When it comes to mastering the art of blending layers (or any of Photoshop’s most important tools and techniques), there are three stages of Enlightenment.
Stage 1: You Have (Almost) No Idea What You Are Doing. You muddle through and get the job done, but it takes way too long and doesn’t quite look right.
Stage 2: You Find Something That Works. You develop a set of moves that achieves a professional result, but it’s still labor intensive.
Stage 3: You Figure It Out. You come to understand how all those little checkboxes and sliders actually relate to each other (and to the image you’re working on), and make Photoshop do the work for you. You get pro results with minimal effort.
If you’re at Stage 1 or Stage 2 with blending layers, check out the video below. It shows the amazing power of Smart Objects to help you create nondestructive blending effects without spending any time fussing around with selections or masks. And even cooler: you can animate the blending effect. Check it out!
This article was last modified on June 3, 2016
This article was first published on June 3, 2016
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