• Layer blending modes in Adobe Photoshop. Layer blending (mixing) modes in Photoshop

    When it comes to digital photography, collaging and improving photographs, two tools are among the first - layers and their blending modes. We'll talk about layers in another lesson, and now we'll turn your attention to blending modes. We will show you the most popular ones in the daily work of a photographer.

    First we'll look at several types of relationships between layers. Then we'll show you 10 of the hottest blending modes you can use to enhance your photos.

    Blending modes rely on complex mathematical operations that Photoshop performs transparently for you. It evaluates and compares the information stored in the overlay layer (Blend layer) and the base layer (Base layer). Next, depending on the blending mode you choose, it “mixes” both layers according to a certain “recipe”.

    As you will see later in this lesson, there are many such “recipes”. They all create space for completely opposite processing techniques, just as 7 notes underlie an infinite number of melodies. Let's give examples. Some blend modes use color and tone information from the base layer to darken the blend layer. While other modes do completely opposite actions. There are modes that greatly affect the contrast of the image, while others only affect its color.

    Let's take a look at which blending modes provide which benefits. We will show the effect and indicate situations in which it would be appropriate.

    Layer blending modes. Let's start using

    The truth is, for the needs of photographers, some blend modes implemented in Photoshop are used more often than others. Although many modes can be found in interesting, sometimes unclear at first glance, applications, some of them bring either an insignificant effect to the picture or are of little use from a practical point of view.

    • Translator's note. The “significance of the effect” caused by using a certain blending mode, and the “usefulness” of a particular mode, depends on the image being processed, the task you are faced with, and the chosen processing tactics.

    For clarity, we present in this section images divided into two parts. The left half will reflect the result of the layers, the right half will reflect the base layer.

    Color

    In this blending mode, the resulting image is created by combining the lightness of the base layer and the colors of the overlay layer. It turns out that one quality (lightness, for example) is taken from one layer, and another quality (in in this case, color) - from another layer.

    The Color blend mode is perhaps the most useful for creating complex color effects.

    Difference

    This mode can lead to strange and truly unexpected results. It will come in handy if you want to achieve unusual and expressive effects.

    • Translator's note. The Difference blending mode has a wider range of applications. For example, you can also align fragments of one large image relative to each other.

    Lightening (Screen)

    The original image as a whole is brightened. Black (but not dark) areas of the photo are not affected. The resulting image preserves the details of the base layer.

    • Translator's note. The lighter the overlay image, the strongerbrightens base image. If superimposed on the original imagelayer painted black, it will not change. Base Layer Detailsare always preserved, except when a layer painted in white.

    Overlay

    This mode increases the contrast of the image: shadows become darker, highlights become lighter. Any areas of the picture that are colored 50% gray remain unchanged after overlay.

    Multiplication

    The color of the base layer is multiplied with the color of the overlay layer. As a result, the image is darkened overall. Its white (but not light) areas remain untouched. This mode is great for highlighting the texture of the sky or white rock.

    • Translator's note. This blend mode is the opposite of the Dodge mode. The darker the overlay image, the more the underlying image is darkened. If you add a white layer to the base image, the original image will not change.

    Opacity

    Although blending modes are useful, using them in their pure form can lead to too strong an effect. Two layer properties come to the rescue: opacity and fill (Fill).

    If the result is too noticeable, reduce the opacity of the overlay layer. It's convenient to think of a layer's opacity as a volume control for a blending effect.

    For example, if Dodge brightens the image too much, reduce the opacity of the overlay layer:

    We duplicated the original image. And they overlaid a copy in the Lightening mode. The opacity of the overlay layer is 100%. The effect is too strong.

    The opacity of the overlay layer is 50%. The effect is softer.

    Understanding the Blending Modes menu

    Of course, before you use blend modes, you need to find where to switch them! Let's take a look at where in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements you can find the "switch" you need.

    The Blending Modes menu is located in the Layers panel. Their list is divided into semantic groups. So you can choose desired mode overlays either through the Layers panel or through the dialog box that appears when a layer is created or duplicated.

    Once you have selected one of the modes, you can cycle through the other modes by pressing the Up Arrow/Down Arrow keys on your keyboard.

    1. “Normal”, “Dissolve”

    These modes do not have any effect on the color or tone of the picture. The base layer defaults to Normal.

    2. Dimmers

    This group of modes darkens images in one way or another on all underlying layers. For this group, white color is immune, in other words, it is neutral. Accordingly, the white areas of the overlay layer do not affect the layers underlying it.

    3. Clarifiers

    This group of modes lightens images in one way or another on all underlying layers. In contrast to the previous group, black is a neutral color here.

