- Where to find it
- Labelled Opacity in the "Selected Column" section of the Modify drawer.
- Per device
- Yes — you can set one value for every screen, or separate values for phone, tablet, and desktop.
- Underlying CSS
opacity
In plain English
Opacity fades the entire column. It takes a number between 0 and 1, where 1 is completely solid (the default), 0.5 is half see-through, and 0 is invisible.
The important word is "entire". Opacity does not just fade the background — it fades the background, the text, the images, the border, and the shadow together, as one. If you only wanted a tinted background, this is the wrong setting: use a translucent colour in Background Color instead.
Its honest uses are secondary content that should recede, watermarks, and a disabled-looking state.
When you would use it
- A decorative background image should sit quietly behind text.
- Secondary or inactive content should visibly recede.
- A watermark needs to be present but unobtrusive.
How to change it
- Select the column, open "Selected Column", then "Opacity".
- Enter a number between 0 and 1. 0.6 is a noticeable fade; 0.9 is a subtle one.
- Check the text is still readable — faded text on a busy background disappears quickly.
Watch out for
- Faded text frequently fails accessibility contrast requirements. Anything a visitor needs to read should stay at full opacity.
- An opacity of 0 hides the column visually but keeps it on the page, taking up space and still reachable by screen readers and keyboard. To genuinely remove it, use Hide Column.
- For a tinted background only, use an rgba or hsla value in Background Color rather than fading the whole column.
Related settings
For developers
The technical reference for what this setting produces: MDN: opacity. You do not need any of it to use the setting — it is there for whoever is building the components or debugging the published page.
Where to go next
- Back to the full attribute reference
- The Composer — the editing surface these settings live in.
- Publishing — how a change like this reaches your live site.