Relighting a photo with Hard Mix Blend Mode

The Hard Mix blend mode has very quickly become my favorite blend mode to experiment with.   Every time I use it in a  unique way it seems to pull through with flying colors.  It really is a remarkable blend mode.

You may be scratching your head at that if you have ever used it before.  By default, the HArd Mix Blend Mode is junk, absolute trash really.  When you first select it, you will see a whole bunch of pixelated colors that are hideous and almost offensive.

That is because the Hard Mix Blend Mode is controlled by Fill,  not Opacity!  The lightbulb should be going off now :)   One thing to note about the Hard Mix blend mode is that many programs in the photography market include it, but they fail to include a fill slider to control it.  The Fill slider acts as a calculation control where opacity acts as an intensity control.

The mechanics behind the Hard Mix Blend Mode never cease to amaze me.  As you can see it makes it very easy and fun to experiment with.

In today's tutorial, I am going to show you how I use the Hard Mix Blend Mode to relight photos.  This is especially useful for images with a less than appealing Alpen glow look that you want to amplify.

A couple of things to experiment with:

1.  The Hard Mix Blend Mode rests critically on your Fill setting... keep it between 10-20% for a natural appearance.

2.  Use Blend If to block the Brightest and darkest points in your photo.  HArd Mix does some funky stuff to them.

3.  Experiment with Brushed Colors, Color Fills, and Gradients.  They will all respond differently to the Hard Mix Blend Mode.

[lorblacor]

Thank you so much for all the time you spend to benefit all of us. Your enthusiasm and love of teaching and sharing really shine!

[frankstone]

I've been following your channel for about two months and have enjoyed your Photoshop tutorials. Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

[Panther-]

I follow a few guys that teach photoshop as most people, but I honestly feel your channel is definitely top 3 and it stands out for sure.I feel at times people just almost click bait at times with their title and its sometimes underwhelming, but I have yet to be underwhelmed watching any of your vids, and I seem to also pick up new tricks I never even knew existed ...thank you for the content

[gabrielamainx]

Recently discovered your channel and blown away from your tutorials - thank you so much!

[thestudio]

You videos are easy to understand and so informative. Best of all it gets to the point and it isn't a long drawn video! Thank you for all your hard work to share you knowledge!

[Pixelmotivator]

Thank you for the download, I quickly tried it out on a recent photo & it just made life so much easier.

[Who_Dat]

Blake your tutorials are so Incredibly useful! I am still pretty much a PS rookie, but your tutorials are so in depth, so well explained. Absolutely love them. Keep it up, you are helping out so much! Thanks a bunch!

[balamina]

Hard Mix has such a great potential! I never knew it! Thank you so much Blake for sharing!

[rgarlinyc]

That's a great new 'effect' for me - thanks a ton BR, and for your generosity with the actions too!

[ludmilaedwards]

I am so glad I found you! Thank you, Blake! I love your tutorials!!

[TC_Conner]

Always enjoy AND LEARN from your tutorials Blake! Thanks a bunch and keep em coming!!

[actionphotopassion]

Ho Blake,
I didn't see this tutorial yet. I have added your 5 tones heat map technique to my latest shots. I think this hard mix technique will complement the 5 tones heat map concept in my workflow.
Now it's amazing I really want to thank you because playing around with your watermark and 5 tones heat map tutorials I have succeeded to understand everything you have explained in this very tutorial at very first watch. So here I go for hard mix now.
Once again bravo Blake you're an amazing educational person and as you told me before gear is 20% of the thing. The real thing is the craft 👍😉

[Sir_Grumpalot]

A very interesting and useful technique. Partly, I think, because it can be used subtly and yet really adds if used carefully. Thanks Blake.

[trr]

Blake, I always enjoy your videos and the fact that I can use the instruction to help advance my skills in photography as well as Photoshop and Lightroom. Thanks for these videos and I hope you can keep it up for a long time. Thanks

[DLMlive]

Another Great game changer... Thanks much Blake! 📸

[MonsoonBloomLive]

Love, love, love this video. I really needed this information. Thank you 🙂

[GYS]

Exactly what I needed. Thanks Blake 😁. Love the tutorials with Gavin too.

[ColoBeauPhotog]

Explained Soo simply! Well done Blake.

[Feanor_]

You're not only enriching your colors, but also my life. I've been using Photoshop for 16 years now (not deep enough though), and I'm learning a ton.

[HughWalker]

Awesome, your tutorials rock. Thanks for sharing this with us