The Extra-Strength Tips for the Clients and Friends of Ben Willmore (www.digitalmastery.com):

No it's not a mirage, this really is a tip from Ben. I know it's been ages since you've received one, and you probably came to the conclusion that I joined the Witness Protection Program and have been anonymously teaching under-privileged geeks in an undisclosed location. Well, the truth isn't quite that exciting... with the release of Photoshop CS, I've been overwhelmed with updating my book 'Photoshop CS Studio Techniques' and seminar 'Photoshop for Photographers' while , co-authoring my second book 'How to Wow: Photoshop for Photographers' and finishing up a brand new DVD called 'Color Manipulation' (whew!). But now that I've made it over those hurdles, I'm ready to get back into supplying you with Photoshop tips. I'm going to start covering the newest features in Photoshop CS, but I'll make sure that I always mix in enough tips that relate to older versions of Photoshop so we'll all be able to get something out of each tip. This time around I'd like to explore one of my favorite features: Blending Modes.

How to Think about Blending Modes
Whenever you have something isolated onto its own layer, you can change the blending mode menu that is found at the top of the Layers palette (and is usually set to Normal) to change how the active layer interacts with the underlying image. I'll give you a general idea of how to think about the different blending mode groupings, and then in the next tip, I show you some filters that become highly useful when using those blending modes. If you look at the Blending Mode menu, you'll notice that the modes are divided into different groupings; here's how I think about each grouping:

Darken Modes
With all of these modes, white disappears and anything darker than white has the potential of darkening the underlying image. The only difference between these modes is the method it uses to darken the underlying image. Multiply mode acts just like ink by printing one image on top of the underlying image as if you made two passes on an ink jet printer. Linear Burn works in much the same way but does it with more gusto, which makes it much easier to end up with pure black. Color Burn mode not only darkens but also increases the saturation of colors in the underlying image. Darken mode compares the active layer to the underlying image only allowing those areas that are darker than the underlying image to show up.

Lighten Modes
These modes are the exact opposite of the choices that show up under the Darken group. With these modes black disappears and any thing brighter than black has the potential of lightening the underlying image. Screen mode acts just like light, as if you projected one image onto the same screen that another image is being projected onto. Linear Light works in much the same way but does it with more force, which makes it much easier to end up with solid white. Color Dodge mode not only lightens but also increases the saturation of colors in the underlying image. Lighten mode compares the active layer to the underlying image only allowing those areas that are lighter than the underlying image to show up.

Contrast Modes
All of these modes are combinations of the modes that are available in the Lighten and Darken groupings. With all these modes, 50% gray disappears and areas brighter then 50% have the potential to brighten the underlying image (using one of the lighten modes), while areas that are darker than 50% have the potential of darkening the underlying image (using one of the darken modes). Hard Light is a combination of Multiply and Screen. Overlay is the opposite of Hard Light in that it uses the information on the underlying layers to change the contrast of the active layer. Soft Light is a mellower version of Hard Light. Linear Light is a combination of Linear Dodge and Linear Burn. Vivid Light is a combination of Color Dodge and Color Burn. Pin Light is a combination of Lighten and Darken.

Photoshop CS Introduces the Oddball: Hard Mix Mode
Adobe introduced Hard Mix mode in Photoshop CS. But it's futile to try to shoehorn this new mode into the existing groupings, because this one really is an oddball. Let's look at how it works and then you'll see why it doesn't quite fit with the other contrast modes. This mode will posterize the underlying layers based on the Fill Opacity setting of the layer that is using the Hard Mix blending mode. A high Fill Opacity will deliver extreme posterization, while lower Fill Opacity settings will deliver a smoother looking image. If the brightness of the layer is near 50% gray, then the brightness of the underlying image will not change. Anything brighter than 50% gray will brighten the underlying image, while anything darker will darken it. A layer filled with 50% gray (RGB = 128,128,128) will neither brighten nor darken the underlying image, although varying the Fill Opacity will still control its posterization. Using Hard Mix mode with a 50% Fill Opacity often looks identical to the results you get using the Vivid Light blending Mode at 100% Fill Opacity. For that reason, I try Hard Mix and experiment with the Fill Opacity setting anytime I'm experimenting with the Vivid Light blending mode.

Comparative Modes
Difference and Exclusion compare the active layer to the underlying image and attempt to show you where things are different (areas that are identical in both the active layer and underlying image become black). The main difference between the two modes is that Exclusion mode has the tendency to maintain areas of 50% gray in the active layer as 50% gray. In both of these modes, solid black will disappear.

HSL Modes
These modes break up the colors in the active layer into three parts: hue (which means basic color), saturation (which means how colorful), and luminosity (which means how bright) then they apply one of more of those qualities to the underlying image. The Hue mode applies the basic color of the active layer to the underlying image without changing how colorful or bright the underlying image is. The Saturation mode makes the underlying image just as colorful as the active layer. Color mode applies the color of the active layer to the brightness of the underlying image. Luminosity mode applies the brightness of the active layer to the colors in the underlying image.

That's enough for now... If you're interested in my new seminars and books, then be sure to keep reading, otherwise, I'll talk to you soon.

I have a few 2-day "Photoshop for Photographers" hands-on seminars coming up in Boulder, CO, Minneapolis, MN and San Francisco, CA. For more information, check out www.digitalmastery.com/mainsite/handson

The newest version of my book 'Photoshop CS Studio Techniques' is now available and signed copies can be purchased for 20% off at www.digitalmastery.com/book. The newest version of the book has four brand new chapters which include: Camera Raw, Advanced Masking, Sharpening, and Color Manipulation. The rest of the book has been completely updated to cover the new features in Photoshop CS.

-Ben Willmore