How to Make a Faded Picture Background in Microsoft Publisher
By Alan Sembera
Setting a faded picture as your background in Microsoft Publisher can add splash to your publication without interfering with the text and other illustrations. You can use any almost image file for the background, even photos. With the transparency tools introduced in Publisher 2013, you have full control over how much of the original image shows through. Once you fade a picture, you can use it as the background for part of a single page, or you can create a full-page background for use throughout your publication.
Step 1
Go to the page where you want to add the faded background. If you want to use the background for every page, select the "View" tab and click "Master Page" in the Views group.
Step 2
Insert the picture by selecting the "Insert" tab and clicking "Pictures" in the Illustrations group. Select your image file and click "Insert."
Step 3
Position and resize the picture if it will be an element of your page layout. If you want to use it as the background for the entire page instead, move it off the page into the right margin area.
Step 4
Right-click the picture and select "Format Picture" to open a dialog box where you can adjust the settings.
Step 5
Select the "Picture" tab in the dialog box, and then increase the "Transparency" setting to about 75 percent. Publisher doesn't show a preview image, so you'll have to click "OK" to see the results.
Step 6
Return to the dialog box and adjust the transparency setting to increase or decrease the fading until you're satisfied with the results. If you want to use the picture as a background for the entire page, complete the next step.
Step 7
Right-click the picture, select "Apply to Background," and then select "Fill." The faded pictures becomes your page background. If you selected the Master Page view earlier, the background appears on all your pages
Step 8
When you use an image to create a page background, the sides or top and bottom of the picture may not be visible because of differences in proportion. If this poses a problem, either change the proportions of the original image, or crop the original to the correct proportions. After you change the original, you must reapply it as your background.
References
Tips
- The ability to fade pictures using transparency is new to Publisher 2013. In earlier versions, you can achieve a similar effect by selecting "Washout" from the Color drop-down menu in the same settings dialog box.
Writer Bio
Alan Sembera began writing for local newspapers in Texas and Louisiana. His professional career includes stints as a computer tech, information editor and income tax preparer. Sembera now writes full time about business and technology. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Texas A&M University.