You control the effect one layer has upon the underlying layer by choosing the desired opacity mode. Photoshop Elements has a large variety of opacity modes. The following list shows a few modes commonly used when working with digital images:
Normal is the default blending mode that displays the pixels on the layer in their original form without blending pixels from the underlying layer.
Multiply effectively darkens the layer by multiplying the pixels on the layer by the pixels on the underlying layer, as shown in the following image.
Screen effectively lightens the layer, except where the pixels are pure black, as shown in the following image.
Soft Light darkens or lightens the pixels depending on the underlying pixels. The effect is similar to shining a diffused light on the image, as shown next.
The overall effect of the blended layers depends on the opacity you choose for each layer. By default, the opacity for each layer is 100 percent. If you choose a lower value, more of the pixels on the underlying layer show through.
Select a Blending Mode
- Select the layer whose blending mode you want to change.
Click the down arrow to the right of the currently selected blend mode to reveal the Blend Mode dropdown list.
- Click the desired blend mode to apply it.
Vary Layer Opacity
- Select the layer whose opacity you want to change.
- Click the down arrow to the right of the current layer opacity (100 percent by default) to reveal the Opacity slider.
Click and drag the slider to change the layer opacity.
- Release the slider when the desired opacity has been achieved. Alternatively, you can type a value in the Opacity text field.
