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How Do You Use Blending Modes in Photoshop?

Last updated on September 23, 2022 @ 11:26 pm

Blending modes are a set of options in Photoshop that allows you to control how one layer interacts with the layers beneath it. By default, all layers have the Normal blending mode applied to them, which simply means that the layer is placed on top of the layers beneath it without any special effects. However, there are a number of other blending modes that can be applied to a layer to create different effects, and in this article we’re going to run through some of the most popular ones and show you how to use them.

The Different Blending Modes

There are a total of 27 different blending modes in Photoshop, grouped into six different categories:

PRO TIP: Blending modes are a powerful tool in Photoshop, but they can also be confusing and frustrating if you don’t understand how they work. In this article, we’ll explain what blending modes are and how to use them.
  • Normal: This is the default mode and simply means that the layer is placed on top of the layers beneath it without any special effects.
  • Darken: These modes will make the pixels on the layer darker depending on the pixels underneath.
  • Lighten: These modes will make the pixels on the layer lighter depending on the pixels underneath.
  • Contrast: These modes will increase or decrease the contrast between the pixels on the layer and those underneath.
  • Invert: These modes will invert the colors of the pixels on the layer.
  • Color: These modes will change the color of the pixels on the layer without affecting their luminosity (lightness or darkness).

How to Use Blending Modes

To change a layer’s blending mode, simply select the layer in question from the Layers panel and then click on one of the options from the drop-down menu at the top of the panel. Alternatively, you can also cycle through all of the available options by pressing . If you’re not sure what effect a particular blending mode will have, you can always hover your mouse over each option in turn to see a live preview in your image.

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In conclusion, blending modes are a set of options in Photoshop that allows you to control how one layer interacts with another. There are 27 different blending modes grouped into six different categories: Normal, Darken, Lighten, Contrast, Invert, and Color. Each mode produces a different effect, and you can cycle through all of them by pressing Shift+Alt+F5 (Windows) / Shift+Option+F5 (Mac).

Madison Geldart

Madison Geldart

Cloud infrastructure engineer and tech mess solver.