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A Guide to Layer Blending Modes
Aside from "Normal" and "Dissolve", there are five different groupings of blending modes.
- Darken Modes--white disappears
- Darken: compares active layer with underlying image and only areas darker in active layer
- Multiply: acts like ink in printing one image over the other, like making two passes with a printer
- Color Burn: darkens and saturates
- Linear Burn: "multiply" mode in high gear
- Lighten Modes--black disappears
- Lighten: compares active layer with underlying image and only areas lighter in active layer
- Screen: acts a projector projecting one image over another
- Color Dodge: lightens and saturates
- Linear Dodge: "screen" mode in high gear
- Contrast Modes--50% gray disappears, image is darkened and/or lightened
- Hard Light: combination of Multiply and Screen
- Overlay: opposite of Hard Light, uses underlying layers to change the contrast of active layer
- Soft Light: a more mellow version of Hard Light
- Linear Light: a combination of Linear Dodge and Linear Burn
- Vivid Light: a combination of Color Burn and Color Dodge
- Pin Light: a combination of Lighten and Darken
- Comparative Modes--black disappears
- Both Difference and Exclusion compare the active layer with the underlying layer to show where things are different. Exclusion tends to maintain 50% gray areas as gray and is less extreme.
- HSL Modes
- Hue: applies basic color of the active layer without changing how colorful or bright the underlying image is
- Saturation: makes underlying images as colorful as active layer
- Color: applies the color of the active layer to the brightness of the underlying image.
- Luminosity: applies the brightness of the active layer to the color of the underlying image.