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In this tutorial we’re going to learn how to use the different blending modes available in Adobe Illustrator.
Checkout this video:
What are Blending Modes?
Blending modes are a feature in Adobe Illustrator that affects how one object interacts with another. The term “blend” here refers to the averaging of the colors of the underlying objects. So, for example, if you set the blending mode of an object to ” multiply” then the object will become darker. If you set it to “screen” then the object will become lighter.
There are a total of 15 different blending modes in Adobe Illustrator, each with its own effect. In this tutorial, we’ll go over each of the blending modes and how they can be used.
The Different Blending Modes
There are 27 different Blending modes in Adobe Illustrator and each mode results in a different effect. In this tutorial we will go through the different Blending modes and how to use them.
The mode you choose will depend on the effect you want to achieve, so it’s good to experiment with all of them to see which ones you like best.
Here are all the Blending modes available in Adobe Illustrator:
-Normal
-Darken
-Multiply
-Color Burn
-Linear Burn
-Darker Color
-Lighten
-Screen
-Color Dodge
-Linear Dodge (Add)
-Lighter Color
-Overlay
-Soft Light
-Hard Light
-Vivid Light
-Linear Light
-Pin Light – Wade Jeffree video about this one! Check it out! Hard Mix – Also from the Wade Jeffree video! Difference – Useful for finding the differences between two layers, especially when doing photo retouching or editing. Exclusion – Similar to the Difference mode but not as harsh. Hue – Will change the hue of the layer while keeping the Luminosity and Saturation the same. Saturation – Changes the Saturation of the layer without affecting Hue or Luminosity. Color – Combines Hue and Saturation, resulting in a color change while keeping Luminosity the same. Luminosity – Changes the Luminosity of a layer without affecting Hue or Saturation
When to Use Blending Modes
In this tutorial, we will go over the different ways to use Blending Modes in Illustrator. As their name implies, Blending Modes are used to blend colors together. However, they can also be used to create various effects, such as making an image lighter or darker.
There are 16 different Blending Modes in Illustrator, each with its own effect. The most commonly used Blending Modes are Multiply, Screen, and Overlay.
Multiply: This Blending Mode multiplies the colors of the top layer with the colors of the bottom layer. This darkens the overall image.
Screen: This Blending Mode screens the colors of the top layer with the colors of the bottom layer. This lightens the overall image.
Overlay: This Blending Mode combines Multiply and Screen into one mode. It is useful for adding contrast to an image without losing color information.
How to Use Blending Modes
With the advent of digital design, one of the great benefits is the ability to easily blend colors and textures to create unique effects. This blend mode tutorial for Adobe Illustrator will teach you how to take advantage of different modes to get different results.
There are 27 different blend modes in Illustrator, each with a different effect on the colors being blended. In order to change the blend mode, you need to go to the Transparency panel ( Window > Transparency ). Once you’re in the Transparency panel, click on the word “Normal” next to the word “Blending Mode” and a drop down menu will appear with all of your options.
We’re only going to focus on a few of the most commonly used modes, but feel free to experiment with all of them to see what results you can get.
Multiply: This mode is great for darkening colors. It multiplies the base color by the blend color and then flattens the result. This is probably one of the most commonly used modes because it can be used for a variety of purposes, such as creating shadows or darker tones in general.
Screen: Screen is just the opposite of Multiply in that it lightens colors instead of darkening them. It’s great for creating highlights or lighter tones in general.
Overlay: This mode is a combination of Multiply and Screen. It will darken light colors and lighten dark colors, but it won’t have much effect on mid-range colors. This mode is often used for adding texture or depth to an image.
Soft Light: Soft Light is similar to Overlay, but it doesn’t have as drastic of an effect. It also doesn’t work well with hard edges, so it’s often used on images that have been converted to bitmaps.
Hard Light: Hard Light is also similar to Overlay, but again, it has a more drastic effect. It also works well with hard edges, making it a good choice for images that haven’t been converted to bitmaps.
Color Dodge: Color Dodge will lighten the base color by increasing its brightness. The lighter the base color, the more pronounced the effect will be.
P>Color Burn: Color Burn does just the opposite of Color Dodge — it will darkenthe base color by decreasing its brightness. The darkerthe base color,the more pronouncedthe effect will be.
Invert: Invert simply reverses allof the colors in an image.
Linear Burn: Linear BurnDarkens an image by decreasing both its brightness and its contrast.
Tips for Using Blending Modes
Blending modes are a fun way to add visual interest to your illustrations in Adobe Illustrator. By default, all objects are placed on their own individual layers. However, you can also place objects on a shared layer, which allows you to use the various blending modes to composite the artwork in interesting ways.
In this quick tip, we will walk through the various blending modes and how they can be used to create interesting effects in your illustrations.
