Transparent yttrium oxide ceramics doped with 30 at.% ytterbium were successfully produced by a combination of pre-sintering and hot isostatic pressing. The influence on the final transparency of different densification states and porosity configurations obtained by varying pre-sintering conditions were investigated by optical and electron microscopy. Our results show that densification prior to the final stage of sintering is necessary to limit final porosity. Samples showing open porosity were found to lead to pore entrapment because of the diffusion of argon inside the glass capsule during hot isostatic pressing. Transmittance measurements showed that the valence charge of the ytterbium ions was 3+ at the end of the process, indicating no effect of reduction when pre-sintering in vacuum was employed.