Drawing Modes

Here we’ll talk about application algorithms which we can choose, as we talked before, in the Mode list of Options palette. All modes except Normal account for two colors: basic color of background and the color of your paint. Let’s consider all modes briefly.

Normal—pixels with basic color substitute image pixels.

Dissolve—opacity percent in this mode turns to a number of painted pixels, which opacity is equal 100 percent.

Behind—transparent pixels are painted only, but not pixels with basic color. This mode you cannot use on a background layer.

Clear—is opposite to Behind mode, i.e. only basic color becomes transparent.

Darken—those pixels which are lighter than basic color replaced by basic color. All channels of basic color and image color are compared in color image. Those pixels which color is darker than basic color are replaced by pixels with darker component.

Multiply—this mode is used for creating shadows. The result is always darker of both participated colors. White colors turn to basic color, black colors remain black. Intermediate colors become darker and gain a basic color hue. The brush with white paint does not influent on an image, but with black one fully replays it.

Color Burn— is opposite to Multiply mode.

Linear Burn—darkening with partial color replacing. The resulting brightness is always decreased.

Lighten—is opposite to Linear Burn mode.

Screen—is used for creating glow and opposite to Multiply mode.

Color Dodge— this is lightening mode with partly pixels color replacing by basic color, but its action is nonlinear. The lighter basic color or color of your paint the stronger effect expressed.

Linear Dodge— is lightening mode with partly pixels color replacing by basic color and its action is linear. The resulting brightness is surely increased.

Overlay — is more intricate mode. The colors which are lighter than the current color are processed in Screen mode. The more dark colors processed in Multiply mode. As a result the processed image becomes very contrast and gain the current color hue. This mode is used for overlaying textures on a background when you are working with layers.

Soft Light—this mode is lighter than previous. All pixels get a little shift to current color and its result resembles to color lightning.

Hard Light — is similar to Soft Light mode, but an image gets more pronounced shift.

Vivid Light — the result strongly depends on current color. If the current color is lighter 70% of gray color the basic color is lightened with a glance of current color with contrast decreasing. If it is darker— the basic color is darkened with a glance of current color with contrast increasing.

Linear Light — the result is also depends on current color. If it is lighter 50% of gray color the basic color is lightened with a glance of current color. And vise versa.

Pin Light —the result is also depends on current color. If the current color is lighter 50% of gray color the basic colors which darker than current are replaced by current color. The basic color which is lighter than current color is not changed. And vise versa.

Difference —it is impressing mode with color subtraction. The resulting color is calculated as difference of primary and current color. Drawing with white color inverts colors; drawing with black color does nothing. While working in this mode the additional areola is formed around the stroke as if image edges have burned slightly.

Exclusion —is similar to previous mode. It concerns dark and light pixels only leaving middle colors unchanged actually. This is softer than previous mode.

Hue image pixels are replaced by those with current color hue with initial saturation and brightness. This mode leaves unchanged pixels with gray colors. You can bravely apply this mode to your brush when you want to change a hue of a detail of your image and not afraid to loose some details.

Saturation— basic colors leave to your resulting image brightness and hue only; current color gives saturation to your image pixels. Thus, gray paint destroys image colors; bright colors amplify colors saturation.

Color—use it for colouring halftone images. The initial image conserves brightness only.

Luminosity—adds to your image brightness of current color; color hue and saturation stay unchanged. It is rather rare used mode.