There’s a host of 27 blend modes available in Photoshop. But no worries, you don’t need to know all of them. Being familiar with a couple of the most important blending options will take you a long way in retouching your photos and compositing digital creations. This tutorial introduces you to the 6 most used Photoshop Blending Modes and explains the way they work. And with the FREE Blend Modes Cheat Sheet, you’ll always stay at the top of your game!
Have you been working with Photoshop for quite a while? If so, I’m sure you know about its Blending Modes. Just like layer styles, Photoshop blend modes allow you to create lots of fancy stuff that otherwise would be impossible to create!
If you want to use blending modes on a layer, you just need to look at the top left of your Layers Panel.
That’s where you find the Photoshop blending options.
Normal is Photoshop’s default blend mode.
Every time you open an image or add a new layer, it will be in the Normal default blend mode.
Once you click on the Blending Mode dropdown in your Layers Panel, a whole long list of blending options opens up to you.
There are altogether 27 Blending Options in Photoshop, which can be pretty overwhelming at first!
But don’t worry, you don’t need to be familiar with all the blending modes available – at least not right from the beginning.
If you want to get to know all the blend modes that Photoshop has to offer, check out my full tutorial on how to use blending modes in Photoshop. Over there, I’m going into all the ins and outs of blending modes and showing you in detail what each of them does exactly.
FREE Photoshop Blend Modes Cheat Sheet
And… I’ve also prepared a FREE Photoshop Blend Modes Cheat Sheet for you that you can download in the Freebie Library.
The Blend Modes Cheat Sheet includes altogether 22 pages! You’ll find a recap of all the available blending modes, what they do and how to use them. Plus, you’ll be learning more stuff about keyboard shortcuts, Commuted, Opposite, and the ‘Special 8’ blending options.
So don’t forget to grab your cheat sheet! ☺︎
When it comes to learning blend modes, you only need to know about a handful of them for a start. Sure, the various different modes play a major part in the great effects that you see in photo manipulations and retouched photographs.
However, if you’re just getting started with digital art or photo retouching, knowing the most used blending modes will already take you a long way.
These TOP 6 Photoshop Blending Modes is what I’m going to explain to you in this tutorial. They are Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, and Color.
If you like to learn more about blend modes, you can continue reading to find out how they work, how they’re organized, and how to use them.
If you’d like to get straight into a specific blending mode, click on the link below to go right to that mode!
TOP 6 Photoshop Blending Modes Explained
What do the blending modes do in Photoshop?
What blending modes do in Photoshop is affect the way the pixels on one layer interact with the pixels on the layer/s below.
All blending modes are parametric. That means they do not actually alter the pixels themselves, they just make them behave in a certain way.
So the changes that you apply to an image via Photoshop’s blending modes are non-destructive, and you can always come back to your original layers and readjust them as needed.
Each of the Photoshop blending modes works according to a specific algorithm.
This particular ‘formula’ makes the pixels on the top layer change the color, brightness and luminosity of the underlying layers in different ways, depending on the blending option you’ve selected.
How to blend in Photoshop?
Blending layers in Photoshop is super-easy. All you need to do is click on the Blending Mode dropdown in the Layers Panel and choose a mode from the list.
If you’re new to Photoshop, the blending modes may seem unorganized at first glance. But when taking a closer look, you’ll notice that there are thin lines that group the blending modes into six categories.
All the blend modes in one category have common characteristics.
The first two blending modes (Normal and Dissolve) are in the Normal category, which means they do not actually blend layers together by changing the way the pixels interact.
The blending modes in the second category basically darken the image, while the opposite blending modes in category #3 lighten it.
The category #4 blending modes essentially increase the contrast. The blend modes in the fifth category invert certain values on the blended layers, such as color.
The last category includes the Composite or Component blending modes, which are also known as HSL. They basically alter the Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity of the blended layers.
