Layer Modes

Intro

This tutorial will go over what layer modes are and how to use them. Don't know what they are? You'll find out soon enough. ;)

Step 1

Okay, so let's take this random picture of a bus and make it look cool. ;)

Open this image in Photoshop.

Step 2

First, make sure your layers window is open.

See where it says "Normal" with a drop down arrow next to it? Click on the arrow, and you will see this:

These are the layer modes.

Step 3

What you need to do now to use these layer modes is to duplicate the layer with the bus on it. To do this, hit Ctrl+J once OR drag the layer down to this button:

. Now, in the layers window, you should see two layers with the same exact thing on both.

Step 4

While the top layer is selected (like in the screenshot above) click on the drop down arrow next to "Normal" and click on dissolve. As you will notice, nothing happened. That's okay. Sometimes dissolve doesn't make a difference, sometimes it does.

Click on the drop down arrow again and select "Multiply". As you can see, it made the picture considerably darker.

Select "Screen". As you can see, it made the picture lighter.

Step 5

Keep selecting different options until you have tried all of them. Your pictures should end up something like these:

You might be wondering when you would ever use this. (If you aren't...read this anyway. lol) Layer modes are very useful because they are the only way that you can use textures. They also enhances colors/lightens/darkens/etc. pictures. Most of the effects I add on my blends are just playing around with different layer modes. You don't always have to duplicate the picture to use them, either. You can fill a layer with one color or a gradient and set that to a layer mode. There are many things you can do with layer modes. I hope this tutorial helps! :)

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