    4. Contrast modes

    This broad group affects the contrast of the image. Modes from this group darken shadows and brighten highlights. Mid tone (50% gray) is neutral.

    5. Comparing modes

    Modes in this group subtract the colors of the overlay layer from the colors of the layers underneath it.

    6. Modes that affect color

    This group can be called "Masterminds". The colors of the overlay layer affect the colors of the underlying layers (without changing the underlying layers).

    10 most popular blending modes

    Now let's see how you can enhance your photos using blend modes. Also, in this section we will take a look at the modes “under the hood”... although it is not at all necessary to know what we see there. In fact, our task is to show you how to use blending modes to “save” not the most nice pictures, and take better good pictures.

    Please note that to show the blending modes in action, we'll use other techniques. But we will show you where, when, how and why to use these techniques. And now...

    …let’s dive into the “Blending Modes” menu and go ahead and blend!

    1. Replacement with dark (Darken) and replacement with light (Lighten)

    These two modes create essentially the same effect, only in opposite directions. The first one develops either the base layer or the overlay layer depending on which one is darker. The second one does the same thing, but evaluates which layer is lighter.

    One of the effective uses of these modes is to create a soft filter effect.

    Make two copies of the base layer and blur them. Apply one layer in the “Dark Change” mode, the other in the “Light Change” mode. Use the opacity of the overlay layers to adjust the nature and strength of the effect.

    2. Saturation

    This mode takes hue from the base layer and saturation from the overlay layer.

    Duplicate the base layer. On a new layer, select the areas in which you want to preserve the colors, fill the remaining areas with 50% gray. Apply the top layer in the mode in question. The result will be a color isolation effect.

    So, this mode is well suited for isolating colors, as well as for “muting” them or, conversely, making them sound more.

    3. Lightening (Screen). Creating a Border

    Take a black and white frame image and place it above the base photo layer. Apply a frame in this mode to create an interesting border. An image of the base layer will appear under all the black areas on the frame layer.

    Want to know how it works? The Dodge mode shows the lighter areas of the image, which is why it's in the Dodge group, by the way. The black color for this mode is neutral, so the black area inside the frame is not visible in the result image, but shows through the base layer underneath. The white area of ​​the overlay layer, on the contrary, brightens the base layer to the maximum, in fact, “covering” the original image with white.

    The Dodge mode is used, among other things, to brighten images and create creative frames.

    4. Overlay (Overlay). "Lightening-darkening"

    This mode is used to enhance contrast, but is suitable for implementing the dodge-burn technique in black and white images.

    Create a blank layer above the base layer. Fill the overlay layer with a medium gray color and set its mode to Overlay. Now paint with white on the top layer to lighten the areas you need in the original image, and with black to darken.

    Use the opacity of the overlay layer to adjust the strength of the effect.

    5. Lightening (Screen). Lightening dark areas in a photo

    In the photo above, we used this blend mode to bring out detail in the dark areas of the photo. Although we selected a blend mode for the copy of the original image, we erased the sky on the duplicate layer: it is already quite light.

    You can temper the effect by lowering the opacity of the overlay layer.

    Remember, the Dodge mode does not affect the black areas - they remain the same - and has little effect on very dark areas. But you can see how all the other tones have brightened, including the midtones and quarter tones (highlights) in the foreground.

    So, use this mode when you want to brighten an underexposed photo or when you want to bring out detail in heavily shadowed areas of the image.

    6. Overlay (Overlay). Contrast

    This mode brightens highlights and darkens shadows, increasing contrast original photo. It is similar to the " Soft light"(Soft Light), but is superior to the latter in terms of impact.

    The mode is ideal for adding expressiveness to low-contrast, “flat” photographs. As with any other mode, you can limit the effect to only a certain area of ​​the base layer by using a mask on the overlay layer.

    So, “Overlay” is good for increasing contrast, convenient for tonal and color correction. You can also use it to create a glowing effect.

    7. Color. We hint at it

    We created a Solid Color layer filled with a brownish tint. We applied a layer in Color mode to our landscape on the base layer to give the photo a sepia effect. As you can see, the type of layer does not matter: it can be either an adjustment layer or an image layer.

    Overlay in Color mode gives the photo a specific hue on the base layer. The program calculates the difference between the colors of the base and overlay layers.

    You can reduce the strength of the effect by adjusting the opacity of the overlay layer.

    This mode helps to gently draw the viewer's attention to certain colors in the photo. So, it is used to add color to images, targeted color correction (using several fill layers and masks on them).

