How to change a layer's blend mode in Photoshop. Controlling Layer Blending Options

The year is ending. It's time to take stock and make gifts. The main result of this year’s work: the first and second parts of the “Practical Color Correction” course were made based on the seminar material. In this regard, we archived all the seminars, except for “Fundamentals of Color Correction”. There was also a separate lesson on blending modes.

So it will be a gift, but not a one-time gift, but a long-lasting one. A year ago, after a small verbal spat, I decided not to be greedy; I already posted the notes for all the seminars (download links are on the corresponding pages of the website www.fotoproekt.ru). And here I begin to post more detailed articles written for the Photo Workshop magazine.

What questions do we need to answer?

1. Is there a neutral color for this blend mode and, if so, what is it?

Neutral is a color whose overlay does not change the original image. If such a color exists, you can apply a layer filled with it to the image and change the effect by painting on it with other colors. This question is more important than it may seem at first glance, since it is not always possible to reduce impact through opacity (see question 4).

2. How does the degree of influence vary across the full tonal range?

In other words, in which tonal range does the maximum change in brightness occur, in which is the minimum, and how does this effect change? Understanding this will determine whether you select the most appropriate mode for corrections aimed at changing brightness.

Example typical mistake, stemming from a misunderstanding of this issue, is the common recommendation of the Multiply mode when overlaying two channels to create an object mask, when in each channel the object appears light and the background is quite dark. We'll talk more about this when we discuss Multiply.

3. How does contrast change in different tonal ranges?

Local contrast, or the contrast of individual areas of the image (objects in the scene), is very important to us. It is thanks to it that the light and shadow pattern is conveyed, that is, the feeling of the volume of objects. Understanding in which tonal ranges the blending mode increases, decreases, or leaves unchanged the contrast of the source image depends on the effectiveness of its use in corrections aimed at changing local contrast.

Some blending modes completely kill contrast (details disappear, the image degenerates into a monochromatic solid) in certain tonal ranges. This effect can be used when retouching or creating masks, but you also need to be able to protect yourself from it during normal corrections.

4. Does decreasing opacity correspond to decreasing impact?

Reducing the impact means overlaying another color with 100% opacity that has less of an impact on the original image. Reducing the opacity of the overlay layer is often used by users to weaken the corrections being made, but not all blend modes will have the same result as reducing the impact.

A clear example of such a correction (though from a slightly different area) is Gaussian blur. If there is a layer on top of the original image to which a Gaussian Blur with a radius of 50 is applied, reducing its opacity to 50% will not give the same result as blurring the original with a radius of 25.

By understanding the relationship between impact reduction and opacity reduction, you can not only optimize your techniques for working with blend modes, but also guard against some of the negative side effects of using them.

5. What real photographic processes does the blend mode correspond to?

Photoshop is computer version dark room, however, with significantly expanded capabilities. It's no surprise that many of his tools mimic real-life techniques that photographers use in real life. You can find analogies for some blending modes. Sometimes not only photographic, but also general everyday ones.

Firstly, this will help many people quickly understand the logic of the mode. Secondly, it will be possible to quickly adapt darkroom techniques to computer processing. You just have to remember that these analogies have a lot of caveats.

A common caveat for all blend modes is the gamma of the workspace. In a real photographic process, all calculations are made with energetic brightness (gamma 1), in Photoshop we work with perceptual brightness (gamma 2.2). If you want to not just correct “by eye”, but try to get a result that is as close as possible to the real analogue, overlays should be made with gamma 1.

Maximum close does not mean completely identical. Each film has its own characteristic curve of a rather complex shape. Therefore, we will find analogies with some “idealized” film that has a completely linear characteristic.

If the analogies concern changes in exposure, there is a limitation on the scene itself. All its elements must be fixed in the image, that is, fit into dynamic range films.

6. What happens when a picture is superimposed on itself?

This is the simplest question. To take a holistic view, I will not answer it every time, but will provide the answer for all channel modes at the end of this article.

7. How does the result change if the original and correction images are swapped?

The answer to this question may be useful for optimizing the layered structure of the file.

8. What can it be used for? this mode, what are the techniques and features of its practical application?

This is the most favorite question among readers because it hides practice. I will try not only to list these techniques and features, but also to show everything “in pictures”. Perhaps someone will have a desire to skip the previous part and immediately read these “comics”.

