Advanced Photoshop: Blending, Masking, and Compositing

Course details

Advanced Blending is the second installment in Deke McClelland's series on making photorealistic compositions in Photoshop. The course explores blending options and shows how to use them to create sophisticated effects and seamless compositions, often without masking. Beginning with the basics of blending layered images, the course sheds light on the formulas behind the Photoshop blend modes and shows how to comp scanned line art, create double-exposure effects, correct skin tones, and work with the luminance sliders.

Learning objectives
Assembling dynamic Dissolve effects
Filling and stroking with Behind and Clear
Cleaning up and compositing scanned line art
Understanding the darken, lighten, and contrast modes
Refining a mask with Multiply and Screen
Creating a glowing, soft-focus effect
Blending images with textures
Comparing two seemingly identical images
Creating type that inverts everything behind it
Colorizing artwork with layers
Achieving greater control with the Blend If option

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome

1. The Power of Blending

02 - When in doubt, blend
03 - Where to find blending options
04 - 27 blend modes, 6 groups
05 - Opacity vs. Fill Opacity
06 - The Fill Opacity Eight
07 - Blending adjustment layers
08 - Blend mode shortcuts

2. The Revelation of Blending Math

09 - The power of standardized arithmetic
10 - Photoshop's blending formulas
11 - Darken formulas vs. lighten formulas
12 - Contrast mode formulas
13 - Inversion, cancelation, and HSL

3. The Normal Modes

14 - Normal mode vs. Dissolve mode
15 - Making a dynamic Dissolve effect
16 - Creating a Dissolve text effect
17 - The Behind and Clear modes
18 - Filling a stroke with Behind and Clear

4. The Darken Modes

19 - Darken vs. Darker Color
20 - Creating filter effects with Darken
21 - The Multiply and Burn modes
22 - Cleaning up scanned line art
23 - Comping line art against a photo
24 - Colorizing comped line art
25 - Masking with a darken mode
26 - Refining a mask with Multiply

5. The Lighten Modes

27 - Lighten vs. Lighter Color
28 - Creating filter effects with Lighten
29 - The Screen and Dodge modes
30 - Blending white type, darkening shadows
31 - Creating a classic double-exposure effect
32 - Making dark line art bright
33 - Masking with a lighten mode
34 - Refine, filter, and blend

6. The Contrast Modes

35 - Overlay, Soft Light, and Hard Light
36 - Vivid, Linear, and Pin Light
37 - The amazing Hard Mix mode
38 - Two variations on a single mode
39 - Adding clarity with a contrast mode
40 - Creating a glowing, soft-focus effect
41 - Blending an image with a paper texture
42 - Turning flesh into stone

7. The Inversion and Cancelation Modes

43 - Difference, Exclusion, Subtract, and Divide
44 - Comparing seemingly identical images
45 - Creating type that inverts any background
46 - Making inversion type black and white

8. The Component (HSL) Modes

47 - Luminosity, Color, Hue, and Saturation
48 - Colorizing artwork with layers
49 - Correcting skin tones with Hue

9. The Luminance Sliders

50 - Using the This Layer slider option
51 - Using the Underlying Layer slider option
52 - Achieving greater control with Blend If

Conclusion

53 - Next steps