Blend If

With Blend If you let a layer blend only based on the brightness of that layer or the layers below it. Two slider bars decide which tones do and do not take part. It is a fast, non-destructive way to blend only the shadows or highlights, for example.

Double-click a layer to open the layer styles and use the This Layer and Underlying Layer sliders at the bottom. Drag a slider inward to exclude dark or light tones, and hold Alt to split the slider for soft transitions. Ideal for showing a texture only in the highlights or keeping a color layer out of the shadows. Tip: this often saves a lot of masking work, try Blend If first.

Related terms

Blending modes Layer mask Luminosity masks Opacity vs Fill Apply Image

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The presets on this site set these adjustments up for you as a starting point, which you then fine-tune to taste.

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