I don't recommend doing this. If you understand the theory and look at the application techniques as an illustration of it, you will get it in your hands powerful tool, which you can intelligently apply to solve any problem you face. If you just look at the application examples, you will know (before you forget) how to process exactly the same images as mine.

Blend Mode Normal

Yes, no matter how strange it may sound, this is where we will begin to understand per-channel blending modes. In some descriptions I came across the statement that in Normal mode the images do not interact with each other. Indeed, what kind of interaction can we talk about when the top picture completely covers the bottom one? About the interaction that occurs when reducing the opacity of the overlay layer.

Look at the family of curves that have the same effect on an image as layering a solid 64 luminance solid with varying opacity. At 0% opacity, the image does not change; at 100% opacity, it degenerates into a monochromatic solid. This case corresponds to a horizontal line at level 64.

How does Photoshop calculate brightness at partial opacity? Let's assume that a certain pixel in the picture had a brightness of 192 (A) before correction. Its brightness after correction with 100% opacity is 64 (B). Calculating the brightness as the opacity decreases along the way from point A to point B, the program passes by the same percentage as we set in the Opacity field. The final brightness of the remaining pixels is also calculated. That is, as the opacity decreases, the curve is uniformly pulled up to its initial position.

The formula has the same form for 8-bit mode and normalized brightness, where: s is the brightness of the original image; c is the brightness of the correction image; r is the brightness of the final image; k — the value of the Opacity parameter in percent.

When changing the order of layers, the result is preserved if the opacity of the top layer is changed to 100-k.

IN real life Normal mode corresponds to viewing two scenes through a translucent mirror. The scene visible through light is the original image; the scene visible in reflection is a corrective image; mirror reflectance - Opacity.

In the photo process, the Normal mode corresponds to the exposure of two scenes per frame, provided that the total exposure is adjusted to normal. The first scene is the original image; the second scene is a correction image; the share of exposure of the second scene from the total - Opacity.

An additional caveat to the analogies with reality and the photographic process is the absence in both scenes of light areas that are brighter than the dynamic range of the eye or camera.

IN practical work Reducing opacity is most often used to loosen adjustments made.

What is behind image self-overlay?

The promised answer to the sixth question. Go back to the checkered board and look at the diagonal A(0)-K(255). Her fields have one general property: The brightness of the original image and the adjustment image are equal. This is a case of overlaying a picture on itself in the appropriate mode.

By constructing curves based on the fields " large diagonal", you can easily understand what elementary corrections are hidden behind the self-overlay of the picture in each mode. By the way, for the Overlay and Hard Light modes the curves are the same. The shape of all these curves does not depend on the image, does not take into account its features, and therefore is not optimal for each specific image.

This does not mean that this technique cannot be used. But when using it, you must understand what you are getting into. And if you decide to use it, you don’t need to duplicate it on new layer whole image. Just create any adjustment layer (Curves, Layers, etc.) with zero settings(does not change the image).

Now at your disposal exact copy source image on a separate layer, you can set it desired mode overlays. This way, you will not only avoid unnecessary weighting of the file, but also get the opportunity to retouch the original image without redoing the top layer.

Next time we will look at the first pair -

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In the left top corner layers palette is located drop-down list of blending modes. Perhaps you've already clicked on it with the mouse and managed to be frightened by the number of them - from brightening modes to darkening modes and further to those that, at first glance, do nothing at all.

For example, if one layer overlaps another, the top one can either completely cover the bottom one, or the layers can overlap each other in some way.

There are a lot of places in Photoshop where you can encounter them, for example:

in the Layer Style dialog box, where you can add effects such as shadow, glow, etc.;
in the dialog boxes of some filters;
in the Fill and Stroke dialog boxes;
in the Options panel, when using a tool that you can paint with - Brush, Fill, Healing Brush, Pencil, Stamp, History Brush, Gradient, Blur, Sharpen and Smudge;
in the Calculations and External Channel dialog boxes.

When working with blending modes, it is convenient to think of the colors that make up layers as consisting of three elements:

base color - the one you started with, the one that is already in the image;
overlay color - which you add to the base color by adding an image to the document on a new layer or painting with the Brush tool on another layer (other than the base one);
the resulting color - which is obtained after mixing the base and overlay colors in a certain mode overlays

To help you sort it out, modes are grouped into categories based on their neutral color—that is, a color that doesn't cause any change. For example, some ignore white, some ignore black, etc.

Let's look at all types of blending modes and how their use affects the image as a whole.

