Photoshop Layer and Tool Blending Mode

To select a blending mode for a tool:

You can select blending mode for tool at tools option bar. By choose from the Mode pop-up menu in the options bar (A). Some tool may not compatible with all blending mode and some tool have their own special one, you can check out the diagram below for each tool belnding mode.

To select blending mode for layer:

You can select blending mode for layer at layer palette. By, in layer palette, select layer you want to change blending mode, choose layer blending option at top layer palette (C).

Blending mode with Layer set or Layer group(Photoshop CS2):

By default, the blending mode of a Layer set is Pass Through, which means that the Layer set has no blending properties of its own. When you choose a different blending mode for a Layer set, all of the layers in the layer set are composite first. And then will treat as one single layer and blend with the rest of the image using the selected blending mode. Thus, if you choose a blending mode other than Pass Through for the layer set, none of the adjustment layers or layer blending modes inside the layer set will apply to layers outside the set.

Short-Cut for Blending and Opacity

You can change Layer blending mode by press Shift + Alt(Windows) or Shift + Option(MacOS) following by each blend mode short-cut key indicated in () while select any tools other than painting tool (tool that have no blending mode). To use short-cut to change tool blending mode, select the tool and press short-cut above.

You can also press number to change layer opacity (D) while using non-painting tool or tool opacity (B) while using painting tool. To change opacity to 60% press 6 or press 06 quickly to change opacity to 6%.

Photoshop: Blending Mode Quick Reference

Normal Mode

Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

Normal (N) The default mode, this option displays every pixel in the active layer normally, regardless of the colors in the underlying layers. When you use opacity values (whether Opacity or Fill) of less than 100 percent, the color of each pixel in the active layer is averaged with the composite pixel in the layers behind it. Normal mode is called Threshold when you're working with a bitmapped or indexed-color image.

Dissolve (I) This option specifically affects feathered or softened edges. If the active layer is entirely opaque with hard edges, Dissolve has no effect. But when the edges of the layer is fade the result color is a random replacement of the pixels with the base color or the blend color, depending on the opacity at any pixel location. However, when you drop the Opacity value below 100 percent, Dissolve will dithers all pixels. Note: Dissolve does not dither pixels in the drop shadow layer effects. Layer effects are governed by their own independent blend modes.

Darken Mode

Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

	Darken (K) Darken applies colors in the active layer only if they are darker than the corresponding pixels below for each channel and pixel-by-pixel. Pixels in underlying layer that lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. For example in one corresponding pixels, in blue channel in the active layer darker than the blue pixel of underlying composite pixel and the red and green components lighter. In this case, Photoshop assigns the blue component but not the red or green.
	Multiply (M) Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. The result color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color with black produces black. Multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged. When you're painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a painting tool produce progressively darker colors. The effect is similar to drawing on the image with multiple magic markers.
	Color Burn (B) Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the contrast. Blending with white produces no change. Color Burn results in crisp, often colorful, toasted edges.
	Linear Burn (A) Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no change. Linear Burn creates a smoother, less vibrant effect than Color Burn.

Lighten Mode

Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

	Lighten (G) Opposite with Darken mode, Lighten applies colors in the active layer only if they are lighter than the corresponding pixels in the underlying image. As with Darken, Photoshop compares the brightness levels of all channels in a full-color image. Pixels of underlying layer that darker than active layer are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change.
	Screen (S) Screen is the opposite of Multiply. Rather than creating a darker image, you create a lighter image. Photoshop looks at each channel's color information and multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The result color is always a lighter color. Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white. Screen is useful for creating glows, retaining just the light colors in a gradient, and creating light noise effects such as snow and stars.
	Color Dodge (D) Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the contrast. Blending with black produces no change. When you apply the Color Dodge modes, each color in the layer becomes a brightness-value multiplier. Light colors such as white produce the greatest effect, and black drops away.
	Linear Dodge (W) Create similar effect with Color Dodge. Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change. Linear Dodge creates similar but smoother effect than Color Dodge.

