To change a layer's blend mode in Procreate, open the Layers panel (the double-rectangle icon at top right) and tap the letter on the right side of the layer. That letter is "N" for Normal by default. Tap the mode name in the menu that opens and scroll through the list, which previews each mode live on your layer. Tap anywhere outside the list to lock in your choice, and use the Opacity slider in the same menu to control its strength.

Step-by-step: changing a layer blend mode in Procreate

1. Open the Layers panel. Tap the double-rectangle icon in the top right of the interface.
2. Find the mode indicator. Each layer shows one or more letters on its right side. These tell you which blend mode is active. A new layer sits on Normal, shown as "N".
3. Tap the letter. This opens the Blend Modes menu, which has two parts: the current mode's name and an Opacity slider.
4. Tap the mode name. A scrolling list opens. As you scroll, each mode is applied to the layer in real time, so you can audition options without committing.
5. Close the list. Tap outside it when you like what you see. The mode stays applied.
6. Adjust opacity. Slide left to make the layer more transparent, right to make it more solid.

That is the entire mechanic. The skill is in knowing which mode to reach for, which is what the rest of this article covers.

A faster way to adjust opacity

Two-finger-tapping a layer brings up a narrow blue bar at the top of the canvas. Slide left on the canvas to reduce opacity and right to increase it. This changes only opacity, not the blend mode, but it saves a trip into the menu when you are balancing several layers.

One detail worth remembering: the opacity slider affects the whole layer and ignores any active selection. If you need to fade only part of a layer, use a selection-based approach or a mask-style workflow instead.

How opacity interacts with blend modes

In Normal mode, full opacity means solid pixels on your layer completely block whatever is beneath. In other modes, opacity often behaves less obviously. It can change color intensity or the depth of a darkening or lightening effect rather than simply making the layer see-through.

If a mode looks right in character but too heavy in strength, lower the opacity before switching modes. Many artists settle on Multiply or Overlay and then spend most of their time on the opacity slider.

Blend mode categories and what they do

Procreate offers 26 blend modes. Rather than memorizing them one by one, it helps to think in six groups: Normal, Darken, Lighten, Contrast, Difference, and Color.

Normal

The default. The top layer covers the one below, scaled by opacity. Most base layers, line art, and flat color live here.

Darken modes

These are for shadows, depth, and grit.

• Multiply: multiplies the base color by the blend color for a darker, more intense result. The handbook describes it as ideal for darkening images and creating shadows, and it is the usual choice for shading and paper textures.
• Darken: compares base and blend colors and keeps the darker one rather than mixing pixels. If both colors match, nothing changes.
• Color Burn: increases contrast between base and blend, giving more saturated mid-tones and reduced highlights. It usually lands darker than Multiply.
• Linear Burn: lowers the base brightness according to the blend value. It is darker than Multiply but less saturated than Color Burn.
• Darker Color: similar to Darken, but it evaluates a composite of all RGB channels instead of each one separately.

A note for anyone opening older files: since Procreate 5.4, projects that used the old Darken have been switched to a mode called Shade, so that Darken behaves more like it does in other art software. If a legacy file looks different than you remember, that is where to look.

Lighten modes

These are for glows, highlights, and light bloom.

• Lighten: keeps the lighter of the two colors.
• Screen: inverts and multiplies the colors, producing a lighter result. It is the standard choice for glows and light effects.
• Color Dodge: brightens the base to reflect the blend color.
• Add: adds the blend color to the base, lightening it.
• Lighter Color: like Lighten, but using a composite of all RGB channels.

Contrast modes

• Overlay: combines Multiply and Screen behavior, darkening dark areas and lightening light areas.
• Soft Light: a gentler version that subtly lightens or darkens depending on the blend color.

The group also includes harsher relatives such as Hard Light. These are good for punching up contrast and adding tonal drama without repainting.

Difference and Color groups

Difference modes compare the layers and invert or subtract values, which is useful for unusual effects and for checking alignment between two versions of an image. Color-group modes (such as Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity) transfer one component of the blend layer onto the base. They are the right tool for recoloring a painting without changing its values.