So here are two pictures. I'll apply all the blending modes one by one on the top one, so we can observe the interaction of the layers.

Blend modes Normal and Dissolve

They are at the very top of the list and here is what they do:

Normal

Installed by default and does not provide any overlay; pixels located above completely cover those located below them.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+N

Fade or Dissolve

Turns translucent pixels into a set of dots, as if sprayed from an aerosol can (if there are no translucent pixels in the image, it will not change). Not very useful unless you need to make an object's shadow rough rather than smooth.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+I

Darkening blend modes

They darken your image. When using these modes, a darker one is selected from the base and overlay colors, on the basis of which the resulting one is created. They come in very handy when you need to replace a light background with a darker one. The neutral color in the category is white, which means that white has no effect on the overlay and all parts of the image that are colored with that color disappear.

Darken

Photoshop analyzes the base and overlay colors and creates a resulting color based on their darkest components. Any color on the layer above that is darker than the color on the layer below remains unchanged, and any lighter colors on the layer below disappear.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+K

Multiplication

Photoshop increases the base color by the amount of the overlay color. This mode can be thought of as applying two layers of ink when printing, since the resulting color will always be darker than the main one. It can perform many interesting tasks, including correcting underexposed or overexposed images (sometimes called "knockout").

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+M

Darkening the base (Color Burn)

It darkens the image, increasing overall contrast. If used with 50 percent gray, it will increase the color intensity of the layers below.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+B

An example of using an overlay is:

Linear Burn

It actually combines Multiply and Darken the base. Photoshop darkens the image by reducing the brightness. Linear Burn produces the darkest result color of all the burn blend modes, although it has slightly more contrast than the others.

It tends to color dark pixels black, making it ideal for messy, textured collages like the one below.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+A

Darker Color

Here the base and overlay colors are compared and those pixels that are darker are retained. No overlap occurs - the lighter colors disappear.

Lightening Blend Modes

Replacement with light (Lighten)

Photoshop compares all the components of the base and overlay colors and saves the lighter ones, from which it forms the resulting color.

Darker components are ignored, so it is excellent for removing black backgrounds.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+G

Screen

In this mode, Photoshop multiplies the opposite colors of the base and overlay, giving much lighter result colors, as if a bottle of bleach had been spilled on the image. This mode is great for correcting images that are too dark or underexposed (for example, if your camera's flash didn't fire.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+S

Lightening the base (Color Dodge)

The image is brightened by decreasing the contrast. The mode tends to color light pixels white, but unlike other brightening modes, it preserves black pixels, so the dark parts of the image are not affected. This mode, together with 50% gray, can be used to add a little shine to your hair, for example.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+D

Linear Dodge (Add)

It brightens the image, increasing brightness. Combines the Screen and Color Dodge modes, and therefore brightens the image more than any other blend mode. But since it tends to recolor all light pixels white, the resulting image may look unnatural.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+W

Lighter Color

Photoshop compares the base and overlay colors and keeps only the lighter pixels. Unlike Lighten, it does not combine any colors, but only leaves the lighter ones.

Lighting blend modes

Unlike the brighten and darken modes, lighting blend modes darken and lighten your image a little, increasing contrast. Their neutral color is 50 percent gray, which does not affect the resulting color; he just disappears.

Overlay

If the overlay color is darker than 50 percent gray, then Photoshop multiplies its color value by the value of the base color. If the overlay color is lighter than 50 percent gray, multiplies its color value by the inverse of the base color value. And if the overlay color is 50 percent gray, then it has no effect on the resulting color. It can be used to increase contrast or colorize a grayscale image.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+O

Soft Light

As the name suggests, it illuminates images soft light. As a result, light areas become lighter (as if they were brightened) and dark areas become darker (as if they were darkened). Painting with black will darken the underlying image, while painting with white will lighten it.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+F

Hard Light

Combines Multiply and Screen: if the overlay color is lighter than 50% gray, the image becomes lighter; if the overlay color is darker, the image becomes darker. If you really want to highlight the details of the image, you can use this mode in conjunction with a filter Emboss.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+H

Vivid Light

Photoshop uses chroma burning to increase the contrast of colors that are darker than 50 percent gray, and chroma dodge to decrease the contrast of colors that are lighter than 50 percent gray. Use this mode if you need to "squeeze" an image or add texture to it.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+V

Linear Light

Combines Linear Dimmer and Linear clarifier: The first is used to reduce the brightness of colors that are darker than 50 percent gray; the second is to increase the brightness of colors that are lighter than 50 percent gray.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+J

Pin Light

Combines the Lighten and Burn modes: if the overlay color is lighter than 50% gray, then areas painted in a base color darker than 50% gray change to the overlay color; and those pixels whose color is lighter than 50 percent gray do not change at all. But if the overlay color is darker than 50 percent gray, it replaces the color of the lighter areas with the overlay color, but the darker areas are left unchanged. This mode is rarely used, as it produces strange results (or may not produce any at all), but it is still worth experimenting with it - especially in combination with filters.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+Z

Hard Mix

Dramatically reduces the number of colors in an image (an effect known as posterization), so you end up with large areas of very bright red, green and blue colors. In this mode, Photoshop analyzes the sum of the overlay color values and adds them to the base color. For example, if the value of the red, green or blue channels is 255, then it is added to the base color; if the value is less than 255, then 0 is added. The effect of the mode can be weakened by decreasing it in the upper part of the layers palette.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+L

Comparative blend modes

This category should be called “psychedelic modes.” The two modes included in it are similar and both produce strange results, suitable only for creating posters for horror films or “dirty” collages. However, as you will soon see, sometimes they can be useful. Neutral color is black.

Difference

The brightness of the base and overlay colors is analyzed and subtracted from the brighter pixels. If white is used as the overlay color, the program inverts the base color, turning the image into a negative. If black is superimposed on the image, nothing happens. It's unlikely you'll use it.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift-t-Alt+E

Exception

Similar to Difference, but the result is a little less contrasting. Overlay white inverts the base color, overlaying black does not change it.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+X

Hue-based blend modes

Hue

Preserves the lightness and saturation (color intensity) values of the base color and adds the hue of the overlay color. If you want to change the color of an object without making it lighter or darker, use this mode. However, it cannot add color that is not present in the image and is therefore not suitable for coloring grayscale images.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+U

Saturation

Maintains the vibrancy and hue of the base color and adds richness to the overlay color. If you want to increase the intensity of the colors in your image, it will help you. It can also be used to decolorize an area of an image by painting it black. Because black has no saturation value, it reduces the saturation of the colors it is superimposed on.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+T

Color

Photoshop preserves the brightness of the base color and replaces its hue and saturation with the corresponding values of the overlay color. It is very convenient to use for coloring grayscale images.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift-bAlt+C

Luminosity

Preserves the hue and saturation of the base color and adds vibrancy to the overlay color. Use it to sharpen an image or when using Levels and Curves adjustment layers.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift+Alt+Y

Subtraction

Simply subtracts 8-bit color values on each channel from each pixel of each layer. If the result is negative, the color will be black. If you superimpose a picture on itself in this mode, it will turn black.

Divide

Divides the 8-bit value from each layer by each other.

So, summarizing all of the above, we come to the conclusion that blending modes are needed in order to save time during processing. With their help, you can make corrections that are difficult to achieve using adjustment layers.

If you notice an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thank you!

Blend Mode ( Blending Modes) determines how pixels in the overlay layer interact with pixels in the underlying layer. Knowing the algorithms for blending modes makes working in Photoshop much easier.

For each layer, the default blending mode is set to Normal. As a result, the content of the overlay layer's image completely overlaps the content of the underlying layer. Photoshop has several blending modes that provide different options for blending the pixels of the overlay layer onto the original one.

Layer blend modes are located in the drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the Layers palette. Blend modes are also used by painting tools and are found in the drop-down menu of the tool's settings palette. But blending modes become the most powerful tool when used with layers.

Blend modes are divided into six groups:

Basic- replace base pixels.
Darkening (Darken)- darken the base pixels.
Lightening- brighten the base pixels.
Contrast- increase the contrast of base pixels.
Comparative- the result depends on the difference between the layers.
Component (HSL)- determine the result by brightness and color between layers.

To receive best result, with some blending modes it is recommended to reduce Opacity layer. As with other Photoshop tools, only experimentation will help you understand the algorithms for how blending modes work.

To help you understand how blending modes work in Photoshop, I have prepared examples of blending one image over another in different modes. In all the examples, I'll be changing the blend mode on the top image layer to create colored gradient stripes. And I will apply it to the bottom layer with the image of the stalker.

BASIC

Normal- the pixels of the top layer are opaque and therefore completely overlap the bottom layer. Only by reducing the Opacity of the top layer will we be able to see the bottom layer.

