Blend modes give you further control over the way layers interact with each other in a composition. Try combining applied blend modes with layer opacity adjustments and masking, and you’ll soon realize how much creative control you really have. By experimenting with various blend mode combinations, you can fine-tune specific areas of an image and even create special effects.
To apply a blend mode, first select a layer; then click the currently selected blend mode (or the arrows next to it) at the top of the Layers palette to reveal a pop-up menu. Highlight the desired blend mode from the menu and click to apply it.
A Quick Tour of the Blend Modes
Photoshop offers 25 blend modes, so before you begin experimenting, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various modes and how they work. Here’s a brief description of what each blend mode does, using a car image placed over a sunset image as an example (in these shots, the car is the selected image layer, and the sunset is in the background layer below it). Essentially, the blend modes control how—or whether—the color in the selected layer interacts with that of the layers below it. They all work by looking at pixel information for a given location in the two layers, but they differ in both the type of information they work with and the general effect they have on an image. Some compare luminosity (grayscale) values, where 0 is black, 128 is 50% gray, and 255 is white. Others compare RGB or HSB values. Likewise, some tend to darken or lighten the resulting image, whereas others tend to enhance or reduce contrast, or to make other changes. The main point to keep in mind about blend modes is that Multiply drops the whites, Screen drops the blacks, and Overlay blends everything. After you know this, you can determine which blend mode you want to apply, because most of the blend modes (except for Dissolve and the bottom photographic set—Hue, Saturation, Luminosity, and so forth) are based on these three. Except where noted otherwise, the descriptions that follow assume that the selected layer is at 100% opacity.
Normal At 100% opacity, the selected layer’s color does not blend with that of the layers beneath it.
Dissolve At less than 100% opacity, Dissolve displays some pixels of the selected layer at 100% opacity, but displays random pixels as completely transparent. As you lower the opacity value of the selected layer, more pixels are replaced by the lower layer’s color.
Darken Wherever the selected layer’s color is lighter than that of the pixels in the layer underneath, the darker color is applied.
Multiply This option darkens the resulting image in proportion to the grayscale value of the selected layer; 25% gray makes the underlying layer 25% darker, 50% gray makes it 50% darker, and so on. Dark colors are forced to black, and white is not affected.
Color Burn This applies the hue of the pixels in the lower layer to those of the selected layer. Color Burn has a greater effect on darker colors.
Linear Burn By applying the brightness of the selected layer, Linear Burn darkens the color of the underlying layer. White has no effect. The result is similar to Multiply but more intense.
Darker Color Also new to CS3, the Darker Color blend mode works similarly to Darken mode. As with Lighter Color, Darker Color operates on all channels at once rather than per channel. When blending two colors with this mode—yes, you guessed it—the darker color is visible.
Lighten Wherever the selected layer’s color is darker than the colors contained in the layers underneath, the lighter color is applied.
Screen The inverse of Multiply, this adds brightness. It lightens the resulting color in proportion to the luminosity of the selected layer. Screening lighter colors produces greater changes; black is not affected.
Color Dodge This option colorizes a selected layer’s pixels by using the hue of the pixels in the layers underneath. Color Dodge has a greater effect on lighter colors than darker ones.
Linear Dodge (Add) The opposite of Linear Burn, Linear Dodge lightens the colors contained in the layers underneath by applying the brightness of the selected layer. Black has no effect.
Lighter Color New to Photoshop CS3, the Lighter Color blend mode works similarly to Lighten mode. The difference between Lighter Color and Lighten is that Lighter Color operates on all channels at once rather than on a per channel basis. As its name suggests, the lighter color is visible when blending two colors with this mode.
Overlay This option darkens (multiplies) or lightens (screens) a selected layer’s color while preserving highlights and shadows. Contrasting colors produce greater changes; black, white, and 50% gray are not affected.
Soft Light This option darkens (multiplies) or lightens (screens) a selected layer’s color without preserving highlight and shadow values. All colors in the selected layer that are darker than 50% gray darken the colors contained in the layers underneath; colors lighter than 50% gray lighten them. Black, white, and 50% gray are not affected.
Hard Light This produces the same effect as Soft Light (see the earlier description), except with more contrast.
Vivid Light This reduces contrast in the lighter areas of the selected layer (below 50% gray) and increases contrast in the darker areas (above 50% gray).
Linear Light This decreases brightness in the lighter areas of the selected layer (below 50% gray) and increases brightness in the darker areas (above 50% gray).
Pin Light The colors of the layers underneath are replaced by the selected layer’s colors, based on the lightness and darkness values for both.
Hard Mix This applies a posterize effect based on the selected layer’s opacity value. Higher values produce stronger results.
Difference This applies the color that results when the selected layer’s color and the colors underneath are subtracted from each other. White inverts the colors contained in the layers underneath; black has no effect.
