Transparent GUI in Windows Forms

My article is about a prototype POS system for grocery stores or 24 hours mini marts using Transparency graphical user interface.

My article is about a prototype POS system for grocery stores or 24 hours mini marts using Transparency graphical user interface.

Transparency in MS Visual C# works similar to chroma keys in Adobe After Effects or Premiere. All you have to do is set a color key to make it transparent.

1. As you create a form as Form1, go to Form1 properties and set TransparencyKey to Black.

2. Then set your Backcolor of your form to Black.

3. In Photoshop or any image editing tools, create an GUI or layout design then save as PNG format.

4. In Form1 properties, set BackgroundImage and select the PNG image you created from Photoshop or other image editing tools.

5. Set also the FormBorderStyle to None and Opacity to 95%.

6. Then run your project. You'll see the transparency works well. :)

See my sample source code.