Blend My Current Layer with Other Layers?

By changing the layer blend mode (from the pop-up menu at the top left of the Layers panel) from Normal (which means, whatever is solid on this layer covers whatever is on the layers below) to any other blend mode (which means, whatever is on that layer now blends in with the layers below, instead of just covering them). For example, if you have a huge image of a peach on your top layer, it’ll pretty much cover everything on all the layers below it, but if you change its blend mode, then it blends together with them. How does it blend? Well, that depends on the blend mode that you choose. Here are a few to get you started: Multiply blends while darkening the layer; Screen blends while brightening the layer; Soft Light blends and adds some contrast; Overlay blends and adds a bunch of contrast. To quickly run through all the blend modes to see which one(s) looks good to you, press Shift-+ (plus sign) and it toggles to the next blend mode. Press Shift-– (minus sign) to go back to the previous blend mode.

TIP: GET MORE CONTROL OVER BLENDING WITH BLEND IF

In the Layers panel, double-click directly on a layer’s thumbnail to bring up the Blending Options in the Layer Style dialog. In the Blend If section, you’ll see two sliders with two triangle-shaped slider knobs below them. Press-and-hold the Option (PC: Alt) key, then start dragging any one of those knobs to see how the layer now interacts with the layers below it. Note: When you do this, it will split the knob in half. That’s what you want, though, as it creates smoother blending.