Photoshop painting tutorial overlay mode with your digital painting. Overlay mode is probably one the few most useful tools in Photoshop for digital painters and artists. It is also one of the easiest one that can easily be very difficult to understand. In this post, I am just going to cover on just using gray scale or black and white range to paint to avoid further confusion. I will try to cover painting in color in the next post. Here are what you need to know. 1) What is “Overlay” blending mode? Here is from Official Photoshop: “Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color. Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is not replaced but is mixed with the blend color to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original color.” Try to read multiple times, then you might just get it. 2) What and when do I use overlay most? The meaning that official Adobe Photoshop gave above might confuse the hell out of most people. So I am going to just narrow it down for just digital painting purpose. There are two major ways I use overlay for. First, I use it to find value ranges in the drafting or sketching state, after drawing. And at this point, I only paint it in gray-scale (black, white). Second, I use it mostly to establish the color scheme of my painting. 3) What does overlay mode do when painting in gray-scale. If you use white to 60% brightness, it will make your painting lighter. It will be almost just like when you are using screen blend mode. When you use black to 40% brightness, it will darken your image. Again, just like when you are using multiply. This method works on both gray-scale background or any value. Also any color base background. One thing you should be aware of is that if you are using gray-scale at the 50% range to paint, it will barely change your value at all. (include +5% and -5% range) See image below for visual reference. As a painter, do not always rely on “Overlay”. Below is a valuable quote from master painter, Craig Mullins, “/random thought/-if you guys are doing speedies for improvement as painters, lay off the color dodge and overlay. Or, paint it like that if that is the way you want it, like Rembrandt. You might say you have seen a lot of that in my work, and yes, a while ago I did do a lot of it. Not for a while. I even used a lensflare or 2 in 94. Not since it was widely abused. I think the leaf brush is going the same way. If it is easy and effective, it will be abused and become commonplace. But that is for learning I think For getting a real job done quickly and well, anything goes–feel free to disagree! /end random thought/ ” I used -pencil HB-3b -Canson/Utretch sketchbook -Sketchbook Pro -PHOTOSHOP CS5 or CS6 -Wacom Intuos5 Medium Pen Tablet Learn how to draw and paint both traditional and digital with FREE video tutorials and step by step images from profession concept artist Xia Taptara.