PICshopy: Using Blending Modes

Using Blending Modes

The blending mode speciﬁed in the Options bar
controls how pixels are affected by a painting or
editing tool. Additionally, you can set the blend-
ing mode of a layer to control how it interacts
with those below it. A clear understanding of the
following terms will better help you understand
blending modes:

•
•

•

Base color: The original color in the image
Blend color: The color being applied with
the painting or editing tool (or the color in
the top layer)
Result color: The color resulting from
the blend

List of Blending Modes
Here are the different blending modes available
through the Layers panel. I have attempted to
give you a clear and simple deﬁnition as well as a
sample of how these images blend.

NOTE

Blending Mode Practice

For more practice with blending,

open the ﬁles Ch09_Blend Modes1.

psd and Ch09_Blend Modes2.psd in

the Chapter 9 folder, and experiment

with different modes and opacity

settings.

Original Blended Image

About Blending Modes 145

Dissolve
Creates a random
replacement of
the pixels with
the base or blend
color.
Color Burn
Evaluates each
channel; darkens
base by increas-
ing contrast.

Lighten
Evaluates each
channel; it then
uses base or blend
color (whichever
is lighter).
Linear Dodge
(Add) Evaluates
color information
and brightens
base by increas-
ing brightness.
Soft Light
Effect is similar to
shining a diffused
spotlight on the
image.

Linear Light
Burns or dodges
by decreasing or
increasing the
brightness.

Difference
Evaluates each
channel and sub-
tracts or inverts
depending on
brightness.
Saturation
Creates color
with luminance
and hue of base
and saturation of
blend.

Darken
Pixels lighter
than blend are
replaced; darker
ones are not.

Linear Burn
Evaluates each
channel; darkens
base by decreas-
ing brightness.

Screen
Results in a
lighter color. It is
useful for “knock-
ing” black out of
a layer.
Lighter Color
Uses highest
value from both
layers to create
resulting color.

Hard Light
Effect is similar to
shining a harsh
spotlight on the
image.

Pin Light
Is useful for add-
ing special effects
to an image.

Exclusion
Is similar to the
Difference mode
but lower in
contrast.

Color
Preserves gray
levels. It’s very
useful for color-
ing and tinting.

Multiply
Is similar to draw-
ing strokes on
the image with
magic markers.

Darker Color
Uses the lowest
value from both
layers to create
resulting color.

Color Dodge
Evaluates color
information and
brightens base
by decreasing
contrast.
Overlay
Overlays existing
pixels while pre-
serving highlights
and shadows of
base.
Vivid Light
Burns or dodges
by increasing or
decreasing the
contrast.

Hard Mix
Enhances the
contrast of the
underlying layers.

Hue
Uses luminance
and saturation of
the base and the
hue of the blend.

Luminosity
Is the inverse
effect from the
Color mode.

Open the ﬁle Ch09_Blended_Overlay.psd from the Chapter 9 folder on the CD to experiment with blending modes.

146 Chapter 9 Using Blending Modes

Blending Modes in Practice
So far you’ve looked at blending modes in a strictly technical
sense. While it’s useful to have a clear understanding of the tech-
nology, don’t lose sight of the design possibilities. Blending modes
are a great way to mix layers together. For a designer, this can be
a useful way to create backgrounds for speaker support (like Pow-
erPoint presentations) or DVD menus. Let’s dissect one of those
backgrounds:
1. Open the ﬁle Ch09_Speaker_Support.psd from the Chapter
9 folder on the CD. This eight-layer document uses blending
modes to create a complex background.
2. Turn off the visibility icons for all but the bottommost two layers.
3. Select the Train layer. It is currently set to the
Overlay blending mode. Changing its blend-
ing mode will create a different look.
4. A useful shortcut to cycle blending modes is
Shift++(plus). This will step you forward in
the blending mode list. Pressing Shift+- (mi-
nus) will step backward through the blending
mode list. If you have a tool selected that
has its own mode settings (such as the Brush
or Gradient tool), the shortcut modiﬁes the
blending mode of just the tool. To quickly
change the mode on a layer, select the Move
tool (V) or Marquee tools (M) ﬁrst. Ex-
periment with different blending modes and
opacity settings to try out different looks.
5. Repeat your blending mode experimentation
for the Light, Highlights, and Soft Focus layers.
Try out different modes and opacity settings.
6. Select the Blue layer. It is set to the Color
blending mode, which applies its color to all
layers below it. This is a very useful way to
tint multiple layers for a consistent look.

