Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Changing blending modes
Opacity is one way to alter the appearance or strength of a brush stroke. Another method
is to change the blending mode of the painting tool you are using. The blending mode
controls how pixels in the image are af ected by painting. There are many modes to select
from, and each creates a dif erent result. This is because each blending mode is unique,
but also because the blending result is based upon the color you are painting with and the
color of the underlying image. In this section, you will colorize the photo by adjusting the
opacity and changing the blending mode.
1
Make sure that ps0603_work.psd is still open and double-click on the Zoom tool (
)
in the Tools panel to verify that your view is still set to 100 percent.
Also, make sure the Swatches panel is forward and the Brush tool (
) is selected for
this part of the lesson.
2
Make sure that you still have the brown color selected in the Swatches panel.
3
In the Options bar, change the opacity to 50 percent.
4
Select Color from the Mode drop-down list. This is where you select various blending
modes for your painting tools. Color is close to the bottom of this drop-down menu,
so you may have to scroll to see it.
Change the blending mode to Color.
5
Using the Brush tool, paint over the boy's hair. Notice that the strength or opacity
of the color varies according to the tonality of the painted area. This is because using
the color blending mode you selected (Color) retains the grayscale information in the
image. Where the image is lighter, the application of the brown color is lighter, and
where the image is darker, the application of the brown color is darker.
