Applying blend modes

Blend modes let you create composite images. Compositing is the process of varying the transparency or color interaction of two or more overlapping objects. Blending lets you create unique effects by blending the colors in overlapping movie clips.

A blending mode contains the following elements:

The color applied to the blend mode.

The degree of transparency applied to the blend mode.

The color of pixels underneath the blend color.

The result of the blend’s effect on the base color.

Blend modes depend on both the color of the object you’re applying the blend to and the underlying color. Adobe® recommends that you experiment with the different blend modes to achieve the desired effect.

Applies color normally, with no interaction with the base colors.

Lets you stack movie clips on top of each other without affecting their color.

Replaces only the areas that are lighter than the blend color. Areas darker than the blend color don’t change.

Multiplies the base color by the blend color, resulting in darker colors.

Replaces only pixels that are darker than the blend color. Areas lighter than the blend color don’t change.

Multiplies the inverse of the blend color by the base color, resulting in a bleaching effect.

Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base colors.

Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend mode color. The effect is similar to shining a spotlight on the object.

Subtracts either the blend color from the base color or the base color from the blend color, depending on which has the greater brightness value. The effect is similar to a color negative.

Commonly used to create an animated lightening dissolve effect between two images.

Commonly used to create an animated darkening dissolve effect between two images.

Inverts the base color.

Applies an alpha mask.

Removes all base color pixels, including those in the background image.

note: Erase and Alpha blend modes require that a Layer blend mode be applied to the parent movie clip. You cannot change the background clip to Erase and apply it because the object would appear invisible.

Blend mode examples

The following examples illustrate how different blend modes affect the appearance of an image. The resulting effect of a blend mode might be considerably different, depending on the color of the underlying image and the type of blend mode you apply.

Apply a blend mode

To apply blends to selected frames and movie clips, use the Property Inspector.

 You cannot apply different blend modes to different graphic symbols because multiple graphic symbols are merged as a single shape when you publish the SWF file.