The more I work in macOS Big Sur the more I notice its design nuances. One change over previous Mac operating systems is an overall transparent design to OS systems and other Applications. This is not evident in all third party Apps yet, because they have not been updated to Big Sur specs, but it is seen everywhere in Apples Apps in Big Sur including the Finder, Pages and others. Here is what that looks like.

1. Transparencies Mac Os Catalina
2. Transparencies Mac Os X

Boot into Safe Mode (How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support) by booting with the Shift key held down and check there to see if the problem persists. If it does reset the toggle the Reduce Transparency check box a couple of times in the System/Accessibility/Display preference pane. The first thing to do when setting up Transparencies is to set up a Transparency Type. You'll first go to the Schedule ability, select the Transparencies node, and click the green plus sign above the sidebar. A New record item will appear under the Transparency node, and the drawer will open to one side of the MacPractice window.

Big Sur Transparency

There is a type of Transparency built into the Big Sur OS. Many of Apple’s Default Apps including the Finder take advantage of it. Here is what the Finder looks like:

The Finder Sidebar background changes with the Desktop background behind it. Here is the “Favorites” section of the Safari web browser:

Some third party Apps already take advantage of this transparency feature. Here is a sample from the Paste Clipboard App:

And, here is what the Sidebar in the MarsEdit Blogging App looks like in Big Sur:

Finally, here is the Sidebar area of the Ulysses Writing App:

Most of the transparency is in the Sidebar area of these Apps. And, of course, it is evident in the Menu Bar and Dock areas of the operating system as well.

I am sure most third party App Developers will tap into this transparency capability since it is such an integral part of the Big Sur operating system.

Transparencies Mac Os Catalina

Conclusion

Transparencies Mac Os X

This all is not a great epiphany. I just wanted to show you the new look and feel of transparency in the Big Sur OS.