The Biggest Mistake Everyone Makes about Blend Modes

The topic of Blend Modes is always approached from a mistaken, highly misleading angle which makes it very difficult to reach a proper understanding of them. In this tutorial we'll cut through the unhelpful nonsense, and we'll also explore the mathematical magic behind a range of blend modes including Screen, Multiply, Overlay and even the mysterious Exclusion.
Normal Blend mode tutorial: • Apple Motion: The Most...

[@GameSack]

Great explainer! On my show, in my talking head segments I usually have video playing behind me on a CRT, and that's added in post. I find that Linear Dodge gives the most authentic CRT look as you can still see reflections of the room on the screen in the darker parts.

[@morrisondv]

This was great info with clear concise explanations. I’d love to see you go through more blend modes. Thank you for the education.

[@mccroskeyr]

This was good. Love that you did the math equations. Clarity arrives!

[@trippy_blob]

Lerning basics never gets old.

[@RuPX3]

Extremely useful academic base, thank you kindly, Simon! 🤝🤝🤝

[@Richard_Broom_Photography]

Very useful Simon. Examples very useful for making things clear this maths dunderhead!

[@marcelocaneschi6576]

Only Simon to explain this way. This is Simon! Le Sorcier! Muito obrigado!

[@letromortel]

Again and again I learn something. Very clearly explained!! many thanks

[@m_reis]

Very very useful! Thank you so much!

[@RussDnB]

Superb as always! Thank you

[@BaronStVon]

Thank you for the great educational video... for free too!? What are your thoughts on Avid Media Composer, btw? Thought it might be worth learning since that's what big productions use

[@SimonUbsdell]

Thank you. My thoughts on learning editing software is that if you want to work in editing professionally it pays to learn Premiere, Resolve and Media Composer as well as Final Cut. Depending on the job, I will use any one of these four and I can't afford not to know how to work with them. However, if you don't have to worry about interfacing with other users on different NLE platforms and you have a free choice about what to use, then you can just focus on whichever one you like best. Media Composer is great but these days I don't think it has anything like the competitive edge it used to have.

[@eef-bombfilmsmedia9122]

Can you use two tracks of video and blending to even out the luminance of the image. Say you have an under exposed subject and a basic color correction would blow out the background. could you bump up the luminance of the subject on one layer and pull the luminance on the other. I'm self taught so the technical terms are a bit spotty hope this makes sense.

[@SimonUbsdell]

The problem with that theory is that the compositing software doesn't know what you consider to be the subject and what is the background, although with AI that is coming closer. As things stand you have to explicitly isolate the subject using a key or a mask in order to grade it separately. Blend modes don't really help with this problem although they can be very useful for specific grading tasks.

[@OzoneVibe]

Sense had been made. 👍

[@toddlask]

great topic!

[@seanmunaco]

Great video. Seriously good information.

[@SimonUbsdell]

Thank you.

[@HenriT]

Maths aint me strongest thing.. see mostly I lift things up and put them back down (pun) Have to watch this again fow few times and think… and mebbe then