# Change the transparency and blending of an element

You can create interesting effects by adjusting the opacity and blend mode of elements.

When you put a low-opacity element on top of another element, for example, the bottom element shows through the top element. Depending on how high or low you set the opacity, the elements below can be highly visible, partly obscured, or completely blocked from view (at 100-percent opacity).

1. Select the element.
2. In the Format Inspector, click the Style tab.
3. Drag the Opacity slider at the bottom of the Inspector or enter a percentage in the adjacent field.

Blend modes are an advanced compositing feature that can produce creative effects when layering elements.

1. Select the element.

   Note: The element should be overlaid on other content with color for the blending effect to be apparent. Most blending modes have no perceivable effect on a white background.

2. In the Format Inspector, click the Style tab.
3. Choose a blend mode from the popup menu at the bottom of the inspector.

   See Wikipedia for in depth information on the available blend modes.

## See also

Filling Elements with Colors or Images