Blending Modes in Action 147

Continue to experiment with different combinations of blending

modes and opacity settings. This sample image provides just a

quick glimpse into the power and ﬂexibility of blending modes.

DESIGN “RULES” FOR BLENDING MODES

Rule #1—Don’t try to memorize how each blending mode works:
The good news is that they are grouped by similar traits. As you make

29

VIDEO
TRAINING
Blending Modes

your way through the list, you will notice a gradual progression

through styles. The ﬁrst group darkens your underlying image, whereas

the second lightens it. The third set adds contrast, and the last two

generate dramatic results by comparing or mapping values. Depending

on your sources, some blending modes will generate little or no results.

Sound confusing? Keep reading.

Rule #2—Experiment: The best way to use blending modes is to just

try them out. Clicking through a long drop-down menu is boring. A

much better alternative is to select the Move tool and then use the

Shift++ keyboard shortcut.

Rule #3—Exploit them: Do you need a quick visual pop? Try blending

a blurred image on top of itself. Do you need to tint an image? Place a

solid or gradient on top of the image and change to Hue or Color mode.

Blending modes are available for every ﬁlter (choose Fade Filter from

the Edit menu) and all the Brush tools.

Blending Modes in Action

Now that you have a little practice with blending modes, it’s time

to explore their creative and production side in greater depth.

Blending modes are part of a professional’s workﬂow. The next

three sections showcase a few different ways to better integrate

blending modes for professional results.

148 Chapter 9 Using Blending Modes

Instant Spice
One way to improve a washed out or ﬂat image is through blend-
ing modes. By blending a blurred copy of an image on top of itself,
you can quickly create a visual pop. Let’s give it a try:
1. Open the ﬁle Ch09_Spice.psd from the Chap-
ter 9 folder.
2. Select the Background layer in the Layers
panel.
3. Duplicate the Background layer by pressing
Command/Ctrl+J.
4. Signiﬁcantly blur the new layer by choosing
Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. A value of 25
pixels should do the trick.
5. Select the Move tool by pressing V.
6. Cycle blending modes by pressing Shift++.
Look for modes (such as Overlay or Soft
Light) that increase saturation and add visual
“pop” to the image.
7. If needed, adjust the opacity of the layer as de-
sired. You can quickly change opacity by typ-
ing in the ﬁrst number of an opacity setting,
such as 4 for 40% opacity. You can type 25 to
quickly switch to 25% opacity, for example, if
a more speciﬁc adjustment is required.
Here’s a quick look at how different blending modes can be used to
add instant spice to an image.

Blending Modes in Action 149

Dissolve

Color Burn

Lighten

Linear Dodge

Soft Light

Linear Light

Difference

Saturation

Darken

Linear Burn

Screen

Lighter Color

Hard Light

Pin Light

Exclusion

Color

Multiply

Darker Color

Color Dodge

Overlay

Vivid Light

Hard Mix

Hue

Luminosity

150 Chapter 9 Using Blending Modes

Fixing a Shadowed Image
If an image is completely thrown into the shadows, you can turn
to blending modes to shed a little light. In fact, this is a technique
that is often used by law enforcement agencies to enhance security
photos or footage.
1. Open the ﬁle Ch09_Meter.tif from the Chap-
ter 9 folder.
2. Duplicate the Background layer by pressing
Command/Ctrl+J.
3. Set the top layer to Screen mode. You can
choose it from the pop-up menu in the Lay-
ers panel or press the keyboard shortcut
Shift+Option/Alt+S. The image should ap-
pear signiﬁcantly lighter.
4. You can further lighten the image by placing
another duplicate copy on top. Press Com-
mand/Ctrl+J as many times as needed. Each
will lighten the image further.

