Photoshop Blending Modes
Blending Modes
Welcome to the Blending Modes tutorial. This tutorial was designed to teach you how you can completely
change the appearance of your layers, and images, simply by using different blending modes. If you need
help with it, or find it confusing, don't hesitate to e-mail me, the information is at the bottom of the page.
Although I've said that blending modes can make your
image look different, I have not told you how. Blending
modes affect the selected layer, and also how that layer
will react with all of the other layers below it in the layers
stack. To the left, the blending mode being used is the
default Normal mode, when layers are in this mode, they
look normal, hence the name. In Normal mode, no
interaction with other layers in the layers stack takes
place. The only way this layer can interact with layer
below it is by using the opacity slider.
Quick Tip!
Instead of always using the opacity slider to change the
transparency of the layer, use the number keys on your
keyboard. Typing "4", will set the opacity to 40%, "5" is
50%, and so on. Hitting "0" resets the opacity to 100%
Setting the layer to Dissolve mode, will randomly set a
number of the layers pixels to 0% opacity and leave the
other at 100%. This will create a dissolving effect, hence
the name. If you look at the image to the left, you'll see
that certain pixels were chosen, and others weren't, it's like
that throughout the entire layer. The opacity of the letter
"d" to the left is set to 80%.
When you set the opacity lower, Photoshop will continue
randomly selecting pixels to cancel out ( set to 0
transparency ).
Photoshop Blending Modes
So far all the blending modes speak for themselves, that's
also true for the Multiply mode.
Multiply mode takes the strength of the layer and
multiplies it by two, giving it more contrast. darkening it
up a bit)
Use the Multiply mode when you want to strengthen the
appearance of the layer, this is a lot easier than making
copies of layers and then merging them all together to get
a stronger appearance. But multiply mode won't work that
well with just solid colors, what is the result of red x 2, it's
still red! (Unless the opacity is set to less than 100%)
Making things stronger will give more contrast to your
image, which will attract the eye of the audience a lot
easier. Take a look at the image to the left, which of the
letter are your eyes more drawn towards?
Screen mode is used for highlighting, and making the
layer appear lighter.Since highlights cannot be shown with
black, no effect will appear by applying the Screen mode
to an entirely black layer, or part of a layer.
An example of using Screen mode for highlights is the
ePlastic tutorial at www.phong.com, it was used to add the
glossy outcome to the letter "e".
Another way to look at highlights is if you were to shine a
light on something, it would look lighter to you than it
actually is, the same principle applies for the Screen
blending mode.
Photoshop Blending Modes
Overlay mode will change the contrast and opacity of the
layer to varying degrees depending on the lightness and
darkness of that layer. So for example, we have a forest
scene with dark greens, grays, and blacks, notice how the
area behind the letter has a lot more contrast to it?
Overlay is often used for digital painting, where artists
will sketch out their landscapes and characters, then scan
them in, and use Overlay mode to view there art while
painting behind it. This enables them to paint within the
lines, and since black, while it isn't intolerable to Overlay
mode, it isn't as easily "overlayed" as other colors,
enabling the artists to see the outlines only.
Soft Light (left) and Hard Light (right) are used a lot for
special effects, and like Overlay mode, the effects that
they will produce on the layer vary according to the
brightness of the layer itself.
You can produce a lot of burnt looking effects by using
the Soft Light mode, like the Hard Light mode, it will blur
the "light" in a very unique way, except it will appear
much more transparent than Hard Light mode.
As you can see, Soft Light (left) produces a lot less
contrast then Hard Light (right), hence their names!
For Soft Light and Hard Light certain grays will appear
completely transparent for some odd reason.
Photoshop Blending Modes
Color Dodge (left) and Color Burn (right) work in exactly
the same way as the Dodge and Burn tools in the toolbar!
The only difference is that with the blending modes you
effect the whole layer, and with the tools from the toolbar,
you can specify where you want to add the effect by doing
it manually. if you would like to read about the Dodge and
Burn tools, click here to be taken to the tutorial.
Color Dodge will make the layer lighter, especially the
areas that are already light. Notice the white dots on the
rocks really brighten up after the Color Dodge mode is
applied?
Color Burn (right) will darken the layer, especially the
areas that are already dark, notice the dark areas by the
tree at the bottom right of the picture? Now do you see
how they are much darker behind the letter, this is caused
by setting your layer to the Color Burn mode.
Lighten (top left) and Darken (top right) uses channels to
figure out the lightness and darkness of the layer. these
mode will use all three channels (Red, Green, Blue) to
calculate the average Lightness (when in Lighten mode),
or the average darkness (when in Darken mode), and
display it on screen.
Difference (bottom left), and Exclusion (bottom right) are
just slightly different blending modes, and like Lighten
and Darken mode, they too use other parts of the image to
calculate they're result, except instead of channels, it uses
the objects in the layers below it.
Quick Tip!
Difference and Exclusion modes (depending on the layer
below it) can sometimes create some cool disco looking
effect, keep that in mind, it could come in handy!
Photoshop Blending Modes
Hue mode (top left) speaks for itself, in that it changes the
hue of the image, without changing any of its brightness
or light spots.
Saturation mode (top right) will completely saturate the
area beneath it when the layer is white, black, gray, or and
other solid color in entirety. The results are not so
staggering, as you can see, when you use and image.
Luminosity mode (bottom left) is great for defining light
and dark areas, sort of like channels, hence the name.
Color mode (bottom right) is just Hue and Saturation
mode in one.
Discussion
I hope this tutorial gave you a broader understanding of layers, and manipulating their look and feel. If you
have any questions, or there are any steps that I can further elaborate on, don't hesitate to e-mail me using
the information below. Due to the amount of e-mail I get, you'll get a quicker response if you use the
discussion forum. Post your question in the tutorials forum. Click here to go to the discussion forum.
Dan Caylor
http://www.thinkdan.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Copyright 2000, 2001 © Dan Caylor
