Overlay / Cover

Let us now look at the different contrast modes. This is the fourth group of modes in our drop-down menu.
Each of these options is a combination of Darken and Lighten modes.

For this example I added a layer above the Michelangelo layer, which I have filled with a pattern.

First we have the Overlay mode.
The Overlay mode combines the Multiply and Screen mode.
The Highlights (highlight) and the Shadows (shadows) of the base color are preserved. And it removes the Midtones.

Soft Light (Soft Light)

The second is the Soft Light mode.
The effect you achieve is comparable with a faint light that strikes across the image.

Hard Light (Bright Light)

The third, Hard Light mode is a “harder” version of the Overlay mode.

These first three modes, Overay, Soft Light and Hard Light are based on the first two modes from the third group. In particular, the Lighten and the Screen modes.
If you wish a combination of Color Dodge and Linear Dodge modes, you must choose Vivid Light or Linear Light.

Vivid Light / Intense Light

Vivid Light combines Color Burn and Color Dodge.

Linear Light / Linear Light

Linear Light combines Linear Burn with Linear Dodge.

These two do not seem to be very useful at the first sight, but when we change the “fill” value, we have a very different picture.
But let us first look at the Pin Light mode.

Pin Light / Spot Light

When we use the Pin Light mode we keep the Highlights and Shadows and we lose the midtones.
This is because the Pin Light combines Lighter Color and Darker Color modes.

Hard Mix / Hard mixture

The Hard Mix mode is based on the Vivid Light mode and adds the values ??for red, green and blue channels of the working color to the RGB values ??of the base color.
Hard Mix itself gives nothing, but when we use Hard Mix with a “Fill” value of eg 10%, then we have a very different picture:

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