The Photoshop Tip of the Week for the Clients and Friends of Ben Willmore
(www.digitalmastery.com):

This week we're going to explore one of my favorite features-Blending modes. What's that? Well, I'm sure you've seen a small pop-up menu at the top of your Layers palette-it's usually set to Normal and when you click on it, you'll find choices like Multiply, Screen and many more-those are blending modes. There are so many ways to use Blending modes, I could literally write an entire book about them, but for now I'll just give you a few tasty samplers. . If you'd like to explore them in more detail, then check out the Enhancement chapter of my Photoshop 6 book (you can buy it at www.digitalmastery.com/book, and yes, they are in stock).

One of the most popular uses for the Blending modes menu is to change the color of an object. To do that, just create a new layer, set the blending mode menu to Hue and paint away. When you do that, you should end up changing the basic color of the underlying image. It's a great feature, but it has some limitations. You won't be able to introduce color into an area that didn't have it to begin with and you won't be able to change how intense the colors are either.

To add color to a grayscale image, first choose Image>Mode>RGB, then create a new layer to paint on. Next, change the blending mode of that layer to Color and then paint over the image. If you find the color is too vivid, just lower the opacity of the painting tool that you're using. Or, if the color looks too much like it's sitting on top of the image, instead of being part of the image, then try changing the blending mode to Color Burn.

Now, let's talk about how to pull all the color out of an image and make part of it grayscale, while leaving the rest in color. To accomplish that, press "D" to reset your foreground color to black, then create a new layer and set its blending mode to Saturation. Now, paint on that layer in the areas where you'd like the image to become grayscale. You can lower the opacity of your painting tool if you'd like to keep a hint of the color in the areas where you paint.

I also use blending modes when I'm working with filters. Here's an example of something I do all the time. When I'm working on a color image and I'd like to add a little bit of dimension to it, I'll often choose Filter>Stylize>Emboss. The only problem with that is that it gets rid of all the colors in the image, leaving only grays. But, right after applying that filter, you can choose Edit>Fade (Filter>Fade in previous version of Photoshop) and then set the mode pop-up menu to Hardlight. That should bring all the colors back and still leave you with an embossed look.

If you ever have a sketch or black and white logo and you'd like it to print on top of the underlying image (as if you just printed the underlying image and started to draw on top of it with a highlighter), then set the blending mode of that layer to Multiply.

If you'd like to add texture to a photo, then create a new layer, choose Edit>Fill and set the Use pop-up menu to 50% Gray. Next, set the blending mode of that layer to Hardlight (which should make the gray disappear) and then choose Filter>Texture>Texturizer.

That should be enough to get you started using blending modes. Hardly a day goes by when I don't use this feature, and I hope you find them to be as enjoyable and useful as I do.

If, by chance, you've read a few Photoshop books and have attended a few seminars and still find that you're hungry for Photoshop knowledge, then you should definitely read the PS on this message, because it tells you all about the most advanced Photoshop hands-on event ever offered. I'll be teaching PhotoshopCamp in Denver, CO from September 24 to the 28th, 2001.

-Ben WillmoreTo unsubscribe to this list, send an e-mail with the subject line of "Cancel Tip Subscription" to tips@digitalmastery.com Also, I'd love it if you include a one liner about why you've decided to leave the list.
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