0. Introduction

Blending modes can seem overwhelming initially, but once you get the hang of them, you won’t be able to exclude them from your workflow.

 

First, we will go through the four main categories of blending modes and two essential tips for a quicker workflow. Then I will guide you through all the specific steps (only involving blending modes) that I use to achieve a finished illustration.

 

1. Categories of Blending Modes

There are about 28 blending modes in Clip Studio Paint, so trying to understand each separately can seem unnerving. Instead, we can divide these blending modes into five categories to make remembering the unique characteristics of similar blending modes within a category easier.

 

[Normal] mode is the default mode of any layer or folder, and as the name suggests, it is just a normal layer placed on top of another layer. It does not have any blending effect on the layers below.

 

Following are all the other blending modes:

 

 

1.1. Shade

The blending modes of this category have a shadow or darkening effect on the layers below. This darkening capacity varies depending on the mode. The five shade category blending modes include:

 

i. Darken

 

[Darken] compares the colors on the blending layer and the base layers (all layers below the blending mode layer) and keeps the darker color with slight blending.

 

 

ii. Multiply

 

[Multiply] multiplies the blending and base layers to create darker colors. It is one of the best blending modes for shading.

 

iii. Color Burn

 

[Color Burn] mode reacts to the base layer to give darker colors of higher contrast. The mid-tones are very saturated in this mode.

 

iv. Linear Burn

 

Linear Burn multiplies the base and blend layers, similar to [Multiply], but the results are darker and more saturated.

 

v. Subtract

 

[Subtract] subtracts the blending layer’s colors from the base layer to give darker colors.

 

1.2. Light and Glow

The blending modes of this category have a lightening and glowing effect on the layers below. Some layers have a stronger light or glow impact than others. The six blending modes of this category include:

 

 

i. Lighten

 

[Lighten] is the opposite of [Darken] as it compares the blend and base layers to keep the lighter color with slight blending.

 

ii. Screen

 

[Screen] lightens the base layer depending on the luminosity of the colors on the blend layer. Higher luminosity results in a brighter blend. It is an excellent mode for adding colored highlights.

 

iii. Color dodge

 

[Color dodge] reacts with the base layer to give brighter and highly saturated results. The contrast between the colors is minimized. This mode is great for adding luminous saturation to create focal points in a painting.

 

 

iv. Glow dodge

 

[Glow dodge] gives results similar to [Color Dodge], but the effect is stronger in semi-transparent areas as it creates a stronger glow and halo.

 

v. Add

 

[Add] adds the base colors with the blend colors to give brighter colors as a result. The result is similar to [Screen] but more saturated. This is another excellent mode for highlights.

 

 

 

vi. Add (Glow)

 

The results of [Add (Glow)] are almost identical to [Add], with greater glow and luminosity in semi-transparent areas.

 

1.3. Contrast

The blending modes of this category enhance the contrast and saturation of the layers below. The six contrast category blending modes include:

 

 

 

i. Overlay

 

[Overlay] brightens the light parts and darkens the dark parts to give a saturated blend. The mid-tones have the most contrast. This mode is great for adjusting your lights and darks and adding saturation to dull areas.

 

 

ii. Soft light

 

The results of [Soft Light] are similar to Overlay but with less contrast and saturation in mid-tones. It is great for adding a single color tint over an area like a tinted window or soft-colored light.

 

iii. Hard light

 

[Hard Light] adds high contrast and saturation to all areas, not just mid-tones. It is very useful for adding strong light sources.

 

iv. Vivid light

 

[Vivid light] acts as an extreme mode of Overlay that gives highly saturated and contrasting results on all tones.

 

v. Linear light

 

[Linear light] results in very high saturation and contrast with less blending.

 

vi. Pin light

 

Pin light replaces the colors of the base layer with slight blending and eliminates mid-tones. This mode is also useful for special effects.

 

vii. Hard mix

 

[Hard mix] converts the base and blends colors to the closest of the six primary colors (white, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, and green). There is no blending at all. This blending mode can be used for thermal map effects.

 

1.4. Inversion

The inversion category blending modes give various negatives by combining the blending and base layers. The five modes of this category include:

 

i. Difference

 

[Difference] subtracts the value of the blend colors from the base layer colors to display the difference. This blending mode can be helpful for very dramatic effects.