Light Mode

Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

	Overlay (O) Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color (underlying layer). Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is not replaced but is mixed with the blend color to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original color.
	Soft Light (F) Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused spotlight on the image. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened as if it were dodged. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white produces a distinctly darker or lighter area but does not result in pure black or white.
	Hard Light (H) Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the image. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful for adding highlights to an image. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened, as if it were multiplied. This is useful for adding shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white.
	Vivid Light (V) Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by decreasing the contrast. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by increasing the contrast.
	Linear Light (J) Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by increasing the brightness. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by decreasing the brightness.
	Pin Light (Z) Replaces the colors, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. This is useful for adding special effects to an image.
	Hard Mix (L) The Hard Mix blend mode combines the pixels in your layers using the Vivid Light blend mode and then performs a color threshold operation on them. Hard Mix mixes two layers and pushes the colors to their absolute extreme. All in all, Hard Mixed pixels come in only eight colors: black, white, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow, the end result being quite similar to the Posterize command (Image » Adjustments » Posterize).

Invert Mode

Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

	Difference (E) Difference inverts lower layers according to the brightness values in the active layer. White inverts the composite pixels absolutely, black inverts them not at all, and the other brightness values invert them to some degree in between. Blending with white inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.
	Exclusion (X) Creates an effect similar to Difference Mode but lower in contrast often smoother effect. Blending with white inverts the base color values. Blending with black produces no change. Exclusion sends mid-tone to gray, much as Pin Light sends mid-tone to transparent.

Color Mode

Move cursor over sample picture to toggle to Normal Mode to see effect

	Hue (U) Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the underlying layer color with the hue of the blend color in active layer or painted color.
	Saturation (T) Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color. Painting with this mode in an area with no saturation (gray) causes no change.
	Color (C) Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This preserves the gray levels in the image and is useful for coloring monochrome images and for tinting color images.
	Luminosity (Y) Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color. This mode creates an inverse effect from that of the Color mode.

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Special Blending Mode for Tools only

There're two blending mode that available for tool only.

Behind (Q)

Edits or paints only on the transparent part of a layer. This mode works only in layers with Lock Transparency deselected and is analogous to painting on the back of transparent areas in a sheet of acetate.

Clear (R)

When working on a layer other than Background, the Clear mode turns selected tool into an erasing tool, clearing away pixels. You can edits or paints each pixel and makes it transparent. Given that the eraser already emulates the behavior of both the Brush and Pencil tools, there's not a lot of reason to use Clear with either of these tools. However, it creates a unique effect when combined with the Paint Bucket Tool , thus permitting you to fill areas of colors with transparency. You must be in a layer with Lock Transparency deselected to use this mode.
This mode is available for Line tool (when fill region Fill is selected), Paint Bucket tool , Brush Tool , Pencil tool , the Fill command, and the Stroke command.

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Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Blending Mode

Following 3 blending modes are for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool

Midtones (M)

Selected by default, the Midtones mode applies the Dodge or Burn tool equally to all but the very lightest or darkest pixels in an image. Midtones enables you to adjust the brightness of colors without blowing out highlights or filling in shadows.

Shadows (S)

When you select this mode, the Dodge or Burn tool affects dark pixels in an image more dramatically than light pixels. Medium values are likewise affected, so the Shadows option modifies a wider range of colors than Midtones.

Highlights (H)

This option lets you lighten or darken the midtones and lightest colors in an image.

Note: Selecting Shadows when using the Dodge tool or Highlights when using the Burn tool has an equalizing effect on an image.

Sponge Tool Blending Mode

Desaturate:

When set to Desaturate, the tool reduces the saturation of the colors over which you drag. When you're editing a grayscale image, the tool reduces contrast.

Saturate

If you select Saturate, the Sponge tool increases the saturation of the colors over which you drag, or increases contrast in a grayscale image.