• Blending modes. Method of analysis. Blending modes

    Blend modes in Photoshop, at first glance, are not simple theme. There really is nothing simpler than blending modes in Photoshop. All you need to do is explain them correctly. And you will see this for yourself. Blend Modes Blending mode s, scattered throughout Photoshop. They're in toolbars, they're in layers, they're in styles. We'll talk about blending modes in the Layers panel, although the role of modes is the same no matter where they are found. How do our venerable Photoshoppers from other sites usually cover Blending modes?

    I went through the top lessons and articles that I found in Google And Yandex. IN best case scenario pros take 1-2 photos. And apply all the blending modes to them in turn, right down the list, from top to bottom. Of course, in a couple of options the “effect” turns out to be interesting, in other options it turns out to be darkness and horror. Some of the examples are impossible to understand, despite the description. Because the picture is some kind of nonsense, and it’s not clear at all why and what this particular mode is for.

    Each mode was created for its own individual situation. You can’t apply them all to the same photo and conclude that this couple of modes are good, and it’s better to never use the rest.

    When I started working in Photoshop, I also read these articles and could not understand anything. Blend modes seemed to me like some kind of chaotic effects that I don’t understand how they create or what effects when layers are superimposed on each other, and there is no way to understand what they do and what they are intended for. A simple, stupid selection of modes, oh, this looks good, I’ll leave it. In reality, you don't need to understand the entire list of 25 modes. It is enough to understand only three of them.

    That's right, three blending modes and you become a master of blending modes. Never again will you click through all 25 modes in a row, because now you know exactly what effect you want to get and what to achieve. And these three blend modes, of course, Multiply, Screen And Overlay.

    How do Blending Modes work?

    One glance at the menu with overlay modes is enough to understand that they are not arranged chaotically. All modes Blending mode grouped. We will analyze the 3 largest groups of these modes. Burn, lighten and contrast groups. Each group has its own priority mode. In the dimming group it is Multiply, in the lightening group it is Screen, in the contrast group Overlay. All other modes in each group are just varieties and variations of these three. Therefore, having understood how they work Multiply, Screen And Overlay you'll instantly understand 17 of the 25 blend modes.

    When blending layers, Photoshop is guided by the tone of the layer. Hue and degree of lightness of the layer Lightnes. How does this happen? For example, I will choose 3 options for red.

    • The first sample is pure red R255 G0 B0
    • The second option is pure light red, with a high degree of white Lightnes R255 G130 B130
    • The third option is an insufficiently saturated red R180 G76 B76

    Among other things, half of each rectangle contains a non-colored area, to which I applied Desaturate. They are a black and white mirror of their colored counterparts, clearly demonstrating how light the colored rectangles are, if we consider only this parameter.

    Photoshop evaluates the top and bottom layers. In the case of the Multiply, Screen and Overlay modes for Photoshop, the most important thing is the level of lightness and darkness. In each mode, Photoshop either removes dark pixels, or removes light ones, or both. Next, Photoshop adds a color tone. For example, I chose the mode Multiply and that's what happens.

    Photoshop calculates the lightness level of objects. In case of mode Multipy Photoshop kills all the light pixels making the graphics darker. Actually Multiply does the same thing that a printer does when it sprays one paint on top of another. Overlapping colors become darker. In those places where the gradient turns gray, rectangles appear. However, more on this below.

    Multiply blend mode

    Multiply mode is a dimming mode. When we assign a layer mode Multiply, Photoshop analyzes the layer below and kills all the light areas of the layer with Multiply. The white areas disappear completely. Light grays become translucent. But the blacks remain. In mode Multiply dark pixels always win.

    In the picture below I have a black and white gradient in the background. And four rectangles with gradients of black and pure colors.

    After applying the mode Multiply the light areas of the rectangles disappear. And this is how the regime works Multiply. The rest of the blending modes in the Burn group work exactly the same, with varying degrees of dissolution of white areas and contrast.

