Perfect Blend
page oneThis is an easy technique to use but it’s hard to understand how it works. Blend If (in the Blend Options section of the Layer Styles dialog) is a mind bender. Take the time to play with it until you figure out how it works. Do this by putting a colorful linear gradient on the background layer and a radial gradient using different colors on a layer above. Double-click the top layer and tinker with the Blend If sliders while watching the colors in the top layer disappear (This Layer slider) and/or the bottom layer be forced to show through (Underlying Layer slider). When you think you’ve got it figured out, try predicting what is going to happen before you move the sliders. If you do this long enough, the light bulb will come on in your head.
I’m going to show you the technique using three different pictures. I’ll describe the steps in detail for the first image. I’ll give you the settings for the other two.
Start by opening either your own image, or the one shown below. Note that the pictures on this site have been compressed quite a bit to minimize page load time, so they’re going to look blocky if you use them.
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Or you can right-click the layer and choose Duplicate Image.
Once you have all your duplicates made, click on the lowest one in the stack (the one directly above the background layer). Double-click the layer, taking care not to double-click the layer name. The Layer Style dialog will open. If the Blending Options panel isn’t selected on the left side of the dialog, click on it to select it.
Look down at the bottom of the dialog box and find the This Layer slider. Drag the tiny triangle at the left end of the slider in towards the center until the numerical display above the bar reads 40. Then drag the tiny triangle at the right end of the bar in towards the center until the numerical display reads 60.
Press and hold the Alt key and click on the outer half of the little triangle on the left. Drag that half of the triangle to the left until the display reads 30/40. Do the same thing to the triangle on the right until the display reads 60/70.
The area between the two inner halves of the split triangles will be fully blended. The area between the inner half and the outer half will gradually blend less and less, ending where the outer half is set. Everything on this layer that is outside of the two outer halves of the triangles will be excluded from blending (and from the picture).
At the top of the dialog, under General Blending, change Opacity to 50 %.
Click OK to exit the Layer Styles dialog.
In the Layers palette, click on the next layer up which would be the second copy above the background layer. Repeat the steps given above, but this time set the This Layer sliders as shown below.
Set Opacity to 50 % under General Blending and then click OK to exit the Layer Styles dialog.
For the next layer in the stack (third copy above the background, second layer from the top) use the settings shown below and again set Opacity to 50 %.
And, finally, for the top layer, use these settings (shown below) and Opacity of 50 %. I actually made a mistake with the settings (left slider should have been 120/130) but it doesn’t really matter. This is what I used.
With the top layer still selected in the Layers palette, choose Image > Adjustments > Levels. In the Levels dialog, change the center Input Levels value to be 1.98.
If you’re working on your own picture, drag the center slider under the histogram until you see the most dramatic effect on your picture. It does not matter what exact setting you end up with—light or dark. Just play with that center slider while watching your picture. When you see the most dramatic effect on a part of the picture that you’re interested in, stop dragging. Not very scientific, but that’s what I do. When you’ve found something you like, click OK to exit Levels.
Click on the second layer from the top. Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels. Use my setting, as shown, or play with the center slider as before.
Do the same procedure to the next layer (third from top). Here is my Levels center setting.
And, finally, the bottom of the four copied layers.
As already mentioned, there is no reason why you should stick with my settings. These are given so you can match my results, if you wish. I found them by playing with the sliders while watching the image. There were many other possible choices that looked interesting.
The next step is to blur each of the copied layers (do not blur the background layer). With the top copy selected in the Layers palette, choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur dialog, set Radius to 2.5 pixels for my low resolution picture. If you are using a higher resolution image of your own, use a Radius setting of 5 pixels (or more). Click OK to apply the blur.
Click on the next layer down. Go to the Filter menu and you’ll find Gaussian Blur listed at the very top. Click on that (it will apply the same settings as last used). Or press Ctrl-F to apply the last-used filter. Work your way down through the other two copies, applying the same blur to each of them.
Once all four copies have been blurred, click on the top layer and then click in the Blend Mode menu in the top left corner of the Layers palette to get focus there. The menu will turn dark blue when you click on it, indicating that focus is there. Press the down arrows on your keyboard to try out one blend mode after another. Watch your picture. When you see an effect that you like, use that blend mode. I used Color Burn for the top layer.
Do the same thing for the three other copies. Get focus into the blend mode menu and then use the arrow keys on your keyboard to cycle through all the modes. When you find one that you like, keep it. I used Linear Light for the layer second from the top. For the layer third from the top, I used Hard Light, and for the lowest copy in the stack, I used Exclusion.
As with the Levels adjustment, you can use whatever you like. This is purely an artistic effect. Don’t be anxious about getting the ‘right’ setting. There isn’t one. Relax. Have fun. My final picture is shown at the bottom of this section.
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Above is the picture after the Blend If and Levels steps.
Final image after Gaussian Blur and layer blending steps.
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Copyright © 2002 by Jay Arraich.
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All photographs copyright ©2002 by Jay Arraich
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