FEATUR ES YOU’VE NEVER USED I N PHOTOSHOP
BLEND CLIPPED LAYERS
AS GROUP
Similar to blending the interior effects above, Blend Clipped
Layers as Group (Layer>Layer Style>Blending Options:
Advanced Blending) affects the order of operations. By
default, the box is checked, meaning the clipped layer
blends with the contents of its base layer before the result is
blended with the rest of the canvas. If the box is unchecked,
the clipped layer’s blending mode behaves as if it were
not clipped, and interacts with the entire layer stack.
This option only applies to the bottom layer in a clip-
ping group. In the example image, there are four layers: a
background gradient fill, a photo of dancer’s feet, and a
pair of layers clipped by the photo: one text, and one noise
gradient. The photo layer’s blending mode is Subtract, the
text layer is set to Exclusion (filled with white), and the noise
gradient uses Linear Light.
Here, the first image shows the result of the layer blend-
ing with default Blend Clipped Layers as Group checked.
It’s turned off in the second image. Notice that the various
layers all now blend as if they were not clipped, but are still
bound by the clipped layer’s mask. This is most useful when
dealing with graphic elements that need to be clipped while
retaining some continuity of blending modes.
Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of features that you
may not have used. No doubt a few of these tools are some-
one’s bread and butter, while others probably leave even
the Photoshop engineers wondering if anyone uses them.
Being a nerd, one of my favorites is the ability to export a
histogram to a graphing package. From this list, perhaps
the most underrated are Apply Image and Calculations, and
they’re certainly worth your time to investigate further.
I really enjoyed wandering Photoshop’s halls with a mix
of memory and discovery. Hopefully, you’ve found some
dusty corner that becomes your new favorite, too! n
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ALL IMAGES BY SCOTT VALENTINE EXCEPT WHERE NOTED; [ 65 ]OriginalFinal