    Multiply application example

    For my example I will select and image drawn Shillien Black. First I put Adriana Lima on work area. Next I background, we don't need him.

    Below Adriana's layer I place another layer of paper texture. For Adriana I apply the blending mode Multiply.

    To finalize the result, I attach two color correction layers to Adriana Levels And Hue Saturation.

    You can download the source file with all layers at the end of the article. And this is one way to work with blending mode Multiply.

    Screen blend mode

    Screen acts opposite to the regime Multiply. Instead of darkening, it brightens. The image below shows the familiar gradient and rectangles. When you turn on the mode Screen Dark areas disappear from rectangles. And that's how it works Screen. This time the bright pixels win. Light areas remain, slightly light areas intensify, dark areas go away.

    In our case, Screen completely dissolves the black pixels of the last rectangle, but leaves the tonal colors of the rest, only slightly brightening them. The rest of the blending modes in the dodge group work exactly the same way. The variations are different, the principle is the same. Black pixels go away, white pixels remain and increase their meaning.

    Screen application example

    I'm using the same texture, but this time I'm darkening it a little and lowering the saturation to make the effect more pronounced.

    On top of the texture I put a photo of clouds.

    And now I use the blend mode Screen.

    And for comparison, the mode Screen and mode Multiply in one bottle. In the first case, light pixels win. In the second, Black wins.

    Overlay blend mode

    Unlike the darken and lighten modes Multiply And Screen, Overlay is the contrast mode. What does it mean? This means that Overlay kills those close to 50% Gray pixels, leaving only pronounced dark and pronounced light. He superimposes these areas on the image, enhancing the contrast of the picture. The image below shows how the middle part of the gradient has dissolved.

    The rest of the blending modes from the Contrast group work exactly the same, with minor variations. With an example close to reality, the mode Overlay interacts as follows.

    Example of using Overlay

    Undoubtedly, this mode is worth using in cases where we want to increase the contrast of the image + get some interesting interactions. I select Adriana Lima again, but this time I don't mask out the background. To Lima itself I will apply Hue Saturation and lower the tone saturation so that the skin color does not “burn out” when the contrast increases.

    Now I'll place the texture on top of Lima and apply a blend mode to it Overlay. To make the effect more expressive, I darken the texture a little using a color correction layer. Then the dark pixels will be much more pronounced. Consequently, the contrast will also increase.

    If you have read this article to the end, then I am sure that now you will not work with blending modes Blending Mode, like a blind kitten, calling out modes in vain at random. Now you know exactly what the different groups of blending modes do and in what situations you should use them. I'll talk about other blending modes in future articles and tutorials.

    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 on the left top corner 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:

    1. Basic- replace base pixels.
    2. Darkening (Darken)- darken the base pixels.
    3. Lightening- brighten the base pixels.
    4. Contrast- increase the contrast of base pixels.
    5. Comparative- the result depends on the difference between the layers.
    6. 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 50% gray, there will be no effect.

    soft light(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 there is a menu for selecting the blending mode, opacity (Opacity) and filling (Fill).

    Note. I often get 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 by 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 ones.

    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 mode is the opposite of 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 lit 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, then 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 about replacing the background.

    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 values ​​being compared, 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— The opposite of Color mode. Combines Luminance (glow) of the top layer and Hue (color) and Saturation (color fluctuation) of the bottom layer.

    P.S.

    These descriptions will help you understand what happens when colors are mixed. In the next article we will talk about adjustment layers and masks.

    This article will give you a basic understanding of layer blending modes. Blending modes are used for different purposes, for example, to blend an object into the background, apply texture, or tint an image. When using blending modes, layers begin to interact with each other, you can also change the opacity and fill of the layer, resulting in interesting effect. Many people simply run the layer through all modes in search of best option. Of course, it will be much more convenient to understand at least a little about these modes and understand why each of them is needed.

