A transparent background lets your artwork sit cleanly on top of websites, videos, slides, and other images. In Paint 3D, transparency is a canvas setting: switch it on before you draw, and everything you do not paint stays see-through. If you want to cut a person or object out of an existing photo instead, follow our background removal tutorial.

Create artwork on a transparent canvas

1. Click Menu > New to start a blank project.
2. Open the Canvas tab and switch on Transparent canvas. The white background turns into a grey checkerboard pattern, which means transparent.
3. Set the canvas size you need, for example 512 x 512 px for an icon or 1000 x 1000 px for a logo.
4. Draw with the brushes, add shapes, or type text. Anything you leave blank stays transparent.

Save as a transparent PNG

1. Click Menu > Save as > Image.
2. Choose PNG as the file type.
3. Make sure the Transparency box is ticked, then click Save.

Use PNG, not JPEG. JPEG files cannot store transparency, so any transparent area turns white when saved as JPEG.

Make an existing image’s background transparent

If the background is a plain color, open the image, switch on Transparent canvas, then use Select or Magic Select to isolate the part you want to keep and delete the rest. For photos with busy backgrounds, Magic Select gives the cleanest result.

FAQ