Blending Modes - 2

Blending Modes - 2

Learn more about Blending Modes to see how they can alter the appearance of photos without altering the original image.

When to use

Blending Modes are an extremely useful feature in Photoshop that allows you to layer different looks on top of each other without changing the layers beneath them.

Instructions

Blending Modes on Photos and Adjustment Layers

• To begin, select your merged copy of the 'IMAGE 3' folder.
• Change the Blend Mode of the image to 'Overlay'.
• Using Overlay and Soft Light Blend Modes on a copy of a photo will boost the contrast in your image.
• You can also lower the opacity of the duplicate photo layer that has been set to Overlay or Soft Light to reduce the intensity of the contrast. 
• Select your Gradient Map Adjustment Layer and change the gradient preset to a warm, orange preset.
• Change the Blend Mode of the Adjustment Layer to 'Overlay'. 
• Notice how changing the Blending Mode of the Adjustment Layer and the merged photo gives you an even greater variety of options. 

Isolating Blending Modes

• Turn off the merged, duplicate photo layer and then select the Gradient Map Adjustment Layer on top.
• Continue to scroll through the different Blending Modes going from Overlay to Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, and so on. 
• Once you get to the 'Luminosity' Blending Mode, reduce the opacity of the Adjustment Layer to create a more subtle effect.
• Notice how with Luminosity there are no 'pure blacks' in the image.
• Change the Gradient Map Adjustment Layer to 'Difference' and then lower the opacity to create a warming effect on top of your photo.
• Since we have a cool, blue gradient for our Gradient Map, using the Difference Blending Mode is going to invert the colors to something warmer.

Hints & tips

• Changing the Blending Modes on Adjustment Layers and photos is a great way to create a wide variety of looks and effects in Photoshop.
• You can alter the Blending Modes of several layers stacked on top of each other using a different mode and opacity for each.