Photoshop blend modes cheat sheet

Photoshop is a powerful image editing tool and there are a lot of features that can give your photos a bit more pop. Blending modes define how a given layer blends with the layers below it in a non-destructive way.

In this quick tutorial, we will show you how to use blending modes and learn about what they do in Photoshop.

What are blending modes?

Blending modes look at the color information contained on a single layer and tell the pixels how to interact with other layers, drawing, or editing tools.

Screen blend mode

You can use blending modes to create unique effects on images with a single mouse click. There are 27 different blending mode options to choose from in total. Photoshop breaks these down into 6 smaller groupings for easy navigation.

Normal, Darken, Lighten, Contrast, Comparative, and Color. These groups aren’t labeled in the program but are separated by horizontal rules.

Quick Tip: Blending modes can be found in most Adobe programs, not just Photoshop.

How to apply a blending mode

To apply a blending mode, you

how to use layer blending modes in photoshop

how to use blending modes in adobe photoshop