Digital Image Editing Design Blog Post 2

Photoshop Blending Modes

The Blending Modes are separated into six groups:

• Normal: No special blending takes place, only opacity effects these.
• Darken: The result darkens the image. White is invisible on the Blend layer.
• Lighten: The result lightens the image. Black is invisible on the Blend Layer.
• Contrast: Increases Contrast. 50% gray is invisible on the blend layer.
• Comparative: Difference between images is apparent.
• Color: Works on different color qualities.

Descriptions of Blending Modes

Normal: There are no special blending methods happening here. Lower opacity to show the layer beneath.

Dissolve: This is the same as normal except no transparency effects are applied to pixels. The blend happens by dithering pixels on or off, making it look like snow on the picture.

Darken: Any areas that are darker on the base color will replace the lighter colors on the blend layer. The result is a darker image.

Multiply: With the exception of white on the blend colors, each color is darkened. This is like taking two transparencies, placing them over each other, and holding up to the light. White is ignored.

Color Burn: Darkens the base color and the blend color, increasing contrast. Produces a darker and more saturated result. Blending with white produces no change.

Linear Burn: Decreases the brightness of the base color. Blending with white produces no change.

Darker Color: The darkest of the base or blend pixels display. The colors are not altered.

Lighten: The opposite of Darken. The resulting color that displays is the lightest of the base or blend color.

Screen: This is the opposite of multiply. It is like taking multiple exposures on a single film frame. Black is ignored.

Color Dodge: Opposite of Color Burn. The base color influences and contrast is reduced. Blending with black produces no change.

Linear Dodge (Add): Opposite of Linear Burn. Increases brightness. Blending with black produces no change.

Lighter Color: Opposite of Darker Color. The lighter of the base or blend pixels display. The colors are not altered.

Overlay: If the colors on the blend color are darker than the base, they are multiplied. If they are lighter, they are screened. This produces saturated colors and pleasant contrast. Blending with 50% gray produces no change.

Soft Light: Similar to overlay but with less contrast. This is like casting a diffused light from the blend color. Blending with 50% gray produces no change.

Hard Light: This is like shining a harsh spotlight at the image. If the blend is darker than 50% gray, it multiplies. If it is lighter than 50% gray, it screens.

Vivid Light: Works like Hard Light but uses color dodge and color burn rather than multiply and screen. Produces a higher contrast image than Hard Light.

Linear Light: The blend color is the light source. If the blend color is lighter than 50% gray, the result is dodged by increasing brightness. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the result is burned, and brightness is reduced.

Pin Light: Where the colors are 50% gray on the blend layer, the base layer shows through. Lighter or darker than 50% gray will display on the blend color.

Hard Mix: Reduces the image to solid red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, magenta, white, or black. These are the primary colors. No gradients will be displayed in the image. This produces a posterized effect.

Difference: The lightest colors are subtracted from the darker colors. White inverts the base color, and black produces no change. This psychedelic blend mode is useful for aligning layers together.

Exclusion: Similar to the Difference mode but with less saturation. Very little luminance is shown for the blend pixels.

Subtract: Subtracts the blend color from the base color, darkening the result.

Divide: Divides the blend color from the base color, lightening the result.

Hue: Uses the color hue of the blend color. The Saturation and the luminosity of the base pixels are used.

Saturation: Uses the color saturation of the blend color. The hue and the luminosity of the base pixels are used.

Color: The color from the blend color is used. The luminosity from the base pixels is used.

Luminosity: All the image detail from the blend pixels is shown with the color from the base color. Opposite of Color.

Until next time,

Phil