    When we set the blending mode, the layer whose mode was changed begins to interact with the underlying one. Now let's take a look different modes overlays that are divided into groups by horizontal lines.

    1. Basic modes

    Normal

    Already from the name of this mode it becomes clear that it is normal state layer. There is no interaction between layers (active and lower). The pixels of the underlying layer are completely replaced at 100% opacity.

    Dissolve

    At 100% opacity, the top layer completely overlaps the bottom, as in the mode Normal. And when reducing the opacity, this mode randomly removes some pixels of the active layer, which gives the effect of porosity or noise. For example, we got a “chalk” effect with an opacity value of 70%:

    2. Darkening modes (Darken)

    In the entire group of Dimming modes, white is ignored.

    Darken

    This mode reveals only the dark shades of the top layer on the bottom. It is used to layer one layer on top of another. If you want to darken, it is better to use the mode next on the list - Multiplication.

    Multiplication

    This is one of the most common modes. It superimposes the colors of the top layer onto the colors of the bottom. The color becomes thicker, which makes the image darker. This mode can be used to restore very light photos, by duplicating the main layer and setting the top layer to Multiplication.

    Darkening the base (Color burn)

    By increasing saturation and contrast, this mode produces a powerful effect. It also darkens a little, be careful with this mode as the colors will take on an unnatural appearance and your printer will not be able to display them correctly.

    Linear burn

    This mode darkens the bottom layer to reveal the color of the top layer by reducing the brightness.

    Darker color

    Here, only pixels that are darker than the pixels of the bottom layer remain visible.

    3. Lightening modes (Lighten)

    When using Lightening modes, black is ignored. These modes can be used to remove a black background while leaving other colors untouched, and also to overlay textures on a black background.

    Replacement with light (Lighten)

    Using this mode we get the opposite effect of the mode Darken. Reveals light pixels.

    Screen

    This mode performs the same calculations as the Multiplication, but uses inverted values ​​to show the final result. This mode brightens the image. It can be used to lighten dark photographs by duplicating and setting the top layer to this mode.

    Lightening the base (Color dodge)

    Similar to mode Screen, but the black color on the top layer does not affect the result, and other colors will lighten the underlying ones slightly, by raising the saturation and lowering the contrast to find a suitable tone. Good for creating strong effects.

    Linear Dodge (Add)

    Colors here are combined by increasing brightness, light colors are replaced by lighter ones. Is a combination of modes Screen And Lightening the base (Color Dodge).

    Lighter Color

    Only pixels that are lighter than the pixels in the bottom layer remain visible.

    4. Contrast modes

    For all modes in this group, the ignored color is 50% gray (except for the Hard Mix).

    Overlay

    This mode blends the colors of both layers evenly and lends itself well to changes in transparency. It eliminates the light parts and multiplies the dark ones. At low transparency, it is similar to the mode Normal, but with more intense colors. Good for adding texture to an image.

    Soft light

    This mode lightens and darkens the colors of the image depending on the color of the top layer. This is almost the same as a diffuse light filter. Good for adjusting tones, increasing contrast in low-contrast images, and lowering the transparency for an even more subtle effect.

    Hard light

    Similar to the previous mode. Almost never used because Soft light more controlled. It will darken the image if it's dark at the top, brighten it if it's light, and increase the contrast.

    Vivid Light

    This mode darkens or lightens the colors in the image depending on the colors on the top layer. It appears that different contrast values ​​have been added to the image.

    Linear light

    If the top layer is bright, then the bottom layer will lighten, if it is dark, then it will darken.

    Pin light

    You can get different results with this mode, it works by moving the colors in the image depending on whether they are light or dark colors on the active layer.

    Hard Mix

    It gives a similar result, mixing the brightness of the top layer with the color of the bottom, the contrast here is at its maximum. The result is a very bright image, and in large pieces. Creates a posterized image that is limited in colors.