Dissolve- combines the top layer with the bottom adding a noise effect. To see the result, you need to reduce the Opacity of the top layer (in the example below - 80%).

DARKENING (DARKEN)

Darken- compares the colors of the top and bottom layers and mixes pixels in places where the top layer is darker than the bottom.

Multiplication- multiplies the colors of the top layer with the colors of the bottom layer and creates an overall darker result. If the top color is white, no changes will occur.

Darkening the base (Color Burn)- darkens the image using the contents of the top layer and increases color saturation. This mode gives a strong effect, but if the top layer is white, no changes will occur.

Linear Burn- uses the same approach as previous mode, but with a stronger darkening effect. Also, no changes will occur if the top layer is white.

Darker color- similar to the Darken mode, except that it does not work per channel, but on all channels. As a result of its application, only those pixels that are darker than the pixels of the underlying layer remain visible on the overlay layer.

LIGHTENING

Replacement with light (Lighten)- compares the colors of the top and bottom layers and mixes pixels in places where the top layer is lighter than the bottom.

Lightening (Screen)- Performs the same calculations as the Multiply mode, but uses inverted values to show the final result. Brightens the image.

Lightening the base ( Color Dodge) - brightens the image using the contents of the top layer and increases color saturation. If the top layer is black, no changes will occur.

Linear Dodge- similar to the Screen mode, produces a stronger brightening effect. If the top layer is black, no changes will occur.

Lighter color- similar to the Lighten mode, except that it works not per channel, but on all channels. As a result of its application, only those pixels that are lighter than the pixels of the underlying layer remain visible on the overlay layer.

CONTRAST

Overlay- when overlaying the top layer on the bottom, combines the Multiply and Screen effects depending on the brightness of the pixels of the top layer. If the top layer is filled with 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Soft Light- similar to the Overlay mode, but creates a more moderate effect. If the top layer is filled with 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Hard Light- the principle of operation is the same as that of the Overlay mode, but with a stronger effect. Dark pixels on the top layer are darkened similarly to the Multiply mode, and light pixels are lightened similar to the Screen mode. If the top layer is filled with 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Vivid Light- depending on the brightness of the pixels of the top layer, darkening occurs according to the principle of the Color Burn mode, and lightening occurs according to the principle of the Color Dodge mode, but with a stronger impact. If the top layer is filled with 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Linear Light- similar to the previous mode, but with a stronger effect. If the top layer is filled with 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Pin Light- mixes the light pixels of the top layer using the Lighten mode, and the dark pixels of the top layer using the Darken mode. If the top layer is filled with 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Hard Mix- creates an image with even tones, limited colors and a large number pasteurization. The illumination of the top layer is superimposed on the colors of the bottom layer.

COMPARATIVE

Difference- displays the tonal difference between two layers. This mode is usually used for technological purposes, and not for direct processing of the original image.

Exception- similar to the previous mode, but with a less strong effect.

COMPONENT (HSL)

Hue- combines the color tone of the top layer with the brightness and saturation of the bottom layer.

Saturation- combines the saturation of the top layer with the brightness and color tone of the bottom layer.

Color- combines the hue and saturation of the top layer with the brightness of the bottom layer.

Luminosity- combines the brightness of the top layer with the hue and saturation of the bottom layer.

Working with layers is one of the most powerful features of Photoshop. No serious retouching is complete without working with layers.

Layer blend modes are a big and complex topic. In this article you can familiarize yourself with layer blending modes and their descriptions. The article will primarily be of interest to beginners and those who have just begun to study the topic of layers in Photoshop, and it will also be useful as a cheat sheet on blending modes.

First, let's look at the layers panel.

Above the layers is a menu for selecting blending mode, opacity (Opacity) and filling (Fill).

Note. I am often asked the question - how is Opacity different from Fill? The answer is that Fill affects the transparency of only the layer pixels, but Opacity affects the opacity of the pixels and layer effects.

Lock transparent areas - you will only be able to change areas filled with pixels.
Lock image pixels - Prevents pixels from being modified using drawing tools.
Lock position - prevents pixels from moving.
Lock the entire layer.

Bottom panel:

Creating a link between layers - you can link two or more layers or groups to each other. Unlike selecting multiple layers, linked layers remain linked until you unlink them.
Applying effects to layers - opens the selection of effects and their control.
Adding a mask to a layer - a regular, white mask is created, and if you hold Alt and click on the button, an opaque mask is created.
Creating an adjustment layer - unlike a regular correction, say Curves - the adjustment layer can be changed at any time.
Creating a folder for layers is very convenient when you work with a large number of layers and group them.
Create a new layer.
Deleting a layer.

