[TUTORIAL] Transparent window glass

This post will provide a very simple tutorial on creating a transparent window glass for your background edits.




There are no fancy details involved and the result should be achievable on both Photoshop and Pixlr Editor. A tutorial for both programs will be provided in this post.

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL

1. 

Start by creating a new document. I chose to go with 1920x1136 as my dimensions since this is the maximum size allowed for an Episode background. Make sure you select "transparent" as your background contents!

2.

Use the rectangle tool to draw a large rectangle. I recommend picking a light blue or almost white color for your transparent glass.

You can customize the color by clicking the color picker option under fill at the top of the menu. Alternatively, you can adjust the color under the properties menu that pops up after you've drawn your rectangle. (Go to windows > properties if you don't see this menu.) The hex code for the blue that is used in this example is #a5d5e8.

3. (Optional step)

Next, I right clicked on the layer and rasterized it. This option basically converts vectors into pixels and is helpful if you want to directly copy and paste your new creation onto your background document. This step is not mandatory and you can skip to the final step below if you wish.

4.

Finally, lower the opacity and fill levels. Feel free to play around with the percentages until you're satisfied with the outcome. If you don't adjust for the opacity and fill levels, your window will probably look like a huge blue block even if you alter these levels on the background edit document. Save the image as a png file when you're done. Now you can use it whenever you want.

PIXLR EDITOR TUTORIAL

1. Go to Pixlr E on your browser.

Input the dimensions of your choice. I went with 1920x1136 since this is the maximum size for Episode backgrounds. Make sure the background color option is off so you'll have a transparent background to work with.

2.

Your background should have a checker board appearance, which indicates that the background is transparent.

The first thing you should do is change the colors on the bottom side of the left menu. This is critical before drawing your rectangle because there is no option on Pixlr E that allows you to change the color afterwards. I would recommend going with a light blue or almost white color for this. The hex code in this example is #a5d5e8. Click on the shapes tool and choose the rectangle at the top.

3.

Draw a large rectangle. Next, edit the transparency of your rectangle by clicking on the three dots under the layers menu and sliding the transparency bar. Feel free to play around with this option.

4. 

When you're satisfied with the outcome, go to file > save, name your image, and choose png before clicking download. You can also save it as PXD file in case you want to go back and adjust the transparency level in the future.