One of the powerful features of Luminar 4 is the ability to have multiple layers and to change how these layers are blended to achieve an artistic vision. The blending mode within Luminar 4 looks at the content of the two layers and will make changes to the image based on the content of both.
Whilst ‘Normal’ is the default blend mode for layers within Luminar 4 there are also a range of other blend modes which are worth experimenting with to see which best fits your vision.
Whilst this is not a comprehensive list, the various blend modes and their brief explanation are included below [1]:
Blend Modes
| Blend Mode | Description |
| Normal | The default mode performs no additional change to how layer contents interact. |
| Darken | Pixels lighter than blend are replaced; darker ones are not |
| Multiply | Is similar to drawing strokes on the image with markers. The colors of the top layer are blended with the image. |
| Color Burn | Evaluates each channel; darkens base by increasing contrast. |
| Lighten | Evaluates each channel; it then uses base or blend Color (whichever is lighter). |
| Screen | Uses a lighter Color. It is useful for “knocking” black out of a layer. |
| Overlay | Overlays existing pixels while preserving highlights and shadows of base. |
| Soft Light | The effect is similar to shining a diffused spotlight on the image. |
| Hard Light | Effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the image. |
| Difference | Evaluates each channel and subtracts or inverts depending on brightness. |
| Subtract | Looks at the Color in each channel and subtracts the blend from the base. |
| Hue | Uses luminance and saturation of the base and the hue of the blend. |
| Color | Preserves grey levels. It’s very useful for coloring and tinting. |
| Luminosity | Is the inverse effect from the Color mode. |
Table Information obtained from Skylum Website
References & Endnotes;
[1] https://skylum.com/luminar/user-guides/chapter-16-using-blending-modes-with-layers