When you open a New Adjustment Layer you are given a choice of correction tools. When you choose Levels, for example, there is a box at the bottom called Modes. Click on the arrow and the options appear. There are many, but the main three I work with are Multiply, Screen and Overlay. Each creates a specific interpretation of the image o a new layer. As you explore these leave the Levels control sliders alone and come back to them later.
Open the Levels adjustment layer, choose a Mode and simply click the Levels dialog box closed.
Each of these Blending Modes performs a specific task, two of which deal with exposure (Multiply and Screen) and Overlay, which changes contrast. These modes are very important, as they hold the keys to one path of very quick and easy correction and interpretation. Here’s what they do:
Multiply increases (printing) exposure by about a stop darker. (In darkroom printing when you use more exposure you get a darker print.) Conversely, when you open up a stop in camera exposure the image gets lighter. This is a printing exposure increase, thus you get more density when you use Multiply. Most importantly, this increase in density (exposure) does not change contrast.
Screen decreases printing exposure by about a stop. (Again, this is “darkroom exposure”, not camera exposure, which would actually make the image darker.) You get a lighter version of the image with Screen without a change in contrast.
Overlay is a quick contrast control, and changes contrast by about one step. (If you have chemical darkroom experience it would be like changing contrast grade by +1, such as going from a grade 2 to a grade 3 paper or filter using variable contrast paper.) There is no change in exposure even though using higher contrast makes it look like the print is darker.
The best way to see the effects of these modes is to open up an image and try each one. You’ll see how quickly these mode applications affect your image and how they can make a quick difference in how you work going forward.
When you open a new adjustment layer you can then choose the "blending mode" for the relationship of that layer to the one beneath it. Use the modes suggested here for some rapid image enhancement as you build a foundation image for processing.
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