Exploring Layer Blending Modes
Layer blending modes are functions for colored layers to change how to blend the colors with other layers. You can make colors darker by mixing them with other layers, or lighter, or invert the hue. When you want to add shade, light, light reflections, and color enhancements to your flat color art, layer blending modes will come in handy, because you can add these effects without hiding or ruining the flat color art! We are going to have a look at what layer blending modes are and how you can use them with examples.
At the top of the Layer palette is a drop-down menu that controls our layer blending mode. The following screenshot shows the Layer palette and some of the blending modes available for us to use in our art:
Figure 16.7 – Screenshot of the layer blending mode drop-down menu
There are tons of layer blending modes, and each one can give us a different effect. However, in this section, we are going to concentrate...