    5. Comparative modes

    The image we get as a result directly depends on the difference between both layers.

    Difference

    Suitable for creating various effects. It reverses tones and colors, the brightness here depends on the difference in pixels.

    Exception

    Softer version of the mode Difference, the contrast is small. Typically used to tone an image by laying down a solid color and significantly reducing the opacity.

    Subtraction

    The brightness of the top layer is subtracted from the bottom. When the pixel brightness of the top layer is greater than or equal to the brightness of the bottom layer, the resulting color changes to black.

    Divide

    Similar to the previous mode, only with stronger lightening.

    6. Component modes (HSL)

    The result depends on the brightness and color of the layers. These modes are typically used to tone and recolor objects in an image.

    Hue

    Here, the colors of the top layer are mixed with the saturation and brightness of the bottom layer. This gives a strong effect. The alternative mode is Color.

    Saturation

    With this mode, the saturation levels of the bottom layer are changed to the corresponding pixels of the top layer. Useful for making an object take on the color or texture of another.

    Color

    Here only the brightness of the bottom layer is used, and the color and saturation come from the top layer. Suitable for recoloring an image.

    Luminosity

    From the top layer, only the brightness of the light remains, and the color and saturation come from the bottom layer. If this mode does not work, try another of the 3 above.

    Now, to consolidate the material, I advise you to conduct your own experiment, this way you will quickly understand the properties of each mode and see whether the definitions of the modes are similar to your result or not.

    See you in the next lesson!

    In the middle at the bottom of the window there are two sliders in the form of black and white gradients. Once you learn how to use them, you can do wonders!

    Each of the sliders has two markers: black (left) and white (right).

    What happens if we move the markers? All shades to the left of the black marker will become transparent, and all shades to the right of the white marker will also become transparent. More details:

    1. The shades in this section are transparent because they are located to the left of the black marker.
    2. The shades in this section are opaque because they Not to the left of the black marker and Not to the right of white
    3. The shades in this section are transparent because they are to the right of the white marker

    As long as the markers remain in place, they do not create any effect. To see their work, you need to move them. Let's see what they can do

    Slider "This Layer"

    First, let's look at the "This Layer" slider. Let's drag the black marker to the right and see what happens if we drag the marker to the right, from black to white:

    The same thing will happen when dragging the white marker to the left, only the gray ball will become transparent from top to bottom, because white tones on top:

    The user can swap the markers; at first glance, this will create an incomprehensible situation - a white marker indicates that the area is opaque, and a black marker indicates that it is transparent. Photoshop actually decides this situation very simple - when the markers are swapped, they work exactly the other way around. That is, the transparent area goes to the left of the white marker and to the right of the black marker:

    Split marker

    Above I told you that each slider has two markers, but this statement is not entirely true. The fact is that each of the markers can be divided into two parts. To split, hold down Alt and drag the marker. This way you can make the transition from opacity to transparency smooth:

    Slider underlying layer(Underlying Layer)

    The bottom slider works exactly the same, but it controls the opacity of the top layer depending on the tone of the shade lower layer.

    In the figure below, this effect is obtained because the highlight on the ball is round and the shadows grow in a circle, and not in a straight line, as in the first animation:

    General blending rule for the bottom slider:

    • The area of ​​the layer lying over dark shades on the left side of the black marker is transparent
    • The area of ​​the layer lying over light shades on the right side of the white marker is transparent

    You can also split any marker to make smooth opacity changes:

    Changing texture opacity

    I showed how the blending parameters work using the example of changing the shades of a gray gradient. A much more interesting effect will be obtained by mixing a more complex surface.

    Here are some examples of applying a rust texture, you can achieve a variety of unexpected results:

    In addition, along with changing the blending parameters, you can also change the blending modes:

    Above I talked about theoretical aspect working with blending options. In the following materials I will show the use of blending parameters in practice.

    Read more: