NZPhotographer Issue 45, July 2021

Even though there are multiple visible adjustment layers used in this file, the pixel-based layer (Layer 0) is still
visible, showing all of the adjustments made to it cumulatively.
Differing from pixel-based layers, most adjustment
layers are transparent. You can use several adjustment
layers and still see pixel-based layers below as seen in
the screenshot above.
BLEND MODES & OPACITY
Going back to our stack of printed paper analogy -
imagine that the top print is on a transparency instead
of plain paper. You can see some details of the below
image through the print and you can move it around
until you’re happy with the overlapping composition.
Next, imagine placing the stack of prints onto a light
box and observe the image shining through from
underneath. Both these examples are very similar to
what some Blend Modes do.
You’ve probably seen lots of images making use
of blend modes – blending images with portraits
has been very popular, sometimes termed double
exposure portraits because they can have a similar
look to a traditional double exposure. Try it yourself:
load 2 image layers into a single Ps file as before
and change the blend mode on the top layer. Try
out each blend mode to see what it will do. The
result each blend mode gives depends a lot on the
content of the image and the one below, so it’s
always a good idea to try each blend mode in turn
when trying to achieve a specific look. The most
popular blend modes for ‘double exposure’-look
images are Multiply, Screen, Soft Light, and Overlay.
You can safely ignore a lot of things in the Layers panel when starting off. All you need to do to set a Blend Mode is choose
one from the drop-down menu which by default is set to Normal. You’ll need more than one layer to see the effects of a
blend mode since it uses properties of the selected layer and the one below to display the resulting blended image.