To apply a blend mode, select one or multiple visual element in the timeline or the viewer.
Last updated on
May 6, 2026
Use Blend options and understand their visual effects when compositing video clips, images, and graphics.
Blend modes let you control how a selected visual element interacts with layers beneath it. Use Blend in Firefly video editor (beta) to create transparency effects, enhance lighting, or combine images, video, and graphics in more visually interesting ways.
Apply Blend
To apply a blend mode, select a visual element in the timeline or the viewer, open the Properties panel, locate the Blend dropdown, and choose a blend mode. The effect applies immediately to all selected elements.
Open the Properties panel, locate the Blend dropdown, and select a blend mode. The selected effect will apply immediately to all selected elements.
Tip
You can hover over options in the Blend menu to preview them in the viewer. When the menu is open, use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move between options.
When multiple objects with different blend modes are selected simultaneously, the Blend dropdown displays an intermediate state to indicate mixed values.
Supported elements
Blend modes are available for any element in the timeline that supports opacity adjustments:
- Video clips
- Images (JPEG, PNG, and other supported formats)
- Graphics (text, icons, and grouped objects)
Examples
Normal
Screen
Color dodge
Luminosity
Blend modes
Blend mode |
Description |
Pass through |
Allows blend modes of layers inside a group to pass through unchanged to layers below. |
Normal |
The result color is the source color. This mode ignores the underlying color. |
Multiply |
For each color channel, multiplies the source color value with the underlying color value and divides by the maximum value. The result color is never brighter than the original. If either color is black, the result is black; if either is white, the result is the other color. |
Darken |
Each result color channel value is the lower (darker) of the source color channel value and the corresponding underlying color channel value. |
Color Burn |
The result color is a darkening of the source color to reflect the underlying color by increasing contrast. Pure white in the source produces no change. |
Lighten |
Each result color channel value is the higher (lighter) of the source color channel value and the corresponding underlying color channel value. |
Screen |
Multiplies the complements of the color channel values, then takes the complement of the result. The result color is never darker than either input color. |
Color Dodge |
The result color is a lightening of the source color to reflect the underlying color by decreasing contrast. If the source color is black, the result is the underlying color. |
Overlay |
Multiplies or screens the color channel values depending on whether the underlying color is lighter than 50% gray. The result preserves highlights and shadows. |
Soft Light |
Darkens or lightens the underlying color depending on the source color. The effect is similar to a diffused spotlight. |
Hard Light |
Multiplies or screens the color channel values depending on the source color. The effect is similar to a harsh spotlight. |
Difference |
For each color channel, subtracts the darker of the input values from the lighter. Painting with white inverts the underlying color; painting with black produces no change. |
Exclusion |
Creates a result similar to Difference but with lower contrast. If the source color is white, the result is the complement of the underlying color; if black, no change occurs. |
Hue |
The result color has the luminosity and saturation of the underlying color, and the hue of the source color. |
Saturation |
The result color has the luminosity and hue of the underlying color, and the saturation of the source color. |
Color |
The result color has the luminosity of the underlying color, and the hue and saturation of the source color. This preserves gray levels in the underlying color. |
Luminosity |
The result color has the hue and saturation of the underlying color, and the luminosity of the source color. This is the opposite of Color mode. |
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