Photoshop screenshot, 100% opacity, 100% fill
In my discussion on the color burn/dodge and linear burn/dodge blending modes, I showed how those modes exhibited different behavior based on whether the regular opacity or fill opacity was reduced. That oddity, however, is not the primary purpose of the fill opacity slider. Why have two opacity sliders in the first place?
Photoshop screenshot, 30% opacity, 100% fill
For this demo, the background is the (by-now-familiar) grey background. I created a new, transparent layer above the background, selected an area (the flower) and filled it with magenta. Then I applied a layer style (outer glow in yellow) to the flower. When I reduce the opacity slider to 30%, both the flower and the background fade away equally.
Photoshop screenshot, 100% opacity, 10% fill
In the next image, I have restored the regular opacity to 100%, but reduced the fill opacity to 10%. Notice how the layer style (yellow glow) is vibrant, even though the magenta pixels have almost disappeared. Think of the magenta area as containing "filled" pixels, and the meaning of "fill opacity" makes more sense. The fill opacity slider really comes into service in combination with knockouts and other advanced blending options, which you can explore through the Layer->Layer Style menu.
Into Practice
Combining text, layer styles and fill opacity
A layer style gets applied to a layer with some transparency; I use layer styles often in combination with text. For this example, I took an abstract image of two 1950s Chevies and layered some white text on top. Then I used the Layer Styles to add an embossed effect. I reduced the fill opacity to 30% and changed the blending mode to Screen. I might use this concept as a starting point for a poster or a web site for a classic car show or body shop.
Learning the keyboard shortcuts for both opacity sliders is a real timesaver, but there's a trick. The same shortcuts will also adjust opacity for any painting tool (Brush, Gradient, Stamp, etc.) so activate a non-painting tool, like Move or Marquee first (choose one and make it a habit).
- Opacity: With the target layer active, type V (for Move tool), then 0-9 to adjust the opacity in 10% increments.
- Fill Opacity: With the target layer active, V (for Move tool), then Shift 0-9 to adjust the opacity in 10% increments.
You can download the file to test out regular and fill opacity. I started a new thread in the Team-PS Flickr pool on these blending modes. I have also put the examples in the pool for side-by-side comparisons. I'd love to see any examples you come up with.
Comments (1)
I was just wondering what fill did yesterday. I hadn't noticed it in 7 years of using Photoshop. Thanks for the explanation. I have a million uses for it.
Posted by Brad Kovach | March 28, 2008 6:18 PM
Posted on March 28, 2008 18:18