PS 7.0 Modes and usage

[Greg Vander Houwen]

I have had a bunch of questions on this so I put this short list together.

PS 7.0 has several new modes. Here is a quick list I roughed out with their shortcuts, some thoughts about what they do and how you might use them. Again, quick and rough, all disclaimers apply ;).

Linear Burn = Shift-Option/Alt-A
Darkens more than Multiply or Color Burn. Less color shift than Color Burn.
Very nice for mode stacking a severely washed out image. It's strong and adds a bit of color shift. So an image duped and set to Linear Burn builds density and intensifies color but the color intensity/shift is more subtle than that of Color Burn. Its transitions are more smooth than Color Burn but often integrate better than Multiply.

Linear Dodge = Shift-Option/Alt-W
Lightens more than Screen or Color Dodge. Less color shift than Color Dodge.
Very nice for synthetic lighting. It's strong and adds a bit of color shift. It is often better than Screen for this use because Screen can produce an almost foggy, washed-out effect. The color shift of Linear Dodge helps to integrate the light onto the background but doesn't generate as much color as Color Dodge would.

Vivid Light = Shift-Option/Alt-V
Color Dodge and Color Burn at the same time. Very nice for an intense color emboss. Good for effects, with intense lighting and color.

Linear Light = Shift-Option/Alt-J
Linear Dodge and Linear Burn at the same time.
Stronger effect than Hard Light but with some color shift. A very nice mode for High Pass sharpening layers or any emboss layer where you want a strong effect. Smoother transitions than Vivid Light that integrate better than Hard Light. With all of the "Linear" Modes you may want to reduce the opacity of the layer, brush... as they have a very strong effect.

Pin Light = Shift-Option/Alt-Z
Lighten and Darken at the same time. This one can be tricky since Lighten and Darken both clip to the dominant "color". Handy for illustration and effects work but I am still looking for a classic use. If you find one please let me know.

Peace...

Greg

[sPECtre]

Thanks, oh, Holy one :D

I was just thinking that a nice addition to the site would be a deep explanation of all the modes: like their shortcut, a brief technical explanation like wich pixels are affected, and why (I don't know if a mathematical formula could be useful for some or have different histograms showing Layer1, Layer 2, result)

And, more important would be to show where a peculiar mode should be used (like the technique shown by Ms Kost at adobeevengelists.com to use the lighten mode for a blurred layer to soften a picture)

Well, you did it!

This site has the potential to be a reference for users of every level, so it would fit really well!

[Greg Vander Houwen]

Yes, I want to put together a comprehensive version with usages. People don't use modes as much as they should. So much power, so few calories.

I think usage is where they get stuck. Nice practical examples of when to apply makes a huge difference.

How about you guys? Are you using modes much? If so what ones are your favorites and why? I could use some help on some of them. Exclusion and Pin Light are the ones I have the most trouble finding practical applications for but any mode usage stories would be helpful.

Greg

[Scott W.]

All I can say is pin light, vivid light and linear light are extremely similar to things I've been doign by hand with adjustment layers. Adobe saved me tons of work by addign them. Woo-hooo. What a great version this is turning out to be.

[markzebra]

Yes there must be some Curves that will do the same kind of things.

Nice information Greg! How do Linear Dodge and Burn compare with the Old version 5 Dodge and Burn? My first (probably too cynical) assumption was that they had added the new ones as a replacement.

Now in 7 I notice that the fill opacity is much more accessable —*so getting Dodge to work should be easier. I was always very interested in why the Fill slider would produce a different result with these two modes, and not in the others! How is the haloing at the edges of the Dodge layers handled with the new modes?

Spectre - is there a link to that Lighten example? Ive never seen that

Questions, questions I know, sorry $}

[sPECtre]

http://www.adobeevangelists.com/pdfs/photoshop/tipsandtricks/PhotoRestoration1.pdf

but my memory tricked me : she blurred the image, used a non-linear history, set the origin to the blurred pic, and painted with the history brush set to Lighten, to remove the dark spots, etc... excellent technique!

I'm wondering about this tutorial why she used a non linear history, and not just another layer, with a mask(hence my bad description of her technique) or even just a snapshot...
I hope that Greg could invite Ms Kost around here...