If you look which category the TOP 6 Photoshop Blending Modes that’ll be explained in this tutorial belong to, you’ll notice that they are from six different categories. That means you’ll be getting a good overall idea of the workings of the different blend mode categories.
Normal is obviously in the Normal category, Multiply belongs to the Darken category, Screen to the Lighten category, and Overlay and Soft Light are both in the Contrast category.
The Color blend mode is part of the last Composite category.
When are blending modes not working in Photoshop?
If you find that the Blending Mode option is grayed out, it’s most likely because you’re working on the Background layer.
To be able to use blending modes, the layer mustn’t be locked.
To fix that, you can either double-click on the little padlock icon on the far right-hand side of the layer, or make a copy of the background layer.
You can make a copy of a layer by pressing CMD + J on a Mac (CTRL + J on a PC) while the layer is selected, or by dragging the layer down to the ‘Create a new layer’ icon at the bottom of your Layers Panel.
Once you’ve created a new layer that isn’t locked anymore, you’ll see that the blending options will now be available for you to use.
What are the 3 most used blending modes?
Apart from Normal, which is obviously Photoshop’s default blend mode, the probably 3 most used blending modes are Multiply from the Darken category, Screen from the Lighten category, and Overlay / Soft Light from the Contrast category.
Why do I believe that? Because those 3 blending modes allow you to achieve plenty of different effects that are useful in both digital art and photography.
Multiply, for example, allows you to darken an overexposed image, which is important in photo retouching. You can also use Multiply to create a vignette effect that adds more focus to a photograph.
In digital art, Multiply is ideal for creating shadows, which play an essential part in the overall composition.
Screen is the opposite blending mode of Multiply. Accordingly, Screen is perfect for brightening an underexposed photo. Since black is not visible on a layer in the Screen blend mode, you can use it to add objects on a black background to photo manipulations (more on that later on in this tutorial).
Overlay and Soft Light both belong to the Contrast category. As you’ll learn later on, Soft Light is basically the softer version of Overlay, so it’s largely down to personal preference which of them you’re using more.
They both do a great job in making an image more vivid, while also increasing brightness and contrast. In photo retouching, Overlay and Soft Light can give a nice glow to skin tones. In digital art, Overlay / Soft Light is useful to change the overall tonality of an image, or the color of hair, eyes, and other objects.
Related: → How To Make A Photo Warmer In Photoshop – 5 EASY WAYS
So let’s kick off this tutorial by looking at the Normal blending mode.
TOP 1: NORMAL Photoshop Blending Mode Explained
What does the Normal blend mode do?
Strictly speaking, Normal isn’t an actual blending option because it doesn’t blend layers together.
At 100% Opacity, the Normal blend mode simply displays the layer as it is, without its pixels interacting with the pixels on the layers beneath.
How to use the Normal blend mode?
However, by lessening Opacity and/or Fill, the layer becomes more transparent and uncovers part of the layer below.
Even though Normal isn’t a ‘real’ blending mode, you still shouldn’t underestimate its effectiveness.
The sample image below is from my tutorial on how to change the opacity of part of an image in Photoshop.
By making the frame less opaque in certain areas, I was able to make it blend nicely with the background and create an eerie effect that can be used for a photo manipulation.
TOP 2: MULTIPLY Photoshop Blending Mode Explained
What does the Multiply blend mode do?
The Multiply blending mode combines contrast and luminosity of the top with the layer underneath.
Technically speaking, Multiply multiplies the color channel values of the top and bottom layer.
Any white pixels on the layer are not visible with this blending mode.
How to use the Multiply blend mode?
There are various uses of the Multiply blend mode in digital art and photography. As we discussed above, you can use Multiply to darken an overexposed shot.
The sample image below illustrates how to use the Multiply blend mode to create a vignette effect in Photoshop. You can see how the corners and edges are darkened, which automatically draws the viewer’s attention to center of the picture.
In digital art, shadows play a key function in the overall composition of an artwork. Have a look at my photo manipulation ‘Rose Red Supper‘ below.
