Blending and Opacity

When using a filter, the Blending and Opacity tools appear in the Tool Properties Bar. The Blending and Opacity tools provide creative control and can be combined to create an entirely new image. Apply blend modes and opacity to the whole image or to a selected part of an image.

Opacity

The Opacity slider changes the opacity of the edited image and gives control over how much of the edit should be visible on the image.

Blending

The Blending drop-down controls how the edits and the image merge, meaning that other blend modes besides opacity can be used to affect the final image.

Blending Options

Normal

Pixels in the edited image are combined with those in the original. Only opacity affects this blend.

Screen

Combines the edited image color with the inverse of the original photo color, resulting in a color that is the same or lighter.

Multiply

Combines the edited image color with the original photo to produce a darker color. Multiplying any color with black produces black; multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged.

Dodge

Combines the edited image color with the original pixels in the photo to produce a lighter color.

Burn

Combines the edited image color with the original pixels in the photo to produce a darker color.

Overlay

Preserves the shadows and highlights of the lower layers while applying either Multiply or Screen blend mode based on the original image area's color values.

Difference

Subtracts the edited image color from the color of the original photo. Any white in the edited image produces a true negative of the color in the image, while black produces no effect.

Darken

Applies pixels in the edited image that are darker than the original image. Pixels in the edited image that are lighter than the original image disappear (based on RGB values).

Lighten

Applies pixels in the edited image that are lighter than the original image. Pixels in the edited image that are darker than the original image disappear (based on RGB values).

Hard Light

Adds strong highlights or shadows by applying Multiply or Screen based on the original image area's color values.

Soft Light

Adds soft highlights or shadows by darkening or lightening based on the original image area's color values.

Hue

Applies the hue value of colors in the edited image to the color of the original image areas.

Saturation

Applies the saturation value of colors in the edited image to the color of the original image areas.

Color

Applies the hue and saturation of the edited image to the image. This blend does not affect the luminance of the original image.

Luminosity

Applies the lightness value of colors in the edited image to the color of the original image areas.

Dissolve

Applies some pixels from the edited image layer onto the original image, resulting in specks of color. The Opacity slider controls the amount of speckling.

Exclusion

Like Difference, but with less contrast, Exclusion subtracts the blend color from the color of the underlying photo. Any white in the blend color produces a true negative of the color in the image, while black produces no effect.

Vivid Light

Combines the blend color with the underlying pixels in the photo by increasing or decreasing contrast to produce a lighter or darker color, as determined by the blend color.

Pin Light

When the light source is lighter than 50% gray, the pixels darker than the light source are replaced. Pixels lighter than the light source remain the same. When the light source is darker than 50% gray, the pixels lighter than the light source are replaced. Pixels darker than the light source remain the same.

Linear Light

Dodges or burns by lightening or darkening the brightness value, depending on the blend color.

Hard Mix

Applies red, green, and blue channel values of the blend color to the RGB values of the image.

Subtract

Subtracts the blend color from the image (base) color in each channel.

Divide

Divides the blend color from the image (base) color.

Darker Color

From the blend color and the image (base) color, the lower channel values are chosen.

Lighter Color

From the blend color and the image (base) color, the higher channel values are chosen.

 

Use the Edit Brush to paint an effect onto specific areas of an image, then set the Blending drop-down and Opacity slider to change the way the effect is applied.

The Blending and Opacity tools are enabled in many of the editing tools and special effects filters. When a tool or filter does not warrant the use of the the Blending and Opacity tools , they are unavailable.

 

The Blending and Opacity tools are not available in the following filters:

  • Detail Brush
  • Distortion Correction
  • Dodge and Burn
  • Lens Correction
  • Liquify
  • Perspective Correction
  • Red Eye Reduction
  • Repair Tool
  • Vignette
  • Watermark

 

The Blending and Opacity tools are also not available in the following:

  • Crop
  • Flip
  • Resize
  • Rotate
  • Selections
  • Text