To begin, open up Adobe Illustrator and create a new document. Then, using the rectangle tool (), create a few rectangles of different sizes and colors on the canvas.
Next, click on the first rectangle and go to Object > Blending Mode > Screen. This will change the way that this object interacts with the other objects on the canvas. As you can see in the example below, this particular mode will cause any overlapping areas to appear lighter.
You can experiment with different modes to see how they change the overall look of your illustration. For example, try changing the mode of one of the rectangles to “Multiply.” As you can see below, this creates a completely different effect!
There are lots of other great modes to experiment with, so have fun and see what kinds of effects you can create!
Troubleshooting Blending Modes
If you’re new toBlending Modes in Illustrator, or having trouble getting them to work the way you want, here are some tips that may help.
First,Blending Modes only work with vector objects. This means you can’t use them with raster images (JPEGs, PNGs, etc.), only solid colors, gradients, or pattern swatches.
Second, the order of your objects matters. The topmost object in your stack will be the “base” (or “blend”) object, and the object beneath it will be the “blend” (or “target”) object. The base object determines how the blend mode affects the colors of the target object.
Third, some blend modes only work with certain color models. For example, you can only use DIVIDE when working in RGB color mode. And fourth, not all blend modes are available in all Adobe Creative Suite programs. For instance, you can use common modes like multiply and screen in both Photoshop and Illustrator, but more complex modes like arithmetic are available only in Photoshop.
Blending Modes in Action
Different modes produce different results, so it’s important to experiment with each one to see which gives you the effect that you’re looking for. In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at how to use blending modes in Illustrator to create some interesting effects.
First, let’s take a look at what each mode does. There are currently 27 different blending modes in Illustrator, grouped into five categories:
-Normal: This is the default mode and simply lays one object on top of another without changing anything about the objects themselves.
-Darken: These modes will darken the resulting image by comparing the colors of the two layers and choosing the darker of the two.
-Lighten: These modes will lighten the resulting image by comparing the colors of the two layers and choosing the lighter of the two.
-Multiply: These modes multiply the colors of the two layers, resulting in an darker image.
-Screen: These modes work inversely to multiply, resulting in a lighter image.
-Overlay: These modes combine both lightening and darkening effects depending on the colors of the layers being combined.
-Soft Light: These modes produce a softer version of either a lightening or darkening effect depending on the colors of the layers being combined.
-Hard Light: These modes produce a more intense version of either a lightening or darkening effect depending on the colors of layers being combined.
-Color Dodge and Color Burn: These are special effects modes that can create some interesting results depending on how they’re used.
-Difference and Exclusion: These are also special effects modes that can create some interesting results depending on how they’re used.
now that we know what each mode does, let’s take a look at how we can use them to create some interesting effects in Illustrator!
Creative Uses for Blending Modes
understanding of how each mode works
There are 27 different modes within Adobe Illustrator, each with their own effect on the layers below. In this post, we’ll go over 10 creative ways to use blending modes to enhance your work.
1. Create a double exposure effect by setting the top layer to ‘color dodge’.
2. Add a light leak by setting the top layer to ‘screen’.
3. Create a retro poster effect by setting the top layer to ‘multiply’.
4. Make a photo negative by setting the top layer to ‘difference’.
5. Turn a photo into a painting by setting the top layer to ‘luminosity’.
6. Add a vignette effect by setting the top layer to ‘multiply’ or ‘color burn’.
7. Change the color of an object by setting the top layer to ‘color’ or ‘hue’.
8. Create a duotone effect by setting the top layer to ‘luminosity’ or ‘color’.
Further Reading on Blending Modes
If you want to learn more about blending modes in Illustrator, check out this great tutorial from Spoon Graphics: [How To Use Blending Modes In Illustrator For Cool Effects](https://www.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-use-blending-modes-in-illustrator).
How to Use Blending Modes in Illustrator
Blending modes are a powerful tool in Illustrator that can be used to create unique effects. There are many different blending modes available, each with its own unique effect. In this tutorial, we will show you how to use blending modes in Illustrator to create a variety of different effects.
1. To start, open up a new document in Illustrator. We will be using a black and white image for this tutorial, but you can use any color image you like.
2. Next, select the “Rectangle Tool” from the toolbar and draw a rectangle over the image.
3. With the rectangle selected, go to “Window” > “Transparency” to open up the Transparency palette.
4. From the Transparency palette, select the “Normal” drop-down menu and choose one of the blending modes from the list. Some of the more popular blending mode choices include “Multiply”, “Screen”, “Overlay”, and “Soft Light”. Experiment with different blending modes to see what effects they produce.
5. You can also adjust the opacity of the layer by changing the value in the “Opacity” field. A lower opacity will make the effect more subtle, while a higher opacity will make it more pronounced.
6. Once you are happy with the effect, you can add additional shapes and experiment with different blending modes to create even more interesting effects.
