Articles on: Layers

How do I change the opacity of background layers?

Set how visible your background Layers appear — from 25% to 100% — in the Layers sidebar's Settings. This lets you customize how faded non-active Layers look when your active Layer is on top.

The three Layer states

Before adjusting opacity, it helps to know the three states a Layer can be in:

Active — the Layer you're currently editing. Marked with bolded text and a pencil icon. Always displayed at 100% — opacity doesn't affect it.
Visible Background — a Layer that's shown but not active. Eye icon is open. Displayed at whatever opacity you've set here.
Hidden Background — a Layer that's hidden. Eye icon is closed. Doesn't show at all.

See How do I show or hide layers? for a full walkthrough.

Setting the opacity

Tap Layers on the Top Toolbar:

✅ TIP: If the Layers icon isn't showing in the Top Toolbar, touch or click the plus sign on the right side to show additional icons. To pin it permanently, see Customizing the Top Toolbar.

Tap the 3-dot menu at the top right of the Layers sidebar, then choose Settings:

Tap the percentage number, then use the slider to set your preferred opacity. The default is 50%; the range is 25% to 100%:

All your visible-background Layers now display at the chosen opacity.

What's Next

How to Show/Hide Layers

How do I change my default Layer name?

How to Merge Layers

Updated on: 13/06/2026

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