Image viewer background

I am using WordPress 3.1 and NextGen Gallery 1.7.4 with the “Shutter” effect.

My question is about the background on the image viewer. When I click on the thumbnail and view the full size image, the background is darker, but the thumbnails, header/footer, etc are still visible behind the image and are very distracting.

Is there a way to make the background a higher opacity, or a darker black? Or would another effect, other than Shutter, accomplish this?

Alternatively, could it be possible to have the viewer appear on a blank page, rather than on the page with the thumbnails?

Thanks