User Guide

152 Chapter 7: Layers, Masking, and Blending
Blending and transparency
Compositing is the process of varying the transparency or color interaction of two or more
overlapping objects. In Fireworks, blending modes allow you to create composite images.
Blending modes also add a dimension of control to the opacity of objects and images.
About blending modes
When you choose a blending mode, Fireworks applies it to the selected objects in their entirety.
Objects in a single document or on a single layer can have blending modes that differ from those
of other objects in the document or on the layer.
When objects with different blending modes are grouped, the group’s blending mode
overrides individual blending modes. Ungrouping the objects restores each object’s individual
blending mode.
A blending mode contains these elements:
Blend color is the color to which the blending mode is applied.
Opacity is the degree of transparency to which the blending mode is applied.
Base color is the color of pixels underneath the blend color.
Result color is the result of the blending mode’s effect on the base color.
These are the blend modes in Fireworks:
Normal applies no blending mode.
Multiply multiplies the base color by the blend color, resulting in darker colors.
Screen multiplies the inverse of the blend color by the base color, resulting in a bleaching effect.
Darken selects the darker of the blend color and base color to use as the result color. This replaces
only pixels that are lighter than the blend color.
Lighten selects the lighter of the blend color and base color to use as the result color. This replaces
only pixels that are darker than the blend color.
Difference subtracts the blend color from the base color or the base color from the blend color.
The color with less brightness is subtracted from the color with more brightness.
Hue combines the hue value of the blend color with the luminance and saturation of the base
color to create the result color.
Saturation combines the saturation of the blend color with the luminance and hue of the base
color to create the result color.
Color combines the hue and saturation of the blend color with the luminance of the base color
to create the result color, preserving the gray levels for coloring monochrome images and tinting
color images.
Luminosity combines the luminance of the blend color with the hue and saturation of the
base color.
Invert inverts the base color.
Tint adds gray to the base color.
Erase removes all base color pixels, including those in the background image.