Choosing a blending mode

A layer's blending mode determines how its pixels blend with underlying pixels in the image. You can create a variety of special effects using blending modes.

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, you effectively change the order in which the entire image is composited. All of the layers in the layer set are composited first. The composited layer set is then treated as a single image and blended 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.

For a description of each blending mode, see Selecting a blending mode.

Note: There is no Clear blending mode for layers. In addition, the Color Dodge, Color Burn, Darken, Lighten, Difference, and Exclusion modes are unavailable for Lab images.

To specify a blending mode for a layer or layer set:

1. Select a layer or layer set in the Layers palette.
2. Choose a blending mode:
• In the Layers palette, choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, and then choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.