    8. Multiplication

    This mode does exactly what its name says: it multiplies the colors of the base layer by the colors of the overlay layer. The usual result of overlay is to darken the photo. The effect will be useful, for example, for highlighting a light sky. And masks will help you limit the effect of the effect.

    So, Multiply mode is useful for darkening light areas in a photo. It affects both tones and colors.

    9. Soft light. Adding texture

    Using the Pattern layer and this blending mode together, you can give your photo the look of a painting painted on canvas. The pattern layer is essentially an analogue of the fill layer and also belongs to the adjustment layers.

    So, Soft Light mode is ideal for creating texture, as well as softly enhancing contrast.

    10. Color tone (Hue)

    This mode is similar to Saturation. The lightness and saturation of the pixels is taken from the base layer, and the hue from the overlay layer. You can add a color tint to those areas of the original image whose color is most saturated.

    Another application of the Hue mode is selective color changes. Create a fill layer of the desired color. Use a new layer mask to limit the area on the base layer that will be affected by the fill. Set the blending mode in question.

    Please note that the areas of the overlay layer painted in gray colors, reduce the color saturation from the corresponding areas of the base layer. And the gray areas of the base layer are not affected by the overlay layer.

    So, the Hue mode is used to change colors and manually colorize black and white images.

    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. Modes Blending modes are 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. As usual they light Blending modes our venerable photoshoppers from other sites?

    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. Blending modes seemed to me like some kind of chaotic effects that I don’t understand how they create, I don’t understand 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.

    Example of using Multiply

    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 use the same texture, but this time I darken it a little and reduce 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.

    Hello everyone. Today I want to tell you about blend mode effects. I won’t drag the cat by the tail for too long, let’s move on to learning new material right away.

    What are blending modes

    Layer blend modes in Photoshop can be explained as the effect of overlaying the top layer on the bottom. In other words, this can be rephrased as the effect of overlaying the pixels of the top layer on the pixels of the bottom layer of the image. Layer blending modes help you create various effects in Photoshop: dodge, burn, contrast, color change, and realistic image effects.

    All modes are divided into separate groups, which, for ease of use, are separated by a horizontal line. By default, all new layers are created in normal mode overlays

    Let's take a closer look at blending modes with examples. But first, let’s open the image we need in Photoshop and create a duplicate layer to which we will apply modes.

    Blend Modes – Burn

    Creates the effect of darkening darker pixels.

    1. Blackout
    2. Multiplication
    3. Darkening the base
    4. Linear dimmer
    5. Darker

    As shown in the figure, the darkening effect is most pronounced in the multiply mode, which also creates a more realistic effect. The base darkening mode needs to be further adjusted using the transparency tool to achieve a more realistic image. But the blending modes darken and darker give a weaker effect.

    Blend Mode – Dodge

    If the blend mode is dark, it darkens dark pixels, then the lightening mode is to brighten light pixels. This method is good for brightening photographs and images.

    1. Replacement with light
    2. Screen
    3. Lightening the base
    4. Linear clarifier(add)
    5. Lighter

    Again, the example shows that the most effective clarification is provided by the screen mode and the linear clarifier, which add realism to the image. The base lightening mode brightens light pixels too much, so it needs to be further adjusted in terms of transparency and brightness. The modes replacing light and lighter give practically no changes, and the lightening effect is quite weak.

    Blend Mode - Increase Contrast

    1. Overlap
    2. Soft light
    3. Hard light
    4. Bright light
    5. Linear light
    6. Spot light
    7. Hard mixing

    Covering produces a brighter, more saturated image, but you will need to adjust the transparency effect settings for your specific image. Soft and hard light gives almost the same result as overlap. But bright light gives a much better result, making dark pixels as dark as possible and light pixels lighter. Linear and spot lights give the same effect, but with slight differences. Maximum effects can be achieved using the hard mixing mode.

    Blend Mode - Overlay Layers

    1. Difference
    2. Exception
    3. Subtraction
    4. Separator

    The Difference mode creates a black screen, but even when the image is shifted a couple of pixels you can see interesting effect. Exception mode gives reverse effect. Subtraction is not much different from Elimination. And the Separator mode creates a color inversion

    Blend Mode - Change Saturation

    1. Color background
    2. Saturation
    3. Chroma
    4. Brightness

    Using the last blending group, you can change the color on those objects that can display something. These could be phones, cars, metal objects.

    I leave the practice of setting blending modes up to you. See you in the next lessons.

    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.;
    • V dialog boxes 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 figure 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 at a time 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% grey, 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 a little 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 details in an image, you can use this mode together with the 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 the Linear Darken and Linear Dodge modes: the former 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 with 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!

    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 retain their link until you undo it.
    • 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 working with a large number layers, 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— Opposite 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.

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