Layers can be composited in various ways, each yielding a different effect. This section describes the available compositing modes. Each description is accompanied by an example: on top of an original image (see below), a rainbow gradient is added.
The original image
The Normal mode does nothing special. It adds the layer to the image, and if no other special effects like opacity are changed, the underlying layers will only be visible at places where the new layer is itself transparent.
The gradient applied with the Normal compositing mode
The Multiply mode blends the two layers so that the bottom layer gets “colorized” by the new layer. The resulting image is generally quite dark.
The gradient applied with the Multiply compositing mode
The Burn, Dodge, Divide and Screen modes all add an extra “burning” effect by following contours instead of using straight lines. In addition, Burn and Divide use the inverted colors instead of the actual colors of the composited layer.
The gradient applied with the Burn compositing mode
The gradient applied with the Dodge compositing mode
The gradient applied with the Divide compositing mode
The gradient applied with the Screen compositing mode
Like Multiply, the Overlay mode colorizes the underlying layer. The resulting image is about as light as the original layer.
The gradient applied with the Overlay compositing mode
The Darken mode darkens the underlying layer while colorizing it to match the colors in the composited layer.
The gradient applied with the Darken compositing mode
The Lighten mode lightens the underlying layer while colorizing it to match the colors in the composited layer.
The gradient applied with the Lighten compositing mode
The Hue, Saturation and Value modes respectively apply the hue, saturation and value components of the composited layer to the underlying layer.
The gradient applied with the Hue compositing mode
The gradient applied with the Saturation compositing mode
The gradient applied with the Value compositing mode
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