Now let's move directly to layer blending modes.

Layer blending modes

Initially we have such a landscape picture. At the top we have a layer with 50% opacity, below there are two layers with 100% opacity. Two are opaque so that you can see the difference against the background of the sky and against the background of the grass.

Basic - Main group

Normal- The pixels of the top layer are opaque and therefore cover the bottom layer. Changing the opacity of the top layer will make it translucent and cause it to blend into the other layer.

Dissolve- Combines the top layer with the bottom using a pixel pattern. There will be no effect if the top layer has 100% opacity. Reduce the opacity to reveal the effect.

Darken - Darkening group

Darken- Compares two sources and replaces light pixel values with dark pixel values.

Multiply- Darkens the entire image. Useful when you need to increase the density of highlights and midtones. Multiply is like viewing two slides overlaid on top of each other. If the top layer is white, no changes will occur.

Color Burn- Allows you to get a darker image with increased contrast. If the top layer is white, no changes will occur.

Linear Burn- A stronger combination of Multiply and Color Burn blending modes, dark pixels are converted to black. If the top layer is white, no changes will occur.

Darker color- Similar to Darken mode, except that it works on all layers at once, rather than on just one. When you blend two layers, only the dark pixels will remain visible.

Lighten - Lightening group

Lighten- The opposite mode to the Darken mode, darkens dark pixels with lighter ones.

Screen- Brightens the entire image. Use it to brighten dark areas of an image, as well as to bring out detail in underexposed images.

Color Dodge- The effect of Color Dodge mode is similar to Screen, but is noticeably stronger in light areas due to the development of more saturated and contrasting colors bottom layer. Based on the Dodge tool, which simulates underexposure in the photographic process.

Linear Dodge (Add)- Combination of Screen and Color Dodge modes; light values are converted to white. If the top layer is black, there will be no effect.

Lighter Color- Compares the values of all channels of both layers and displays lighter pixels.

Contrast - Contrast increase group

Overlay- Darkens dark pixels (Multiply) and brightens (Screen) light ones, which increases contrast without truncation of shadows and highlights. If the top layer is 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Soft Light- A combination of Dodge mode, which brightens light pixels, and Burn mode, which darkens dark pixels. Increases contrast slightly less than Overlay and Hard Light modes. If the top layer is 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Hard Light- Uses the same method as Overlay mode, but the effect is stronger. If the top layer is lighter than 50% gray, then the top layer is lightened through Screen, and if it is darker, it is darkened through Multiply. If the top layer is 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Vivid Light- If the top layer is lighter than 50% gray, then the top layer is lightened by decreasing the contrast (Color Burn), and if it is darker, it is darkened by increasing the contrast (Color Dodge). If the top layer is 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Linear Light- Similar to Vivid Light mode. If the top layer is lighter than 50% gray, then the top layer is lightened by increasing the brightness (Linear Burn), and if it is darker, then it is darkened by decreasing the brightness (Linear Dodge). If the top layer is 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Pin Light- Combines Darken and Lighten modes to replace pixel values. If the top layer is lighter than 50% gray, the pixels are brightened using the Lighten mode, and if darker than 50% gray, the pixels are darkened using the Darken mode. If the top layer is 50% gray, there will be no effect.

Hard Mix- Brightens light pixels and darkens dark pixels to threshold values. This leads to extreme posterization. The glow of the top layer mixes with the color of the bottom.

Comparative - comparison group

Difference- Represents identical pixels as black, similar ones as dark gray, and opposite ones as inverted. If the top layer is black, there will be no changes. Practical Application This mode can be seen in the article.

Exclusion- Similar to Difference mode, but provides less contrast. Overlaying with black does not result in any change, but overlaying with white pixels results in an inversion of the compared values, causing them to appear in gray.

HSL - Image Component Group

Hue- Combines the Luminance and Saturation of the bottom layer with the Hue of the top layer.

Saturation- Combines the Luminance and Hue of the bottom layer with the Saturation of the top layer.

Color- Combines the Hue and Saturation of the top layer and the Luminance of the bottom layer.

Luminosity- Opposite Color mode. Combines the Luminance of the top layer and the Hue and Saturation of the bottom layer.

