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Home - Photo Tips - Techniques - Using The Blend Modes In Photoshop (Part 2)
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Using The Blend Modes In Photoshop (Part 2)
Today we'll continue describing Blend Modes and give you some tips how to use it. There are 25 Blend Modes and they are divided into 6 groups. "Lighten" and "Contrast" groups are the main topics today. You can read the first part here.
An original image
We are going to change the blend mode only and the opacity will be 100%.
3. Lighten.
Lighten.
It is opposite to the Darken blend mode. At the bottom layer it reveals only light tints of
the top layer. If the pixels of the top layer are
lighter, so they don't change; if they are darker, than the bottom
layer is visible through them. The result image is combined with the
brightest pixels for each channel. The neutral color for the Lighten
Mode is black.
Tip: Lighten and Darken modes are handy for the accentuating the top layer, when it looks like vanishing in the bottom layer.
Screen.
It makes the same calculations as the Multiply mode, but it also
inverts them to get the lighter version of the image. The neutral color
for this mode is black.
Tips: You can use this mode to
lighten some dark photos by duplicating the background layer and
setting the Screen mode. It also imitates the glow well and creates
clouds of different kinds.
Color Dodge.
The same affect as the Screen but it's much more stronger in the light
areas because it displays more saturated and contrasting colors of the
bottom layer. Color Dodge mode is based on the Dodge Tool operation.
The neutral color is black.
Tips: It's nice for
imitating bright flashes like lightnings or explosions. It's also
interesting to combine a contrasty image with the background.
Linear Dodge (Add).
The same as the Color Dodge but the colors are blended with the
brightness increasing. The effect is lighter than the Screen mode
produces.
Lighter Color. It looks like
Lighten but works with all the channels in the same time. While
blending the layer only the light pixels will remain visible.
4. Contrast.
Overlay.
This mode combines the effect of Multiply and Screen modes. It depends
on the pixels brightness difference of the top layers. If bottom pixels
are lighter that the top layer pixels will also be lighter, it they are
darker - the top layer pixels will also be darker. There will be ho
changes if the top layer color is gray.
Tip: It can be useful when you want to increase low-contrasting details of an image or to apply texture on it.
Soft Light. This
mode is close to Overlay mode with 50% of opacity. If the pixels are
lighter than 50% of neutral gray, they lighten the bottom Layer, and if
the pixels are darker than 50% of neutral gray, they darken it
proportionally. In the end the bottom Layer looks to be illuminated by
the top Layer. The neutral color for Soft Light is 50% gray.
Tip:
Soft Light is ideal to form the background of a collage, when you need
to put an object into the background softly, not disturbing the
foreground.
Hard Light. Hard Light blending
principle is close to Soft Light, but has a more intense effect. If the
Hard Light mode is given 50% of Opacity, then it will look just as the
previous mode, but more contrasting and with a higher detail
elaboration. Generally the Hard Light mode is opposite to the Soft
Light. If you merge A Layer with B Layer in the Overlay mode, and merge
B Layer with A Layer in the Hard Light mode, the result would be just
the same. The neutral color for Hard Light is 50% gray.
Tip:
Classical Hard Light mode application can be found in bringing volume
of the texture (which is kept in the top layer) to the background.
Vivid Light.
It is a combination of the Color Burn and Color Dodge modes. Mixing
process is performed depending on the color of the top layer. There will be no change if the top layer is 50% gray.
Linear Light.
It looks similar to Vivid Light, having more effects. If the top layer
is bright, then the bottom layer will be lightened, and if it is dark -
it will be darkened. The neutral color is 50% gray.
Pin Light. It mixes the bright colors using the Lighten mode, and the dark colors - using the Darken mode. The neutral color is 50% gray.
Hard Mix.
The brightness of the top layer is mixed with the colors of the bottom
layer, making a picture with equal tones, limited in colors and
pasteurized.
The neutral color is 50% gray.
Read more:
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