![thumbnail Layer Blending Modes](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/thumbnail1.jpg)
![BASE1](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/BASE1.jpg)
![BASE2](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/BASE2.jpg)
![BASE3](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/BASE31.jpg)
![Screen Shot 2012-03-06 at 21.52.36](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/Screen-Shot-2012-03-06-at-21.52.36.png)
Normal
This is the default layer blending mode. As you can see it simply turns the canvas the color of the top layer which, in our case, is the red color.![image1](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image1.jpg)
Overlay
Perhaps one of, if not the most, commonly used blending modes is overlay. In this mode the blending color’s pixels are placed over the base layer’s pixels whilst maintaining the lightness and darkness of the base image. This can be seen in our examples below where the shadow of the photographs is maintained yet the overall color changes.![image4](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image4.jpg)
![image5](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image5.jpg)
![image6](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image61.jpg)
Darken
This mode does exactly what it implies: it darkens the base color. This mode uses the darkest color between the blend or base color in each channel, replacing the lighter pixels in either.![image7](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image7.jpg)
![image8](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image8.jpg)
![image9](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image9.jpg)
Color Burn
Using Color Burn creates some interesting effects as can be seen below. Photoshop looks at the color channel information and darkens the base color by increasing the contrast between the base and blend colors.![image10](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image10.jpg)
![image11](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image11.jpg)
![image12](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image12.jpg)
Multiply
Another very popular blending mode is Multiply; this simply multiplies the base color by the blend color using the color information in each channel, which results in a darker color.![image13](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image13.jpg)
![image14](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image14.jpg)
![image15](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image15.jpg)
Difference
Again, difference does exactly what it suggests. The color information in each channel is analyzed and then the blend color is subtracted from the base color or vice versa depending on the which has the greater brightness value. A less advanced version of this mode is Subtract,which simply subtracts the blend color from the base color.![image16](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image16.jpg)
![image17](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image17.jpg)
![image18](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image181.jpg)
Screen
Screen is similar to Multiply in that it is multiplying each channel’s color information but Screen inverts these colors before multiplying them together. The images below show that Screen creates a lighter image that appears to be washed out, as opposed to Multiply's darker resulting image.![image19](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image19.jpg)
![image20](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image20.jpg)
![image21](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image21.jpg)
Linear Dodge (Add)
Dodge, another commonly used blending mode, brightens the base color using the information in each channel’s color information. The base color is brightened by increasing its brightness. The resulting images are very similar to those created by the Screen blending mode.![image22](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image22.jpg)
![image23](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image23.jpg)
![image24](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/image24.jpg)
Things to consider
Whilst the examples here all use one layer of a solid color blending with a photograph, it is possible to multilayer and mix different blending modes within and between groups of layers to create different effects. Having a basic knowledge of what each mode does, however, will make this process easier and allow you to create the effects that you want, with less trial and error. As mentioned before, you can also blend different layers together regardless of whether they are solid color or not which adds further use to blending modes.Advanced
However, for more advanced users interesting effects can be created by painting onto the blended layer using the Blending Mode dialogue for the brush tool along with experimenting with opacity and multiple layers. The image below uses these techniques to create a vintage effect.![final Final Image](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/03/final.jpg)
David Pickett
David Pickett is a musician and web designer from the UK. Follow him on twitter.
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