Blending Modes Practice

Determine how a tool or layer interacts with the underlying image

• The base color is the original color in the image.
• The blend color is the color being applied with the painting or editing tool.
• The result color is the color resulting from the blend

Try it

• Download this image from the folder (flowers4x3.jpg) and save in the CIS421 images folder on the D drive (or wherever you store images for this class):

• Open image in Photoshop.
• Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool in the upper left toolbox to select the right side of the image.
• Select>Save Selection to save the selection for later use in the Channels palette. Give it a name.
• Create a duplicate layer for each of the following experiments and give it the name of the mode so you can tell which is which.
• Apply the blending mode to the selected area, following the directions below for each one.

Painting Blending modes --

The examples below are the result of painting with fully saturated yellow color, at 100% opacity on a photo with bright reds and greens. The results will vary depending on whether the blending modes are applied in adjustment layers, or by fading (Edit>fade filter name) a filter effect, as well a on the opacity of the blending effect.

top

Normal

• edits or paints each pixel to make it result color
• default mode

Dissolve

• edits or paints each pixel, using random replacement of the pixels with the base color or the blend color
• depends on the opacity at any pixel location
• Effect is to create noise, especially visible when you reduce the opacity of the blending model layer
  

Brushes (not filters): Behind - Edits or paints only on the transparent part of a layer

Brushes (not filters) Clear

• Edits or paints each pixel and makes it transparent. This mode is available for
• the paint bucket tool
• the brush tool
• the pencil tool
• fill command
• stroke command
• shape tools when fill region is selected

top

Layer Blending Modes

Once you have created a new layer (e.g., text, or a duplicate layer) apply a blending mode to it. Decrease the opacity so only part of the effect is visible.

• Create duplicate layers to flowers4x3.jpg,
• paint the selected half of the image with the yellow color
  • Set the brush opacity to about 50% in the brush tool options bar so you don't need to keep reducing the opacity of the layer.
  • notice that you can also change the blending mode of the paint in the brush tool options bar if you only want the painted area to be blended with the background over which you are painting.
  • If you do layer blending in the layers panel, you are blending the layer with the layer behind it.
• Select>Load Selection gets the selection you made above back, if you need it
• change the blending mode, such as any of the Darkening, Lightening, or Contrast Increasing Blending Modes listed below
• Notice how the blending mode changes each side of the flower image differently
  • How does the left half change?
  • How does the right half, with the yellow paint applied, change?

top

Darkening Blending Modes

Darken -

• inspects color information in each color channel
• Selects darker of base or blend colors as the result color
• Pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced by the result color
• Pixels darker than the blend color do not change

Multiply

• Inspects color information in each color channel
• Multiplies base color by blend color
• Result is always a darker color

Color Burn

• looks at color information in each channel
• darkens base colors by increasing the contrast

Linear Burn

• looks at color information in each channel
• darkens base colors by decreasing the brightness

Darker Color

• Similar to Darken mode but it works on all channels instead of working on a per-channel basis
• when two layers are blended together, only the darker pixels on the blend layer remain visible

top

Lightening Blending Modes

Lighten

• looks at color information in each channel
• Pixels darker than the blend color are replaced
• pixels lighter than the blend color do not change

Screen

• looks at color information in each channel
• multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors.
• The result color is always a lighter color

Color Dodge

• looks at color information in each channel
• brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the contrast

Linear Dodge

• looks at color information in each channel
• brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness

Lighter Color

top

Contrast-Increasing Blending modes

Overlay

with yellow paint on image

with layer blending mode

• Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color
• Base color is not replaced but is mixed with the blend color to reflect lightness or darkness of original color

Soft Light

with yellow paint on image

with layer blending mode

• Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color.
• The effect is similar to shining a diffused spotlight on the image

Hard Light

• Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color.
• The effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the image

Vivid Light

• Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color

Linear Light

• Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color

Pin Light -

• Replaces the colors, depending on the blend color
• If the blend color is lighter than 50% gray, pixels darker than blend color are replaced
• If blend color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than blend color are replaced

Hard Mix

• produces a posterized image
• the blend color is a product of the base color and the luminosity of the blend layer.

top

Comparative Blending Modes

Difference blend mode from painting with yellow

• Looks at the color information in each channel
• subtracts either the blend color from the base color or the base color from the blend color, depending on which has the greater brightness value

Exclusion

Exclusion blend mode applied to layer

Exclusion blend mode applied to yellow paint

• Creates an effect similar to but lower in contrast than the Difference mode.

top

Influencer Group: Hue/Saturation/Luminosity Blending Modes

Hue -

Hue blend mode applied to yellow paint

• Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the base color and the hue of the blend color

Saturation -

Saturation blend mode applied to yellow paint

 

• Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color

Color -

Color blend mode applied to yellow paint

• Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color
• preserves the gray levels in the image
• good for coloring grayscale images and tinting color images

Luminosity -

Luminosity blend mode applied to yellow paint

• Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color
• Creates an inverse effect from color mode

top