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24 December 2013

GIMP's Layer Modes (Somewhat) Demystified – Part 4: A Pictorial Comparison

For a final comparison among the layer modes, I created several examples that visually show the effects of combining various layers.

Grayscale on Grayscale


First, I created a square non-dithered grayscale linear gradient lower layer, then made a copy and rotated it 90ΒΊ for the upper layer. I chose each layer mode to see the effect. Here's a visual representation of what occurs with each layer mode.

17 December 2013

GIMP's Layer Modes (Somewhat) Demystified – Part 3: Grain Extract to Value


In this article I discuss the following layer modes: Grain Extract, Grain Merge, Divide, Hue, Saturation, Color, and Value. I will use the same test images I used for Part 1 and Part 2.


Color Patterns on Color Blocks
Color Patterns on Color Blocks
Roses on Macaw
Roses on Macaw
Macaw
Macaw
Grayscale Gradient
Grayscale Gradient


For each of the test images, I changed the layer mode of the upper layer to each mode and saved the result. I've included these images in each section below as references. What follows are my observations and thoughts about how to use each layer mode. Feel free to copy any of these images to your desktop so you can load them into GIMP for a closer look.

The layer modes are presented in the order in which they appear in the Mode drop-down menu. Here's a full list with quick links.

Normal Multiply Grain Extract
Dissolve Burn Grain Merge
Lighten Only      Overlay Divide
Screen Soft Light Hue
Dodge Hard Light Saturation
Addition Difference Color
Darken Only Subtract Value


04 December 2013

GIMP's Layer Modes (Somewhat) Demystified – Part 2: Darken Only to Subtract


In this article I discuss the following layer modes: Darken only, Multiply, Burn, Overlay, Soft light, Hard light, Difference, and Subtract. I will use the same test images I used for Part 1.


Color Patterns on Color Blocks
Color Patterns on Color Blocks
Roses on Macaw
Roses on Macaw
Macaw
Macaw
Grayscale Gradient
Grayscale Gradient

For each of the test images, I changed the layer mode of the upper layer to each mode and saved the result. I've included these images in each section below as references. What follows are my observations and thoughts about how to use each layer mode. Feel free to copy any of these images to your desktop so you can load them into GIMP for a closer look.

The layer modes are presented in the order in which they appear in the Mode drop-down menu. Here's a full list with quick links.

Normal Multiply Grain Extract
Dissolve Burn Grain Merge
Lighten Only      Overlay Divide
Screen Soft Light Hue
Dodge Hard Light Saturation
Addition Difference Color
Darken Only Subtract Value