Blending Modes in Photoshop and other Graphics Software

Blending modes, or Blend Modes, are a feature of Adobe Photoshop and most other graphics software. Blend modes allow you to adjust how one layer or color mixes with the colors in the layers below. Blending modes are most often used with layers in your graphics software, but they can also come into play with painting tools where the blending mode of the painting tool affects how the colors mix with the existing colors on the same layer where you are painting.

Most bitmap-based programs, and even some vector based programs, include a blending modes feature. Most graphics programs offer a common set of blend modes, but these can vary between programs. Since Photoshop is the most commonly used photo editor, this gallery contains all the blend modes available within Photoshop. If you are using different software, your program may have a few more or less blend modes than those described and shown here, or they may be named differently.