Exclusion This produces the same effect as Difference, but with less contrast.
To apply a blend mode, first select a layer; then click the currently selected blend mode (or the arrows next to it) at the top of the Layers palette to reveal a pop-up menu. Highlight the desired blend mode from the menu and click to apply it.
A Quick Tour of the Blend Modes
Photoshop offers 25 blend modes, so before you begin experimenting, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various modes and how they work. Here’s a brief description of what each blend mode does, using a car image placed over a sunset image as an example (in these shots, the car is the selected image layer, and the sunset is in the background layer below it). Essentially, the blend modes control how—or whether—the color in the selected layer interacts with that of the layers below it. They all work by looking at pixel information for a given location in the two layers, but they differ in both the type of information they work with and the general effect they have on an image. Some compare luminosity (grayscale) values, where 0 is black, 128 is 50% gray, and 255 is white. Others compare RGB or HSB values. Likewise, some tend to darken or lighten the resulting image, whereas others tend to enhance or reduce contrast, or to make other changes. The main point to keep in mind about blend modes is that Multiply drops the whites, Screen drops the blacks, and Overlay blends everything. After you know this, you can determine which blend mode you want to apply, because most of the blend modes (except for Dissolve and the bottom photographic set—Hue, Saturation, Luminosity, and so forth) are based on these three. Except where noted otherwise, the descriptions that follow assume that the selected layer is at 100% opacity.
Normal At 100% opacity, the selected layer’s color does not blend with that of the layers beneath it.
Dissolve At less than 100% opacity, Dissolve displays some pixels of the selected layer at 100% opacity, but displays random pixels as completely transparent. As you lower the opacity value of the selected layer, more pixels are replaced by the lower layer’s color.
Darken Wherever the selected layer’s color is lighter than that of the pixels in the layer underneath, the darker color is applied.
Multiply This option darkens the resulting image in proportion to the grayscale value of the selected layer; 25% gray makes the underlying layer 25% darker, 50% gray makes it 50% darker, and so on. Dark colors are forced to black, and white is not affected.
Color Burn This applies the hue of the pixels in the lower layer to those of the selected layer. Color Burn has a greater effect on darker colors.
Linear Burn By applying the brightness of the selected layer, Linear Burn darkens the color of the underlying layer. White has no effect. The result is similar to Multiply but more intense.
Darker Color Also new to CS3, the Darker Color blend mode works similarly to Darken mode. As with Lighter Color, Darker Color operates on all channels at once rather than per channel. When blending two colors with this mode—yes, you guessed it—the darker color is visible.
Lighten Wherever the selected layer’s color is darker than the colors contained in the layers underneath, the lighter color is applied.
Screen The inverse of Multiply, this adds brightness. It lightens the resulting color in proportion to the luminosity of the selected layer. Screening lighter colors produces greater changes; black is not affected.
Color Dodge This option colorizes a selected layer’s pixels by using the hue of the pixels in the layers underneath. Color Dodge has a greater effect on lighter colors than darker ones.
Linear Dodge (Add) The opposite of Linear Burn, Linear Dodge lightens the colors contained in the layers underneath by applying the brightness of the selected layer. Black has no effect.
Lighter Color New to Photoshop CS3, the Lighter Color blend mode works similarly to Lighten mode. The difference between Lighter Color and Lighten is that Lighter Color operates on all channels at once rather than on a per channel basis. As its name suggests, the lighter color is visible when blending two colors with this mode.
Overlay This option darkens (multiplies) or lightens (screens) a selected layer’s color while preserving highlights and shadows. Contrasting colors produce greater changes; black, white, and 50% gray are not affected.
Soft Light This option darkens (multiplies) or lightens (screens) a selected layer’s color without preserving highlight and shadow values. All colors in the selected layer that are darker than 50% gray darken the colors contained in the layers underneath; colors lighter than 50% gray lighten them. Black, white, and 50% gray are not affected.
Hard Light This produces the same effect as Soft Light (see the earlier description), except with more contrast.
Vivid Light This reduces contrast in the lighter areas of the selected layer (below 50% gray) and increases contrast in the darker areas (above 50% gray).
Linear Light This decreases brightness in the lighter areas of the selected layer (below 50% gray) and increases brightness in the darker areas (above 50% gray).
Pin Light The colors of the layers underneath are replaced by the selected layer’s colors, based on the lightness and darkness values for both.
Hard Mix This applies a posterize effect based on the selected layer’s opacity value. Higher values produce stronger results.
Difference This applies the color that results when the selected layer’s color and the colors underneath are subtracted from each other. White inverts the colors contained in the layers underneath; black has no effect.
Exclusion This produces the same effect as Difference, but with less contrast.
Applying Blend Modes
![Applying Blend Modes]()
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