How to Make a PDF Transparent? (Easy and Fast)

Sometimes you need to make a PDF background transparent for many different reasons. One major reason for that people need to make a PDF transparent is that they want to add a watermark to the PDF, or they want to make an interactive form that blends in with the background of a document, or create a layering effect with different elements in a PDF.

However, it can be difficult to figure out how to make a PDF transparent, and you can run into some issues. Not all PDF tools can support transparent backgrounds, or sometimes the file is too large, or the PDF tool has issues rendering a transparent background.

This article will help you learn exactly how to make a PDF background transparent, looking at three different tools, and including some frequently asked questions about transparent backgrounds in PDFs, logos, and signatures. After reading this article, you will be able to quickly and easily make a transparent background for any PDF.

Part 1. How to Make a PDF Background Transparent with UPDF?

You can use UPDF to easily make a PDF background transparent. UPDF has powerful PDF processing tools, and it works quickly and efficiently to edit and customize PDFs to fit your exact needs.UPDF supports making the image, color, and PDF backgrounds transparent. In addition, you can also edit the PDF after making the background transparent.

Click the link below to download PDF and follow along with our step-by-step guide on how to make your PDF background transparent.

Step 1: Open UPDF and upload the PDF document that you want to edit the background of. You can clearly see that the background of this certificate is too dark to read the text, so we want to make the background transparent.

Step 2: Select Page Tools, and then at the top of the Page Tools dashboard, click on Background.

Step 3: On the background layer, select the Edit option.

Step 4: In the background editor, you will see an option for opacity. To make the background totally transparent, drag the slider down to 0%.

Step 5: Now the background of the certificate is transparent and we can read the text! When you are happy with the results, you can select the purple Save button on your PDF.

And now that you are done, you can make additional changes to your PDF. You can use all of UPDF's tools to add more text or images, highlight text with annotation tools, add comments using a sticky note, use AI to chat with the document or ask general questions, translate the contents of the PDF, and more. This will make your workflow more smooth and quick because you do not need to change tools to edit your PDF, you can do everything directly in UPDF!

You can read this review of UPDF or watch this video tutorial to learn more. When you're ready to start using the powerful features, click the link below to download UPDF.

Part 2. How to Make a PDF Transparent in Adobe?

You can also make a PDF background transparent in Adobe if you have access to Adobe Acrobat. However, Adobe Acrobat has some limitations - mostly the cost. It is very expensive to have a monthly subscription to Adobe, and you need the paid version of Adobe to access most of its PDF editing tools. Adobe is powerful, but not very cost effective, so it can be difficult to use for students or small businesses. This method of using Adobe to make a PDF transparent is also a little complicated.

Here are the steps for making a transparent background for a PDF in Adobe:

Step 1: Open the PDF that you want to work with. On the right side of Adobe Acrobat, select Edit PDF.

Step 2: This will open up some options at the top of the screen. Select More, then Background.

Step 3: In the background menu, select Add. You will have to add a background layer before making it transparent.

Step 4: You can add a background image or a color. Either upload an image file or choose the color that you want to make your background.

Step 5: Since this color is too dark, go down to the Opacity slider, and either move the slider all the way to the left, or input 0%. When you are happy with how the Preview Page looks, click OK. Remember that you then must save these changes to your PDF in Adobe Acrobat.

Part 3. How to Make a PDF Transparent in  Photoshop?

You can also use Photoshop to make the background of a PDF transparent. However, because Photoshop is a very powerful photo editing tool, it has many complicated features that can make editing PDFs very difficult. Learning Photoshop is hard, and there are many other easier ways to edit PDFs and apply a transparent background to a PDF.

However, if Photoshop is the only tool you have, you can still follow these steps for making a PDF background transparent in Photoshop:

Step 1: Open Photoshop and upload the PDF that you want to work with. Then, unlock the background layer (the lock symbol on the far right side).

Step 2: Click on the Layers symbol at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a sticky note), and add a new layer. You should then drag and drop the new layer so that it appears under the background layer.

Step 3: Make sure the background layer is highlighted before completing this next step. Go to the left side, and click on the Magic Wand Tool.

Step 4: Click anywhere on the background with the Magic Wand tool. This will automatically select anything on your PDF that isn't part of the background, including images, text boxes, and more. Click Ctr+X (on a PC) or Command+X (on a Mac), and the background will automatically be deleted.

Step 5: You can now save a new copy of your PDF by going to File, then Save As, and selecting PDF.

Final Words

Now you know a few different ways to make a PDF transparent, whether you want to customize the background of your PDF, or the background is too dark to see any text. Whatever your reasons for making the background of a PDF transparent, based on the methods above, we recommend using UPDF since that method is fast, easy, accurate, and you don't have to follow complicated instructions, which means you'll save time and energy to make your PDFs transparent.

To get started editing and customizing your PDFs, click the link below to download UPDF.