 

ii. Exclusion

 

[Exclusion] works similarly to [Difference], but the results have lesser contrast and saturation.

 

iii. Darker color

 

[Darker color] compares the colors on the blend and base layer; only the darker color shows in the result. There is no blending in this mode.

 

iv. Lighter color

 

[Lighter color] is the opposite of [Darker color], where only the lighter colors are left after comparing the base and blend layer. There is no blending in this mode, either.

 

v. Divide

 

[Divide] is the opposite of [Subtract], so the light color of the blending mode layer has a very minimal effect, whereas the dark colors on the blending layer give the brightest results.

 

1.5. Color

The color category blending modes can change the base layers' hue, saturation, and luminosity/brightness. The following four blending modes are included in this category:

 

i. Hue

 

[Hue] changes the hue of the base layer while saturation and brightness stay the same. This is a great mode for changing the color of any element without disturbing any other characteristics.

 

ii. Saturation

 

[Saturation] changes the saturation of the base layer to the saturation of the colors of the blending layer. Hue and brightness stay the same. This is a great mode for adding or removing saturation from an area.

 

You can view the base layers in grayscale by placing pure black or white on the blending layer.

 

iii. Color

 

[Color] changes both the hue and saturation of the base layer, but the brightness stays the same. [Color] mode is handy for coloring a grayscale painting.

 

iv. Brightness

 

[Brightness] changes the brightness of the base layer to that of the blend layer, but hue and saturation remain the same. It is a great mode for adjusting your lights and darks.

 

2. Quickly Scroll Through All Blending Modes

Clicking and choosing the different blending modes one at a time to see their effects can be time-consuming and frustrating.

 

However, Clip Studio Paint provides a great shortcut with which you can quickly scroll through all the blending modes and choose the one with the most appealing results.

 

2.1. With Mouse

Place your cursor on the dropdown menu of the blending modes option in the Layer palette without clicking open the menu. The blending mode option is the second option in the first row of the Layer palette.

 

Swipe your mouse wheel up or down to switch through the blending modes on the selected layer. You will see the layer effects changing simultaneously on your canvas.

 

 

2.2. With Trackpad

If you are like me and do not use a mouse, you can achieve the same scrolling results using your laptop’s trackpad.

 

Place your cursor on the blending modes option in the Layer palette and use two-finger swipes to scroll up or down through the blending modes for the selected layer.

 

3. Adjust Opacity for Intensity of Blending Mode

Blending modes often give very powerful effects depending on the colors and values used. While one can try to understand the appropriate color intensity for each mode, it can be time-consuming.

 

What you can do for instant effects is lower the opacity of the blending mode layer to make the effect less intense. It is very convenient for changing the strength of the blending mode at any given time.

 

4. ‘Through’ Blending Mode and Folder Blending Modes

The folders in Clip Studio Paint can also have blending modes applied to them. By default, this blending mode is set to [Normal]. This mode causes the layers inside the folder to lose their individual blending modes when engaging layers outside the folder. Their individual blending modes only react with other layers inside that folder.

 

This could give undesired results if you wanted those layers’ blending modes to react to the layers and folders outside that folder.

 

However, if we set the folder’s blending mode to [Through], it will allow the various blending modes of the layers inside to pass through the folder and react with all the layers below and above them.

 

The [Through] mode is right above the [Normal] mode. You can find the [Through] mode by clicking on the blending mode's dropdown menu in the Layer palette and scrolling to the top.

 

Like in [Normal] mode, if the folder’s blending mode is set to [Color Dodge], the individual blending modes of the layers in the folder will only affect the other layers of that folder. To the layers outside this [Color Dodge] folder, all these layers will act as [Color Dodge] layers.

 

 

If you are only making folders for organization and do not want your layers’ blending modes to be affected, then choose [Through] mode.

 

Examples

For instance, a folder has a [Multiply] and a [Color Burn] blending mode layer inside it. One has bright blue, while the other has orange in it. These layers will react to each other as [Multiply] and [Color Burn] of the shading category, resulting in a more saturated and darker blue.

 

4.1. Folder set to [Normal] mode

When they are in a folder set to [Normal], the blue and orange of these [Multiply] and [Color Burn] layers will not react to the dark red background from other folders to result in a darker color.

