a rectangle shape onto the image and applying a gradient fill from opaque to transparent. This method is commonly utilized to seamlessly blend an image into the slide background. After placing the rectangle over the image, it may be necessary to adjust the stacking order of objects, especially if text is intended to be placed over the rectangle. You can easily rearrange the objects by right-clicking on them and selecting either "Bring to Front" or "Send to Back" from the drop-down menu.

In the scenario provided, there's a slide containing a picture alongside two text objects, and the user aims to blend the image into the background, which could be white, black, or any other color. For the examples ahead, we'll demonstrate with white and black backgrounds.

The slide currently features a picture on the left, with two text objects.

Here's the steps that you can follow quickly

1. Start by inserting a picture onto your slide in Normal View. You can do this by using the "Insert Picture" command on the Insert tab in the Ribbon, or by copying and pasting the picture onto the slide.

2. Next, navigate to the Insert tab in the Ribbon and click on "Shapes." This will open a drop-down menu.

3. From the drop-down menu, select the rectangle shape, then click and drag your cursor over the picture to draw a rectangle. Adjust the size of the rectangle by dragging its handles as needed.

4. Right-click on the rectangle you just drew and choose "Format Shape." This will open a task pane on the right side of the screen.

5. In the task pane, click on "Fill & Line" at the top.

6. Then, expand the "Line" section and select "No line" to remove the outline of the rectangle.

7. Next, expand the "Fill" section and choose "Gradient Fill."

8. In the Gradient Fill options, select "Linear" from the Type drop-down menu.

9. Choose a Direction and Angle for the gradient, depending on the effect you want to achieve.

10. To add a gradient stop, click on "Add gradient stop" next to the Gradient bar. You can remove a gradient stop by clicking on it and then selecting "Remove gradient stop."

11. Customize the color of each stop by clicking on it and choosing a color from the Color drop-down menu.

12. Adjust the position of each stop by dragging it along the Gradient bar, or by entering a precise Position percentage.

13. Finally, fine-tune the transparency settings of each stop by dragging the transparency slider or entering a specific value.

14. Repeat these steps as needed to create your desired gradient fade effect on the picture or part of the picture.

The Format Shape task pane appears as follows with gradient stops:

Picture fade example with a black background

In the following example, a rectangle has been drawn ¾ of the size of the slide on top of the picture and a gradient has been applied to the shape:

For the selected rectangle, the Type is Linear, the Direction is Linear Left and the Angle is 180. The background of the slide is black.

The gradient stops have been set as follows:

Stop 1:
Color: Black
Position: 0%
Transparency: 100%

Stop 2:
Color: Black
Position: 33%
Transparency: 36%

Stop 3:
Color: Black
Position: 58%
Transparency: 0%

Stop 4:
Color: Black
Position: 100%
Transparency: 0%

The final slide appears as follows:

Picture fade example with a white background

In the following example, a rectangle has been drawn ¾ of the size of the slide on top of the picture and a gradient has been applied to the shape:

For the selected rectangle, the Type is Linear, the Direction is Linear Left and the Angle is 180. The background of the slide is white.

The gradient stops have been set as follows:

Stop 1:
Color: White
Position: 0%
Transparency: 100%

Stop 2:
Color: White
Position: 19%
Transparency: 62%

Stop 3:
Color: White
Position: 35%
Transparency: 21%

Stop 4:
Color: White
Position: 58%
Transparency: 0%

Stop 5:
Color: White
Position: 100%
Transparency: 0%

The final slide appears as follows:

You can experiment with colors, position and transparency settings to get the result you want.

Tips for using fade effects

When applying a gradient fade effect to a picture in PowerPoint, consider the following:

• You will get very different results based on stop position, transparency and color settings.
• If you want the picture to blend into the background, the stop points must use the exact background color.
• If you have a version that supports PowerPoint Designer, the Designer can create similar designs but they can be difficult to replicate (and select objects).
• PowerPoint Designer does not create layouts so if you want a layout with a gradient, you'll need to create it yourself.
• If you create the gradient shapes yourself, you can keep an asset file with gradient shapes to copy and paste into other presentations.

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