Blending Modes: Compositing Beyond Selections

Blending Modes: Compositing BeyondSelections

After Effects includes 36 blending modes, each created
with a specifi c purpose—except maybe Dancing Dissolve,
was that one ever useful? For effects work, moreover, the
majority of them are not particularly recommended.
So how do you tell which are the useful ones? Once
you understand how your options work, you can make
informed compositing decisions instead of relying on trial
and error.

To help you understand what the various blending modes
are doing, Figures 3.26 through 3.33 blend a grayscale
gradient over a fully saturated background. Contextual
examples using these blending modes follow in the next
section.