The left image shows you the composition WITHOUT any cast shadows, while the right image does include shadows. All the shadows of the things on the floor, the skeletons, the arms, knife, plate, etc. were done using the Multiply blend mode.
See how the image is changing and getting a somehow ‘flat’ look as soon as you take out the shadows?
- Move the slider to see the full Without Shadows & With Shadows sample images
As I mentioned above, another particularity of the Multiply blend mode is that it makes pure white pixels invisible. That’s why Multiply is one of the most used blending modes when compositing images.
To give you an example, I’m going to quickly blend together two layers. My background layer will be the Virus Grunge texture by WheelOfFish on DeviantArt. On top of it, I’m going to place a smoke texture by Moonglowlilly on DeviantArt, which has a white background.
As you can see in the video below, it’s enough to set the blending mode of the smoke layer to Multiply to make everything blend together nicely.
TOP 3: SCREEN Photoshop Blending Mode Explained
What does the Screen blend mode do?
Just like Multiply, the Screen blend mode inverts the color channel values, multiplies and inverts them again.
However, contrary to Multiply, the new colors are never darker than the original colors. This results in the image looking brighter and a bit ‘washed out’.
Screen is actually the exact opposite blending mode of Multiply. That means, if Multiply hides any pure white pixels on the layer, then Screen blocks out any pure black pixels.
How to use the Screen blend mode?
Screen is a frequent blending mode used in Photoshop to brighten an underexposed photo.
With a combination of different layers, you can use Screen to create a high-key photo – a very bright and airy-looking image that consists largely of white or pastel tones.
Related: → What Is High-Key In Photography?
Screen produces a very powerful effect. The image below is an example of a monochromatic high-key photo created in Photoshop by making use of the Screen blend mode, among others.
- Move the slider to see the full Before & After images
As the opposite blend mode of Multiply, Screen hides all pure black pixels on a layer. That’s why it’s frequently used for compositing images, as well.
I’m quickly going to show you an example here, too. I have a bokeh texture with light dots on a black background from baciodistella on DeviantArt. I’m going to add this bokeh onto a golden water color background from ValerianaSTOCK on DeviantArt to illustrate how Screen works.
As you can see in the video below, one click at the mouse is enough to seamlessly blend the bokeh texture over the background. Totally fast and easy.
TOP 4: OVERLAY Photoshop Blending Mode Explained
What does the Overlay blend mode do?
Overlay is the first blending mode from the Contrast category. It blends two layers together, while preserving the shadows and highlights of the lower layer.
The Overlay blend mode formula either multiplies or screens the color channel values, depending on whether the underlying color is darker or lighter than 50% gray.
Any pixels darker than 50% gray will get darker and increase in contrast. Conversely, any pixels brighter than 50% gray will get lighter and increase in contrast, too.
If the pixels are exactly 50% gray, they will be invisible on the layer.
How to use the Overlay blend mode?
Since Overlay makes an image look more vivid while increasing the contrast as well, it has many different uses.
Generally speaking, you can use Overlay to bump up the colors in your pictures. Duplicating the background layer and switching it to Overlay boosts the vibrancy dramatically. You might want to reduce the Opacity or add a bit of Gaussian blur to make the effect more subtle.
In the example below, I show you exactly what I mean by that:
Overlay boots the colors and increases the contrast. The image is Removing the Webs of the Past from my Headshots Collection.
Another common use of Overlay is for Dodging and Burning in photo retouch – but as well in digital art. As you know now, Overlay hides all pixels that are 50% gray. Hence, you can add a new layer, fill it with 50% gray, and switch it to Overlay. This will make the entire layer invisible.
But even though the layer cannot be seen anymore, you can now work on the layer with the Dodge and Burn tools to highlight and darken certain areas in an image.