Blending Modes in Action 151

Applying a Rubber Stamp

You can also use blending modes to make one image appear as if it

were applied to another. If you add the Free Transform command,

you can make that stamp match the perspective of the photo. Let’s

give it a try:

1. Open the ﬁles Ch09_Boxes.tif and Ch09_

Logo.psd from the Chapter 9 folder.

2. Select the Logo.psd ﬁle so it is active.

3. Choose Select > All and then Edit Copy to

add it to your clipboard.

4. Switch back to the Boxes ﬁle and choose

Edit > Paste.

5. Press Command/Ctrl+T to invoke the Free

Transform command. To harness addi-

tional transformations, right-click/Ctrl-click.

Choose Distort: This will allow you to corner

pin the logo and match its angle to that of the

box.

6. You now need to scale the logo smaller.

Right-click/Ctrl-click and choose Scale.

Shrink the logo so it ﬁts better on the side of

the box.

7. Set the Logo layer to the Multiply blending

mode and lower its opacity to 85%. This will

make the Logo layer appear to be stamped on

the crate.

Table 9.1 provides the keyboard shortcuts to

make it easier for you to use blending modes.

152 Chapter 9 Using Blending Modes

NOTE

Table 9.1 Blending Shortcuts

Not All Modes Have Shortcuts

Result Windows Windows Mac OS

The two newest modes (Darker

Normal Shift+Option+N Shift+Alt+N

Color and Lighter Color) do NOT

Dissolve Shift+Option+I Shift+Alt+I

have a shortcut key.

Darken Shift+Option+K Shift+Alt+K

Multiply Shift+Option+M Shift+Alt+M
Color Burn Shift+Option+B Shift+Alt+B
Linear Burn Shift+Option+A Shift+Alt+A
Lighten Shift+Option+G Shift+Alt+G
Screen Shift+Option+S Shift+Alt+S
Color Dodge Shift+Option+D Shift+Alt+D
Linear Dodge Shift+Option+W Shift+Alt+W

30

VIDEO
TRAINING
Filters & Blending Modes

Overlay Shift+Option+O Shift+Alt+O
Soft Light Shift+Option+F Shift+Alt+F
Hard Light Shift+Option+H Shift+Alt+H
Vivid Light Shift+Option+V Shift + Alt+V
Linear Light Shift+Option+J Shift + Alt+J
Pin Light Shift+Option+Z Shift + Alt+Z
Hard Mix Shift+Option+L Shift + Alt+L
Difference Shift+Option+E Shift + Alt+E
Exclusion Shift+Option+X Shift + Alt+X
Hue Shift+Option+U Shift+Alt+U
Saturation Shift+Option+T Shift+Alt+T
Color Shift+Option+C Shift+Alt+C
Luminosity Shift+Option+Y Shift+Alt+Y

Color Correction
and Enhancement

The primary purpose of Photoshop is to act as a

digital darkroom, where images can be correct-

ed, enhanced, and reﬁned. How do you know an

image needs touch-up? You can pretty much as-

sume every image can look a little (or even a lot)

better than how the camera captured it. Whether

it’s adjusting the exposure, increasing contrast,

or boosting saturation, Photoshop is the place to

improve an image.

Learning how to spot problems, and then choos-

ing the right correction technique is an essential

part of mastering Photoshop. Several different

tools are available, some more useful than others.

By analyzing the most important tools and deter-

mining in which situations they might help you, a

more thorough understanding of color correction

is possible.