Photoshop Elements > Blending Modes

Lighten & Darken Blending Modes

These blending modes are often used with the Healing Brush tool and the Clone Stamp tool.

When using the Healing Brush or the Clone Stamp tool, you may want to select the Lighten or Darken blending modes in options bar/Tool Options.

The use of these blending modes is illustrated with the Clone Stamp tool.

Their use is similar when you're using the Healing Brush tool.

Let's say there are a few distracting white spots in a sky, from white racing pigeons.

The Clone Stamp tool will now only affect pixels lighter than the sky, such as the pigeons.

If there are distracting black specs in the sky, say, from crows, set Mode to Lighten.

The Clone Stamp tool will now only affect pixels darker than the sky, such as the crows.

The chart below describes when you need to use the Darken and Lighten blending modes.

To Be Cloned	The Background To Be Sampled	Example	Use this Blending Mode	Why?
Lighter spots	Is darker than the spots	Airplane lights on a night sky	Darken	The spots, lighter than the background, will be darkened. The darker background won't change.
Darker spots	Is lighter than the spots	Mole on a face	Lighten	The spots, darker than the background, will be lightened. The lighter background won't be affected.

To Be Cloned

The Background

To Be Sampled

Example

Use this

Blending Mode

Why?

Lighter spots

Is darker than the spots

Airplane lights on a night sky

Darken

The spots, lighter than the background, will be darkened.

The darker background won't change.

Darker spots

Is lighter than the spots

Mole on a face

Lighten

The spots, darker than the background, will be lightened.

The lighter background won't be affected.

You can use this example to try out the Lighten and darken modes.

Click Photograph to Enlarge

To learn how these blending modes work, and if you know your way around blending modes, go to Darken and Lighten.

If you're new to blending modes, go to Blending Modes.