Hard Light Blend Mode

MC
Posted By
Martin_Coleman
Jan 15, 2004
Views
456
Replies
7
Status
Closed
After a curves adjustement to bring up shadow areas (I’ve seen it called a "typical S Curve") I have found that a layer copy set to Hard Light blending mode with the opacity reduced puts some punch back in although does also darken the image again.

Question 1) Is this long-winded and evidence that I’m doing something wrong in Curves?

Question 2) What’s happening?

Thanks

Martin

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J
JasonSmith
Jan 15, 2004
If the image looks good to you, then no you arent doing something wrong- you’ve just found your own technique that may or may not work on all images, but if that’s what an image calls for…..

"Question 2) What’s happening?"

Take a look in your info palette, before and after the mode change, and tell me.
DM
dave_milbut
Jan 15, 2004
Take a look in your info palette, before and after the mode change, and tell me.

Oh, Jason! You are a cruel taskmaster! 🙂
PF
Peter_Figen
Jan 15, 2004
Martin,

It sounds like you’re working against yourself by using Hard Light, which is forcing much more contrast back into your image. Even backed off, it’s going to counteract your curve adjustment. What you describe as a "typical" S shaped curve is usually one that adds contrast to the midtones, but actually makes the shadows go darker. You may need to come up with a more effective Curve strategy and chuck the Hard Light option.
J
JasonSmith
Jan 15, 2004
I’m under the opinion that there is no right or wrong way to do something in Photoshop – but there are at least a million ways to destroy an image!
PF
Peter_Figen
Jan 15, 2004
Jason,

I think I’d modify that and say that there can definitely be a wrong way while several right ways may also exist. It’s also hard to comment without actually seeing the image.
GA
George_Austin
Jan 16, 2004
"Question 2) What’s happening?"

Blending occurs independently in each of the R,G,and B channels. It takes two color values in one channel to blend. It’s easiest to understand when you are blending two layers—a top layer and a bottom layer. For more than half of the blend modes, it matters which layer is on top, even when you leave the opacity alone at 100%. (You don’t get the same result if you interchange the layers.)

Hard Light, Soft Light, and Overlay are birds of a feather. For all of them, blending at any pixel site where the top layer value in a given color channel is mid-gray (128) does nothing at all in that channel. For that site in that channel it is as if the top layer did not exist.

As the top layer value deviates from mid-gray, the blend effect becomes more pronounced. In all 3 blend modes cited, when the top value exceeds 128, the result is to lighten the underlying value as in the screen mode; when the top layer value is less than 128, the result is to darken the underlying value as in the multiply mode.

Hard Light and Overlay may blow out the highs and lows, but Soft Light does not.
MC
Martin_Coleman
Jan 20, 2004
I am so grateful to you all for taking the time to advise. Once more it’s back to the drawing board (or maybe graphics tablet). PS is certainly responsible for manipulating my grey matter not only my shades of grey!

Cool

Martin

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

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