(maybe doesn't he want to scare an Evangelist by all the lost souls we are :D )

[Greg Vander Houwen]

Nessie,

I don't have 5 installed anymore to do the comparison. I know they changed how Color Dodge/Burn worked from 5 to 6 but I was never clear on what they did.

Not a new mode but for further insight into how these things work I should add that Hard Light is Multiply and Screen at the same time.

I'll ask Ms. Kost if she knows what happened with the 5 to 6 Color Dodge/Burn transistion and how the Linears in 7 compare to the 5 behavior.

As to the Fill opacity out front, I lobbied for that. After developing Rain, Aqua, Glass I realized what a key tool this was and thought it was too hidden. As to an alternate response under Color Dodge/Burn. I don't see that in 7, does it happen in 6?

sPECtre,

As to Layer vs. History. In a situation like this it is a preference. I have come to think of History States as Time Layers. They are a stored isolation, like a layer. I am often asked why I used a layer rather than a State or Snapshot. For me, Layers are more stable because they last past my state number prefs and they are located where I do most of my work, in the layers palette. But it really depends on the job at hand. Using History/Snapshots reminds me of working pre-layers but with a much bigger set of resource states. Back then we had the Undo state and the Snapshot state. Now we have as many states as our prefs are set to and can store multiple Snapshots. History and Layers are just alternate ways of working with multiple image isolations. History has the advantage of storing them automatically as you work. Layers have many advantages but for me it is stability and more control ie. Blend Options.

Greg

[Rick Miller]

Greg.

Two posts of the same thing. What - are you trying to artificially inflate your post count to catch up to Spectre?
Z:b2

Rick

[Greg Vander Houwen]

Fixed, the system does this sometimes.

At least I'm not Sir Raphing it ;).

Greg

[Raphael]

Hah!!! :|
sorry!!!

[markzebra]

Sorry to interrupt you guys ...$}

The fill opacity slider in 6 made Color Dodge and Burn behave like the version 5 layer opacity (ie much better - smoother transitions). If theres no difference in 7 between the fill opacity and main opacity then thats slightly worrying, because it may mean that the 5 version Dodge is no longer available at all. Unless Linear Dodge is a replacement for it of course, which from your description sounds like it may be!

I reckon there was a "deliberate" bug in 6 ...

In 6 Color Dodge and Burn also worked differently when used within layer effects. You can test this with 7 Greg by making a Dodge Bevel and Emboss highlight at lets say (75 percent)- and then creating layers from the layer style - If the effect changes completely like it does in 6 (a much inferior effect) it means that the inconsistency is still there.

Is the layer styles dialog the huge space waster it was in 6?

[Scott W.]

From Mark Heirs (Adobe staff) — the color dodge in 7 adhears to the same principles as 5.5 color dodge did. It only changed in 6.


My understanding is the new Linear Dodge in 7 is a representation of the 6 color dodge effect.

This is also available from PeachPit press if anyonw is interested.

Layer blending modes (http://www.peachpit.com/books/special/psblends.download.html)

[Greg Vander Houwen]

Nessie,

No, that's not what I meant. I thought you were saying that Fill Opacity worked differently on Color Dodge/Burn than it did on the other modes.

I'll take a look at what you are saying.

Yes, Blend Options still takes up a great deal of space. If you have some great ideas as to how to compress it and maintain functionality I would love to pass them along. Many have been looking for a good resolution for this.

I don't know if Linears... are like 5's Dodge/Burn. I haven't touched 5 in too long.

Scott, good link to that mode overview, thanks.

Greg

[sPECtre]

Nessie, Grasshopper from adobe user-to user forums answered this in here (http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@102.1TPYacGBxxy^0@.ef7ffd3/0) : she posted a picture of both, the layers styles lost 40pixels (from 640 to 600) it's an improvement... or a good point to buy a bigger screen!

[markzebra]

Greg thanks for you input on this -

I was saying that fill opacity worked differently in 6. It was only different for Dodge and Burn though (and maybe Difference). I think It was a way of making the version 5 and previous versions still available in some way.

Most people agree that that effect was much more useful and striking than the 6 Dodge and Burn. The latest news is that 7 has gone back to 5 with the "linears" representing the 6 version- but I cant verify this yet.

