Windows 8 remove background color from taskbar?

[steogab]

Hey guys, first time poster here. I scanned through the forum and couldn't find this specific question.

Is it possible to make the windows 7 (or 8) taskbar 100% transparent. ie. no color whatsoever so the taskbar icons would just look like they're just sitting on the wallpaper?

I find it hard to believe that I can change the color by default and with the help of "Taskbar Color Effects" I can pick custom colors, change transparency, and even use an image in the taskbar, but I still can't remove the color completely.

Thanks in advance.

I'll add a screenshot with the taskbar removed in PS as an example.

 

[Josephur]

1. Right click desktop, Personalize.
2. Scroll down and choose the High Contrast Black Theme.
3. Click the Color section at bottom of the Personalization screen.
4. Leave this window open.
5. Right click the desktop, Personalize.
6. Click on the Windows theme under Windows Default Themes.
7. You can close this window and return to the original Personalize window that you left open earlier.
8. Hit Save Changes.
9. Your Taskbar is now completely transparent.

You can mess with other settings now to return some portions of the High Contrast theme to something more to your liking, don't forget to save this Theme under a new custom name!

 

[Mavadelo]

1. Right click desktop, Personalize.
2. Scroll down and choose the High Contrast Black Theme.
3. Click the Color section at bottom of the Personalization screen.
4. Leave this window open.
5. Right click the desktop, Personalize.
6. Click on the Windows theme under Windows Default Themes.
7. You can close this window and return to the original Personalize window that you left open earlier.
8. Hit Save Changes.
9. Your Taskbar is now completely transparent.

You can mess with other settings now to return some portions of the High Contrast theme to something more to your liking, don't forget to save this Theme under a new custom name!

maybe works in 8 but not in 8.1. I can leave the window open but when I click personalize the already open window is presented to me, no second window opens

 

[ussnorway]

I can get the default 8.1 screen, almost trans but the effect only stays untill I pick a new image... perhaps replace the default background and save that as default?