[Adobe Illustrator Tutorial] Layers and Blend Mode

Adobe Illustration Tutorial : Using Layers and Blend Modes.

1. The Basics of Layers

Step 1

Let's start with the actual Layers menu box by going up to Layer > Layers.

Here it is in all of it's glory! You'll notice that a standard Inkscape document only has one layer to start with. What this menu box does is help us add, visualize, and manage any layers in our document.

Step 2

On the bottom of this box, you'll notice six very nifty buttons to manage layers. From left to right, we have: Add layer, Raise layer to top, Raise layer one level, Lower layer one level, Lower layer to bottom, Delete layer.

Step 3

Once you've become comfortable with these buttons, let's just add a few Layers for fun. Click that Add layer button to get a Add Layer dialog box to pop up. As you can see, you simply assign a name to your new layer and then tell Inkscape where it should position it. The position is relative to your currently selected layer.

A sublayer is just a layer positioned within another layer which can then be grouped and treated as a single layer if desired.

2. Designing on Layers

Step 1

To actually use and draw on layers, select a layer from the Layers window to activate it. From this point, simply begin designing on the canvas. Everything you draw will stay on that selected layer unless you either select an object from another layer, or you activate a different layer from the menu.

Step 2

You might have noticed a couple of icons next to each layer. The eye icon can be clicked to either hide or display that layer. As you can see below, I have my Green Apples layer hidden.

That next icon is locking or unlocking that layer. Below, I have my Pears layer locked, so that means I can no longer select or edit anything on that layer.

Step 3

As far as adjusting any sort of depth at this point, you must use the layer positioning. For example, I wanted my pears on top of everything, so I'll have to click the Raise layer one level button.

3. Blend Modes

Blends modes are pretty fun. Let's create a new layer and put it in first position. Draw some sort of shape over your main design as this will be the shape we use for the blend modes. On the Layers window, you'll see that Blend mode drop-down menu which, as you can see, is set to Normal here.

I'll show you what this exact same design looks with the other four different blend modes.

Multiply

This one takes the blend layer color and multiplies it by color in the layer below it. Then, it divides them by 255 which always results in a darker color.

Screen

While Multiply always results in a darker color, Screen is the exact opposite. You'll always have a lighter blend when you use Screen.

Darken

This one simply takes the base and blend colors to produce a darker image.

Lighten

Again, this is the opposite of Darken. Lighten will compare the base and blend colors and produce a lighter image as a result.

4. A Fun Design

Step 1

Messing around with the blend modes, I came up with a pretty funny idea... retro 3D glasses! Thankfully, I had an old design of some sunglasses laying around, so I just changed the lens colors to the famous red and blue. As you can see below, I have these glasses on my Blend Shape layer with a Blend mode of Multiply.

Step 2

Then I simply moved my glasses over a subject and there we go! That crazy retro 3D glasses effect. Also note that I made anything I didn't want blended solid black, just because multiplying black is just more black and won't show up.