Let’s look at an example. Let’s say I’ve created this silver mask in Photoshop and now I want to add more lights and darks to improve the metallic effect. I’ll be doing that with a Dodge & Burn layer in Overlay:
TOP 5: SOFT LIGHT Photoshop Blending Mode Explained
What does the Soft Light blend mode do?
The Soft Light blending mode works similarly to Overlay. However, as its name suggests, it produces a slightly softer and more subtle effect.
Technically speaking, Soft Light darkens the color channel values, if the colors on the top layer are darker than 50% gray. It lightens the color channel values, if the colors on the top layer are lighter than 50% gray.
Again, any pixels at exactly 50% gray are invisible on the layer.
As a sort of softer Overlay blend mode, Soft Light is as frequently used and as effective.
How to use the Soft Light blend mode?
Soft Light is mostly used for the same purposes as Overlay. Whether you use Soft Light or Overlay more often is largely down to personal preference.
However, as Soft Light is more subtle than Overlay, I find that it often leads to a better result.
Compare the two images below: The image on the left side shows a copy of the background layer above the original background, in Overlay at 100% Opacity. The right image, on the other hand, is the same copy but this time in Soft Light, at 100% Opacity. Which one do you like better?
- Move the slider to see the comparison between the effect of Overlay & Soft Light at full opacity
The image is Removing the Webs of the Past from my Headshots Collection.
Similarly to Overlay, you can also use a Soft Light layer filled with 50% gray to dodge and burn an image. Naturally, the highlights and shadows will be a bit softer, as opposed to Overlay.
One thing that I find Soft Light particularly suitable for is to change the overall atmosphere of an image.
Using a Solid Color Adjustment Layer, for example, is a great way to make a photo warmer in Photoshop.
The image is Why can’t you feel me? from my Headshots Collection.
Another thing I frequently use Soft Light Color Adjustment Layers for – and where I find they give me better results than Overlay – is for changing hair color.
With just one click at the mouse, I can change the lady’s hair color from purple to gray to blond to ginger – and the results look way more ‘natural’ than with Overlay.
- Click to enlarge the image
The image is Desert Rose from my Surreal Stories Collection.
TOP 6: COLOR Photoshop Blending Mode Explained
What does the Color blend mode do?
Color is the last blending option in our TOP 6 rundown of the best Photoshop Blending Modes Explained.
Color is part of the Composite blending modes and is perfect for coloring monochrome images.
The Color blending mode applies the color of the top layer to the bottom layer while preserving its luminosity.
When comparing the effect of Color with that of the Hue blend mode, you’ll notice that Color provides a much more powerful and intense result.
Along with Luminosity, Color is the second pair of the so-called Commuted Blending Modes (more about that in the Photoshop Blend Modes Cheat Sheet).
How to use the Color blend mode?
Color is ideal for modifying the tonality of an image, because it affects the color values only – not the brightness, not the contrast, not the luminosity.
Placing a Solid Color Adjustment Layer in the Color blend mode on top of a black & white photo can give a nice overall tint to the image.
For the example below, I’ve placed a Color Fill Adjustment Layer in a light violet at 55% Opacity above one of my monochrome cityscape shots. Notice how only the color values are changing, while the lights and shadows remain just as before.
Of course, you cannot only change the tonality of a grayscale image by blending it with a Color layer. You can also modify images that already have color in them.
Let’s take a look at another example. This time, I’m adding a Color Gradient Adjustment Layer at 100% Opacity in a light pink-purple on top of one of my nature shots. Notice how the different colors of the original image take on the colors of the gradient layer. The color gradations are smooth and seamless, while the overall brightness and luminosity of the photo stay the same.
Grab your FREE Photoshop Blend Modes Cheat Sheet
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I hope this post about the TOP 6 Photoshop Blending Modes Explained was helpful to you, whether you’re into digital art or photo retouching. If you found any value in it, please feel free to share it with other artists so they can also learn from it!
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Thanks for the compliments! Glad to hear that the article was helpful (: