Blending Modes are fun in Photoshop!

Hello and welcome to another Terrific Tuesday!

I have been using Photoshop now for several years, and it was not until recently that I decided to experiment with the blending modes.  One of the ones that I particularly like is the soft glow effect that you can create with it.  To me the glow simulates some of the effects that can be created with filter lenses on the cameras, however, my collection of lenses is not that big so I decided to practice with the software.

If you have never done it, don’t be afraid there are a lot of tutorials out there that can help you get started with the wonderful world of blending modes in Photoshop.  Look at some of the images and you will see that it is something that would enhance the way they look, and it might be something that you might want to explore with more detail.

both images:  www.photoshopessentials.com

For the images that I changed, the procedure was simple, of course it could be adjusted to fit your needs or the aesthetic value you might want to create with your own images.  My six steps were as follow:

1.      Once you open the image in Photoshop, duplicate the background layer and apply a Gaussian blur, (I used about 15% of the longest pixel side).

2.      Set this duplicate you created to multiply blend (from the layer style) mode and lower the opacity (I lowered mine to about 35%).

3.      Duplicate the altered layer.

4.      Desaturate the new duplicated layer and then set it to screen blend mode at 70% opacity.

5.      Include a hue/saturation adjustment layer to the Multiply layer to increase saturation (this is not the desaturated layer!).

6.      Adjust for shadow detail in the Screen Layer.

I have found out that if you use images with natural light, they seemed to be working better for me than the ones where I used strobes or hot shoe flash, let me know how it works for you.

Here is a tutorial of how to add a soft glow:

Adding a Soft Glow with Photoshop: http://www.tipsquirrel.com/adding-a-soft-glow-with-photoshop/

There are plenty of books and literature out there that can also help you with this topic, the one that I used when I started to practice with the blend modes is at the bottom of the page.

Drop me a line and let me know how your experimentation is going, are you having fun with blend modes?

Of course you are!!!

Until later, this is your Tuesday Ambassador wishing you all a great and happy, pixeled full day!

 Valentine, Scott.  The Hidden Power of Blend Modes in Adobe Photoshop.  2013.  Print.  Peachpit.  California.