Practical combinations worth knowing

• Shadows: a new layer above your color, set to Multiply, painted with a desaturated cool tone.
• Glows and rim light: a layer set to Screen or Add with a soft brush in a warm color.
• Paper or grain texture: a texture layer above the illustration set to Multiply, with opacity lowered until the artwork feels embedded in the surface.
• Color grading pass: a flat color fill on a Color or Soft Light layer, tuned with opacity.
• Contrast lift: a duplicate of your flattened artwork on Overlay or Soft Light at reduced opacity.

Try modes on a duplicate layer or a dedicated adjustment layer. That keeps the original untouched and lets you toggle visibility to compare before and after.

Troubleshooting common problems

The mode does nothing. Blend modes react to what is underneath. A layer set to Multiply over an empty or white background may look unchanged, and a Screen layer over black behaves differently than over mid-gray. Check the layers below, and check that the layer you are editing is the one you tapped.

It looks different after grouping. Grouping layers changes what each layer blends against. If a clipped or grouped layer suddenly looks wrong, test the mode with the group set to Normal, then adjust.

The effect is too strong. Lower opacity first. If it still reads wrong, switch to a softer sibling, such as Soft Light instead of Hard Light, or Multiply instead of Linear Burn.

Colors shift between apps. Different software implements some modes with slightly different math, and Procreate's Darken-to-Shade change is one example of naming and behavior drift. When you move a file elsewhere, verify the result rather than assuming a one-to-one match.

Carrying Procreate blend modes into other software

Many motion designers and VFX artists use Procreate for concept frames, textures, mattes, and hand-drawn elements, then finish in compositing or video software. Blend mode names such as Multiply, Screen, Overlay, and Soft Light are familiar across many tools, but the controls live in different places in each app.

If you export a layered file from Procreate, check how each blend mode lands in the destination app before building on it. Because implementations differ, a quick visual comparison against a flattened export saves rework. When an exact match matters, flatten the layer or render it with the effect baked in.

Quick recap

• Tap the letter on the layer in the Layers panel to open the Blend Modes menu.
• Tap the mode name, scroll to preview, and tap outside to confirm.
• Use the Opacity slider, or a two-finger tap on the layer, to tune strength.
• Think in groups: Darken for shadows, Lighten for glows, Contrast for punch, Color for recoloring.
• Test on duplicate layers, and verify the look when moving files into other software.

To change a layer's blend mode in Procreate, open the Layers panel (the double-rectangle icon at top right) and tap the letter on the right side of the layer. That letter is "N" for Normal by default. Tap the mode name in the menu that opens and scroll through the list, which previews each mode live on your layer. Tap anywhere outside the list to lock in your choice, and use the Opacity slider in the same menu to control its strength.

Step-by-step: changing a layer blend mode in Procreate

1. Open the Layers panel. Tap the double-rectangle icon in the top right of the interface.
2. Find the mode indicator. Each layer shows one or more letters on its right side. These tell you which blend mode is active. A new layer sits on Normal, shown as "N".
3. Tap the letter. This opens the Blend Modes menu, which has two parts: the current mode's name and an Opacity slider.
4. Tap the mode name. A scrolling list opens. As you scroll, each mode is applied to the layer in real time, so you can audition options without committing.
5. Close the list. Tap outside it when you like what you see. The mode stays applied.
6. Adjust opacity. Slide left to make the layer more transparent, right to make it more solid.

That is the entire mechanic. The skill is in knowing which mode to reach for, which is what the rest of this article covers.

A faster way to adjust opacity

Two-finger-tapping a layer brings up a narrow blue bar at the top of the canvas. Slide left on the canvas to reduce opacity and right to increase it. This changes only opacity, not the blend mode, but it saves a trip into the menu when you are balancing several layers.

One detail worth remembering: the opacity slider affects the whole layer and ignores any active selection. If you need to fade only part of a layer, use a selection-based approach or a mask-style workflow instead.

How opacity interacts with blend modes

In Normal mode, full opacity means solid pixels on your layer completely block whatever is beneath. In other modes, opacity often behaves less obviously. It can change color intensity or the depth of a darkening or lightening effect rather than simply making the layer see-through.

If a mode looks right in character but too heavy in strength, lower the opacity before switching modes. Many artists settle on Multiply or Overlay and then spend most of their time on the opacity slider.

Blend mode categories and what they do

Procreate offers 26 blend modes. Rather than memorizing them one by one, it helps to think in six groups: Normal, Darken, Lighten, Contrast, Difference, and Color.

