Practice Files: https://bit.ly/3ouxZWi

Opacity vs. Fill in Photoshop

Opacity:

• Controls: The overall transparency of the entire layer, including its contents and any applied effects.  
   
• Effect: Reducing opacity makes the entire layer more transparent, revealing the layers below.  
   

Fill:

• Controls: The transparency of the layer’s contents only.  
   
• Effect: Reducing fill makes the layer’s content more transparent, but any applied effects (like drop shadows or glows) remain at full opacity.  
   

Key Differences:

• Scope: Opacity affects everything on the layer, while fill only affects the layer’s content.  
   
• Effects: Opacity affects both layer content and effects, while fill only affects content.  
   

Practical Use Cases:

• Opacity: Useful for subtly blending layers or creating overall transparency effects.  
   
• Fill: Useful for isolating effects from the layer’s content, such as creating a glowing text effect without affecting the text’s color.  
   

In essence, opacity controls the overall transparency of the layer, while fill specifically controls the transparency of the layer’s content, allowing you to isolate and fine-tune effects.