Screen, Overlay, Multiply: which blend mode for which overlay
Black disappears in Screen, white disappears in Multiply, 50% grey disappears in Overlay. Pick the mode by the overlay's background.
Every overlay on this site is built for one blend mode. The rule is simple once you see it: the background colour of the overlay tells you which mode makes that background vanish.
The three modes you need
| Overlay background | Blend mode |
|---|---|
| Black | Screen. Black vanishes, bright parts brighten your image. Use for dust & scratches and light leaks. |
| 50% grey | Overlay or Soft Light. Grey vanishes, lighter and darker parts add contrast texture. Use for film grain. |
| White or paper | Multiply. White vanishes, darker parts darken your image. Use for paper and dark halftones. |
| Transparent | Normal works. Use Multiply for a printed look. Used by halftone PNGs. |
Why it works
Screen is like projecting two slides onto the same wall: light only ever adds, so black adds nothing. Multiply is like stacking two printed transparencies: ink only ever darkens, so white adds nothing. Overlay pushes values away from the middle, so the middle (50% grey) does nothing.
Common mistakes
- Using Screen on a grey grain plate. The whole photo goes washed out. Use Overlay.
- Using Overlay on dust. Black areas darken your photo. Use Screen.
- Full opacity. Almost every overlay looks better between 30% and 70%.