 

4.2. Folder set to [Through] mode

To apply the original blending modes of the layers inside the folder, we set it to [Through] mode. Now the blue and orange of the [Multiply] and [Color Burn] layers react with dark red from the other layers and folders and darken to become black.

 

 

4.3. Folder set to some other mode, e.g., [Add] mode

If we set the folder to the [Add] blending mode of the Light category, then the saturated blue lightens as it reacts with dark red under it and becomes pinkish-blue.

 

 

5. Steps For Completing Artwork

In this section, I will show you all the blending modes that I use most frequently and the steps in which I use them. I have my preferences in all categories, and I will only be talking about those preferred modes here.

 

 

5.1. Texture

Most of the time, I prefer adding texture to my canvas in the first step rather than the last. I use [Overlay] for this purpose and set the layer opacity to around 50%. This layer is one of the top layers that come above the main folder that contains all other folders and layers used in the work.

 

[Overlay] does not change pure white and pure black. This is useful because when you make a webcomic and use a textured finish, the texture will not show up in between the spacing for your panels.

 

5.2. Unifying Color

Depending on the mood and environment of the painting, I choose one color and use the [Fill] tool to cover the entire canvas in a layer created above the texture layer and the folder that will have all other layers and folders. Then I set the blending mode to [Multiply] and adjust the opacity of the layer until I find the point where the color unifies the piece without being too dominant.

 

 

[Multiply] does a great job for unification in low opacity as it multiplies the base colors with the layer color to give slightly darker and harmonized combinations. Other modes that are good at unification are [Overlay], [Vivid Light], and [Soft Light].

 

 

5.3. Shadows on Base Colors

After adding the texture and unifying color layer, I do the sketch, line art, and base colors. Then I return to blending modes to complete the piece, starting with the shadows.

 

I always use [Multiply] for shading because I find it most balanced and predictable in this regard. I always use a light pastel color for the shading because a darker color would give a too intense, almost black result when used in the [Multiply] layer.

 

 

5.4. Darker Shadows

If I find the shadow color to be too light later on, I just duplicate the [Multiply] shading layer to amplify the shadows. If I duplicate it two or more times, then I just merge the duplicated layers with the [Merge with layer below] option in the third row of the Layer palette, with the icon positioned fourth from the right.

 

If I want darker shadows in specific areas, I use a new [Multiply] layer to do so.

 

5.5. Color Variation With Glow Light

Soft value variations within a base color can keep the colors from looking too static. I keep the effect subtle without overdoing it. Especially with a light source, a slight glow happens on the subject’s surface apart from the highlights.

 

For these soft glows and value varieties, I like to use [Glow dodge] with a soft pastel color and then lower the opacity, so the effect is subtle and not intense. [Add (Glow)] is better for a more intense glow. I love to use [Color dodge] when I want high saturation at certain glow points.

 

 

The darker the color you use in these light category modes, the duller and more translucent the effect will be. The lighter the color you use, the brighter and more opaque the effect will be.

 

5.6. Highlights

For defined highlights, [Lighten] and [Add] are great options. [Screen] is a good mode to use for soft ambient light.

 

I use [Hard Light] with a low-opacity brush for colored glass reflections as it gives a nicely saturated result (as shown in Section 6.6).

 

 

5.7. Special Effects

I usually give the final touches to my work using special effects such as light and dust particles. For these, I like to use either [Glow Dodge] or [Color dodge], depending on the saturation desired.

 

6. Recap with a More Complex Illustration

Now, I will concisely go over the main steps I use to complete my artwork with another illustration. I will also mention the blending modes used in each step.

 

6.1. Texture

 

[Overlay]

 

6.2. Unifying Color

 

[Multiply]

 

6.3. Shadows on Base Colors

 

[Multiply]

 

6.4. Darker Shadows

 

[Multiply]

 

6.5. Color Variation With Glow Light

 

[Color dodge]

 

6.6. Highlights

 

[Hard light]

 

[Glow dodge]

 

6.7. Special Effects

 

[Glow dodge]

 

Final Thoughts

I love using blending mode because they make the art process much more efficient and interesting. Being able to explore so many options from a single base fascinates me most.

 

As you integrate blending modes into your art workflow, predicting their effects will become intuitive, and you will find more ways of utilizing them.

 

I hope you found this tutorial helpful and learnt something new. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions please let me know in the comments.