Blend Method Parameter

The various compositing methods available for Layers in Synfig. (What compositing/blending is.) Currently these are:

Composite

This blend method is the default option, it simply displays the content of the layer. This blend mode is similar the layer blend mode Normal Mode often found in 2D programs.

Straight

This blend method looks similar to the previous one, except that the objects under a straight-object will be invisible. So if there is a more or less transparent object on the Straight mode layer, the objects on the layers underneath won't show through it.

More precisely, the resulting color is "(A-B)*amount + B". So if amount is 1 the result is A and if amount is 0 the result is B. In particular, if amount is 1 and A is a very transparent color, the resulting color will also be A; despite the fact that A is very transparent, none of B's color is used.

Onto

If a layer is set to the Onto blend method, only the parts of the layer that are over a not transparent area will be visible.

Straight Onto

This method is a combination of the two methods above. E.g. if an half-transparent object is set to Straight Onto, it will only be visible over a non-transparent area, and the non-transparent part under that object won't be visible.

Behind

This blend method makes the layer visible over transparent areas, and invisible over non-transparent areas, giving the impression that the layer is behind the other layers. It is often used for the "Shade" effect layer, to make a drop-shadow effect.

Screen

This blend method is similar to the Screen Mode often found in 2D programs. It combines the colors of the screen mode layer and the ones behind it, and gives a lighter result in general.

Overlay

This is similar to PhotoShop - layer blend mode Overlay Mode

Hard Light

This is similar to PhotoShop - layer blend mode Hard Light Mode

Multiply

This is similar to PhotoShop - layer blend mode Multiply Mode

Divide

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Add

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Subtract

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Difference

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Brighten

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Darken

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Color

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Hue

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Saturation

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Luminance

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Alpha over

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