Blending modes are a crucial part of using Photoshop for anything and everything. Whether it’s graphic design, photo editing, or illustration, knowing how to harness the immense power of its 27 blending modes is a necessity for improving your workflow and efficiency. But it can be intimidating for many aspiring artists and newer designers. There’s a lot to unpack and a seemingly mountain of technical information to understand, and many tend to put off a comprehensive understanding rather than learning bit by bit – which is a shame, considering how important a tool blending modes are.

That's why we've simplified our handy guide to Photoshop blend modes, so you can get a practical understanding of what you need to know about each mode.

Blending modes are special layer properties that determine how the pixels on that layer affect the pixels in the layer below it. Blending modes in Photoshop allow artists and designers to mix the hues, values, and other properties of layers in ways that can create unique effects, increase efficiency, and allow you to work nondestructively.

Learning how to use blend modes in Photoshop is an essential skill for the aspiring digital artist or graphic designer. It’s not something you can just skip. Even those who want to make the transition from traditional art need to understand what blend modes are and how to use them, even if they want to eliminate them from their process later.