Normal

The default. The top layer covers the one below, scaled by opacity. Most base layers, line art, and flat color live here.

Darken modes

These are for shadows, depth, and grit.

• Multiply: multiplies the base color by the blend color for a darker, more intense result. The handbook describes it as ideal for darkening images and creating shadows, and it is the usual choice for shading and paper textures.
• Darken: compares base and blend colors and keeps the darker one rather than mixing pixels. If both colors match, nothing changes.
• Color Burn: increases contrast between base and blend, giving more saturated mid-tones and reduced highlights. It usually lands darker than Multiply.
• Linear Burn: lowers the base brightness according to the blend value. It is darker than Multiply but less saturated than Color Burn.
• Darker Color: similar to Darken, but it evaluates a composite of all RGB channels instead of each one separately.

A note for anyone opening older files: since Procreate 5.4, projects that used the old Darken have been switched to a mode called Shade, so that Darken behaves more like it does in other art software. If a legacy file looks different than you remember, that is where to look.

Lighten modes

These are for glows, highlights, and light bloom.

• Lighten: keeps the lighter of the two colors.
• Screen: inverts and multiplies the colors, producing a lighter result. It is the standard choice for glows and light effects.
• Color Dodge: brightens the base to reflect the blend color.
• Add: adds the blend color to the base, lightening it.
• Lighter Color: like Lighten, but using a composite of all RGB channels.

Contrast modes

• Overlay: combines Multiply and Screen behavior, darkening dark areas and lightening light areas.
• Soft Light: a gentler version that subtly lightens or darkens depending on the blend color.

The group also includes harsher relatives such as Hard Light. These are good for punching up contrast and adding tonal drama without repainting.

Difference and Color groups

Difference modes compare the layers and invert or subtract values, which is useful for unusual effects and for checking alignment between two versions of an image. Color-group modes (such as Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity) transfer one component of the blend layer onto the base. They are the right tool for recoloring a painting without changing its values.

Practical combinations worth knowing

• Shadows: a new layer above your color, set to Multiply, painted with a desaturated cool tone.
• Glows and rim light: a layer set to Screen or Add with a soft brush in a warm color.
• Paper or grain texture: a texture layer above the illustration set to Multiply, with opacity lowered until the artwork feels embedded in the surface.
• Color grading pass: a flat color fill on a Color or Soft Light layer, tuned with opacity.
• Contrast lift: a duplicate of your flattened artwork on Overlay or Soft Light at reduced opacity.

Try modes on a duplicate layer or a dedicated adjustment layer. That keeps the original untouched and lets you toggle visibility to compare before and after.

Troubleshooting common problems

The mode does nothing. Blend modes react to what is underneath. A layer set to Multiply over an empty or white background may look unchanged, and a Screen layer over black behaves differently than over mid-gray. Check the layers below, and check that the layer you are editing is the one you tapped.

It looks different after grouping. Grouping layers changes what each layer blends against. If a clipped or grouped layer suddenly looks wrong, test the mode with the group set to Normal, then adjust.

The effect is too strong. Lower opacity first. If it still reads wrong, switch to a softer sibling, such as Soft Light instead of Hard Light, or Multiply instead of Linear Burn.

Colors shift between apps. Different software implements some modes with slightly different math, and Procreate's Darken-to-Shade change is one example of naming and behavior drift. When you move a file elsewhere, verify the result rather than assuming a one-to-one match.

Carrying Procreate blend modes into other software

Many motion designers and VFX artists use Procreate for concept frames, textures, mattes, and hand-drawn elements, then finish in compositing or video software. Blend mode names such as Multiply, Screen, Overlay, and Soft Light are familiar across many tools, but the controls live in different places in each app.

If you export a layered file from Procreate, check how each blend mode lands in the destination app before building on it. Because implementations differ, a quick visual comparison against a flattened export saves rework. When an exact match matters, flatten the layer or render it with the effect baked in.

Quick recap

• Tap the letter on the layer in the Layers panel to open the Blend Modes menu.
• Tap the mode name, scroll to preview, and tap outside to confirm.
• Use the Opacity slider, or a two-finger tap on the layer, to tune strength.
• Think in groups: Darken for shadows, Lighten for glows, Contrast for punch, Color for recoloring.
• Test on duplicate layers, and verify the look when moving files into other software.