Working in Photoshop requires mastery of such a simple, but often underappreciated feature as Blending Modes. At large quantities other great tools, it's easy to neglect, but it should still be part of your toolkit.

Where are the blend modes?
The main reason why Blending Modes are ignored is their location: right on the Layers Palette.

They are easy to miss because they are always in plain sight. Simply rip out the layer (or layers) and assign a Blending Mode.

What is Blend Mode?
You can break down the Blend Modes into physical blocks in the drop-down menu: Darken, Lighten, Saturation, Subtraction and Color modes.

Now that you have learned what components this tool can be logically divided into, it will be much easier to understand what the different modes are used for.

When should you use Blend Modes?
Blend Modes have many uses, although sometimes, when there are so many different filters available, they can seem overkill. Below is an example of using Blend Mode to create a tint.

Instead of using a Hue/Saturation filter, or any other filter base image(Layer 1 in the example above), we can simply layer the color we want on top of the layer, and use the Blending Mode to achieve the desired shade. You can use the arrow buttons to cycle through the different modes, but if you're sure you just want to overlay color on top of the image, Screen mode is a good place to start.

Blend Modes cannot be modified, meaning you cannot customize them. But you don't need that! The effects of different modes can be adjusted by the Opacity and Fill opacity parameters. If you can't find an effect that completely suits your requirements, choose the one that suits you best and experiment with the Layer Opacity or Fill opacity.

Other uses of Blend Modes
As you probably guessed, you can stack individual layers on top of each other to get amazing effects. The example below uses our original photo with an image of car headlights superimposed on it. At Help Hard Light (Hard Light) and lowering the Fill Opacity, you can get very interesting effect, with almost unlimited editing resources:

And also apply Overlay Modes in batches! In the example below you can see the overlay of our shade on top of both previous layers.

Thus, almost limitless possibilities open up before us. But first of all, it should be noted that to achieve the same goal, Blend Modes give us much more freedom and flexibility than using conventional static effects such as Hue/Saturation.

Working examples
Using a random source photo and texture, we will demonstrate how each effect affects the image. It is important to place the texture directly above original photo on the layers palette. We set the overlay opacity to 100% or 50% so you can easily replicate the experiment yourself.

The natural landscape served as our source image:

Texture:

A closer look at Blend Modes:
Now let's look at each mode individually and study it in more detail!

Normal at 50%
Uses some part (as a percentage) of the overlay image. 100% means full use images, while 0% do not use it at all.

Dissolve at 50%
Selects random pixels from an image and adds them to the base. Just like Normal mode, at 100% it completely uses the image, and at 0% it doesn’t use it at all.

Darken
Compares the overlay image to the base image, and leaves only the darker pixels.

Multiplication
Takes information about each pixel, multiplies its 8-bit color code by the base pixel code, and divides by 255. The result will always be more dark color. The only exception is the overlay of white color.

Darkening the base (Color Burn)
Takes the 8-byte value of each base channel and divides by the overlay layer channel. The result will be a higher contrast image, and usually a darker one.

Linear Burn
Adds the two 8-bit color values of each channel, and subtracts 255 from the result. The result is that dark areas become even darker, while lighter areas become more contrasty.

Darker Color at 50%
Instead of using the 8-bit code for each channel, it checks all channels and leaves only the darkest ones.

Replacement with light, 50% (Lighten at 50%)
The opposite of Darker mode. It leaves only the lightest pixels from each layer.

Screen
The opposite of Multiplication. It inverts the pixels of the overlay image, and multiplies it with the pixels of the base image.

Lightening the base (Color Dodge)
Divides the pixels of the base layer into inverted pixels of the overlay layer.

Linear Dodge (Add)
Adds 8-bit color codes pixels of each layer. Can be compared with Screen mode, only the contrast is even stronger. If the base layer is black, no changes will occur.

Lighter Color
Works the same as Light Replace, only it cycles through all channels, not just the base channels. Leaves only the lightest pixels.

Overlay
Uses a combination of Screen and Multiply modes, making the image even more contrasting.

Soft Light
Same as Overlay, but the contrast is less strong.

Hard Light
Same as Overlay, but with stronger contrast.

Vivid Light
Combination of Lightening and Darkening. The work is based on the parameters of the superimposed image.

Linear Light
Same as Bright Light, but creates stronger contrast.

Pin Light
Combines the pixels of the overlay image using the Dodge mode and the dark pixels of the background using Burn.