The Multiply Blending Mode

The Multiply Blending Mode

I can't say I really understand the concept of multiplying color, but that's what this Blend mode does. The Multiply blend mode multiplies the base color with the blend color. The resulting color will always be darker, unless the blend color is white, which will result in no change. 100% opaque black multiplied with any color will result in black. As you overlay strokes of color with the Multiply blending mode, each stroke will result in darker and darker color. Photoshop's user guide describes this effect as being similar to drawing on an image with multiple marking pens.

The multiply blend mode works well for creating shadows because it provides a more natural interplay between the dark shadow fill and the underlying color of the object below.

The Multiply blend mode can also be useful for coloring black and white line art. If you place your line art on a layer above your color and set the blend mode to Multiply, the white areas in the blend layer will disappear and you can paint color onto the layers below without worrying about selecting the white sections, or trying to get a clean line.