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How to Create a Transparent Gradient in Photoshop

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I am trying to create a transparent mask for the selected image by adding a transparent gradient to the mask layer. Try as I might, I cannot figure out how to do it.. Any ideas where im going so wrong on this.

Cheers

Rob

Screen_Recording_2021-10-07_at_21-12-55.zip

macOS

Bojan Živković11378569Correct answer

Community Expert

Wrong way. It seems you are trying to use Window > Gradients panel. Try to activate Gradient tool as already explained in reply above, then choose gradient from the Options bar and lastly drag gradient on canvas while mask is selected in the Layers panel. You can either use transparent/black or white or black to white gradient.

Conrad_C

Community Expert

A problem seen in your video is that the actual Gradient tool is not shown in your Tools panel. I am guessing your Tools panel has been customized, because the Gradient tool appears in the Tools panel in all of the default Photoshop workspaces.

So the first thing you want to do is add the Gradient tool back to your Tools panel, and then you will be able to use it.

The gradient icon below your Tools panel is not the Gradient tool; as Bojan has noticed, that is the Gradients panel. The reason the Gradients panel doesn’t work on a mask is that as you have seen, it adds a Gradient preset in the form of a new gradient fill layer — the same as if you choose Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient. However, the Gradient tool is able to create a gradient on a layer mask.

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Bojan Živković11378569

Correct answer

Community Expert

Wrong way. It seems you are trying to use Window > Gradients panel. Try to activate Gradient tool as already explained in reply above, then choose gradient from the Options bar and lastly drag gradient on canvas while mask is selected in the Layers panel. You can either use transparent/black or white or black to white gradient.

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katndmouse

Inspiring

Can you make a video on how to access the tool. I used to do this all the time a few years ago. Came back to it again in 2025 and it's different. I can't even find a gradient tool like that. All I get is the little window with the thumbnails and none are what I want. How do I find the tool now?

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Conrad_C

Community Expert

Just look in the Tools panel for the Gradient tool. After you select it, the options bar for the tool (at the top) changes to offer gradient options. As long as the Gradient tool is selected, you can drag it to create a new gradient fill layer.

As long as a gradient fill layer is selected, the Properties panel displays options for that selected layer. Look at those layer properties to find the Opacity Controls, select the opacity gradient stop you want to adjust, and adjust its Opacity value.

You can see that this is now accomplished in seconds, completely on-canvas, without having to open any dialog boxes. This is also more consistent with how a lot of other modern applications work.

(Sorry if the gradient looks a little rough in the demo…the Adobe forum software tends to degrade GIF animations)

That window with thumbnails? That’s the Gradients panel, and it stores gradient presets. It works exactly the same way as the other presets panels in Photoshop such as the Swatches panel (color presets), Shapes panel (shape presets), Brushes panel (brush presets), etc. If that panel already contains a preset you want to use, you can apply it straight from the panel in one click or drag-and-drop action. But if you need to create a new gradient that doesn’t already exist in the Gradients panel, then you want to select the Gradient tool and adjust it in the Properties panel.

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michelew83603738

Community Expert

The video is playing very small and is hard to see on my screen. That said, it doesn't look like you are going to the gradient tool itself, which is the tool you need to be in. Select the gradient you want from the gradient tool and while in the gradient tool, click and drag across your image or within the selection (however you are using it). Making sure you have first selected the mask.

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R

robh21046457Author

Known Participant

When I do as per the video instead of adding a gradient to the mask layer, it adds the tranparency to a new layer above the chosen layer I want it ot be on.

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