Deep Dive: Blending Modes

This video is an overview of the blending modes available in VidJam. Blending modes determine how a layer will be combined with the layer below it. You can use different blending modes to achieve various effects. This video will focus on some of the more useful blending modes and explain what they do. I've already populated a grid with several images and videos for this demonstration. You can access a layer’s blending mode by opening up it’s properties and then switching to the shader panel. This drop down list contains all the available blending modes. The various blending modes have been grouped together by overall functionality. The top three modes are the most commonly used ones. The default blending mode is Screen. Screen mode is actually one of the lightening modes but is located at the top of the list for easy access. Screen mode is used to lighten your video without blowing out the highlights. "Next is Alpha blending mode. This mode is designed for videos and images that contain an alpha channel, which is and additional color channel that determines the transparency of each pixel. For Alpha blending to function as intended, your content must include an alpha channel. without it, the image will be fully opaque. All blending modes will also use an alpha channel to determine transparency while still following their individual blending rules. If your image contains many black areas but lacks an alpha channel, and you wish to make these dark areas transparent, you can utilize knockout mode. This mode has parameters for min and max. Pixels darker than the min setting become fully transparent, while those brighter than the max setting remain completely opaque. Pixels falling between these values will appear semi-transparent, allowing for nuanced control over which parts of your image are visible. The next set of blending modes are darkening Modes. This includes, darken, multiply, color Burn, linear burn, and darker color. All these modes will result in a darker image using various methods. For example, Darken, compares the colors of the top and bottom layers and chooses the darker color for each pixel. One of the more useful modes is Multiply mode. It multiplies the color values of the top layer with those of the bottom layer. This means darker areas on the top layer will make the bottom layer darker. It's a handy mode when you want to darken parts of your image selectively, especially when using masks. As you can see here, only the white portions of this mask are showing the layer underneath it. Moving on to Lightening Modes. This includes Lighten, Color Dodge, Add, and Lighter Color. these are great for brightening your footage. All these modes will result in a lighter image. For example, add mode increases brightness by adding the blend layer’s color values to the base layer. It can create high-impact, bright effects, suitable for achieving glows or highlights. This is a more dramatic blending mode than screen mode since screen mode will avoid blowing out the highlights. Next are the contrast modes, like overlay, soft light, hard light etc. These are useful for enhancing texture and contrast. For example overlay adjusts the contrast by either multiplying or screening colors based on the base color. It's useful for adding depth or enhancing textures without altering the original tones too much. Then we have Comparative Modes. These modes are used for comparing the base and blend colors in various ways and can result in more creative effects. And finally we have color Modes. These modes are used to apply the blend color's hue, saturation, color, or luminosity while retaining the base layer's other properties. By exploring these blending modes in Vid Jam, you'll start to see how they can further customize your visuals. Try them out to see how they can change the mood, texture, and overall impact of your videos and images. Thanks for watching.