I still think that either a tabbed palette or even a rescalable dialog would make the layer effects dialog more useable. Its particularly annoying when you are trying to use the blend ifs. I guess they have knocked a few pixels off which will be an improvement, but Im still not sure that 3 options in the stroke layer style surrounded by twice as much grey space is really sensible. Thats just MHO.

Good work on the fill opacity slider by the way.;)

[sPECtre]

I saw that this thread is on the front page, and remembered about a tech note from Adobe:

Difference, Color Dodge, and Color Burn Layer Blending Modes Appear Different in Photoshop 6.x Than in Earlier Versions

Issue
When you open an Adobe Photoshop 5.5-or-earlier file in Photoshop 6.x, Difference, Color Dodge, and Color Burn layer blending modes appear different. For example, colors appear dull or washed out.

Solutions

Do one of the following:


Solution 1
Upgrade to Photoshop 7.0.

If the file includes a layer that contains layer effects, use the steps in either Solution 2 or Solution 3 to re-create the effect.


Solution 2
Modify the layer blending mode in Photoshop 6.x or 7.0 to simulate the layer blending mode from the earlier version of Photoshop:


Note: The following procedure does not work if the layer has a layer mask. To remove a layer mask, select the layer in the Layers palette, and choose Layer > Remove Layer Mask > Apply.


-- To modify a layer blending mode that has 100% layer opacity:
1. Select the desired layer in the Layers palette.
2. Choose Edit > Fill.
3. In the Contents section of the Fill dialog box, choose one of the following from the Use pop-up menu:
- Black, if the blending mode is Color Dodge or Difference
- White, if the blending mode is Color Burn
4. In the Blending section, choose Behind from the Mode pop-up menu.
5. Click OK.


-- To modify a layer blending mode that does not have 100% layer opacity:
1. Double-click the desired layer in the Layers palette. The Layer Style dialog box appears.
2. In the Advanced Blending section, change the value in the Fill Opacity text box to the value in the Opacity text box, which is in the General Blending section.
3. In the General Blending section, change the value in the Opacity text box to 100%.
4. Click OK.
5. Choose Edit > Fill.
6. In the Contents section of the Fill dialog box, choose one of the following from the Use pop-up menu:
- Black, if the blending mode is Color Dodge or Difference
- White, if the blending mode is Color Burn.
7. In the Blending section, choose Behind from the Mode pop-up menu
8. Click OK.

Solution 3
To create new layers in Photoshop 6.x or 7.0 that simulate the Difference, Color Dodge, or Color Burn blending mode in Photoshop 5.x or earlier, add a neutral color to the blending mode.


To add a neutral color to the blending mode:
1. Option-click (Mac OS) or Alt-click (Windows) the new layer icon in the Layers palette.
2. Choose the desired blending mode (Difference, Color Dodge, or Color Burn) from the Mode pop-up menu.
3. Select one of the following:
-- For Difference or Color Dodge, select Fill with [blending mode]-Neutral Color (Black).
-- For Color Burn, select Fill with Color-Burn-Neutral Color (White).
4. Click OK.


Additional Information

Photoshop 6.x uses different calculations than Photoshop 5.x and earlier for the Difference, Color Dodge, and Color Burn layer blending modes. The newer calculations avoid problems with unwanted artifacts (for example, halos in the image) that existed in earlier versions. When Photoshop 6.x opens earlier files that contain any of these layer blending modes, it uses the newer calculations to display the layers, changing the effect's appearance.


When you use Photoshop 7.0 to create a new file that contains any of these layer blending modes, or to open a Photoshop 5.x-and-earlier file that contains any of them, Photoshop turns off the Transparency Shapes Layer option and uses fill opacity. This process creates effects similar to those created by Photoshop 5.x. If a layer contains layer effects, however, the transparency function is devoted to the layer effect, so it can't be used to alter the layer blending mode; in this situation, use the steps in Solution 2 or 3 to re-create the effect.


You can create a layer style by using the methods in Solutions 2 and 3 above. You can then apply the layer style when you create a new layer. For more information on layer styles, see page 226 of the Adobe Photoshop 6.0 User Guide or page 246 of the Adobe Photoshop 7.0 User Guide

[Greg Vander Houwen]

Thank you Sir sPECtre,

Good info.

Greg