I’m a bargain hunter. I like everything to go the extra mile, have an extra function, get me more bang for my buck. I think it comes from having six kids and being in survival mode most of my life. It is therefore no wonder that I am always looking to stretch my digital supplies. Heck, I digital scrapbook because I’m a bargain hunter! I love being able to use a paper more than once. More than twice.

It’s also why I love Photoshop. Not only does it let me create pages I can share all over the internet, or print out a bazillion times, or add to 10 different photobooks, but it also lets me alter digital supplies quickly & easily giving me a whole new look in seconds. One of my favorite ways to do this is with blend modes.

For today’s Quick Tip I’m using ADB Designs Fur Trade Frontier Collection. I grabbed one of her cardstocks & one of her borders and spent 10 seconds playing with blend modes. Before I show my work, let’s break down blend modes. I grabbed a great graphic from Alien Skin Software:

The six blend mode groups broken down

I picked one blend mode from each group to showcase the difference on my paper & border duo with just a simple, one-click, change.

“Normal” blend mode: aka no blend mode

I change blend modes by clicking on the tiny dropdown arrow next to “Normal“

I like the Linear Burn blend mode best for my paper/border duo

I like the light effect Screen gives in the Lighten blend mode group

I really love the turquoise blue that shows up in Linear Light blend mode

I’m not a fan of anything in the Exclusion blend mode group

Most of the Component blend mode had almost no effect. Luminosity is my best choice here.

It helps to know that each of the blend modes falls into a group and that all blend modes in a group have a similar effect on our layer. Try out each blend mode. You have even more control over your final result by changing the Opacity. Give it a try!

To really whoop it up, duplicate your border layer & apply a different blend mode on each. You can get some amazing results with multiple blend modes on multiple layers. Using blend modes is a fantabulous way to extend your stash and get even more out of your digital scrapbooking supplies.

I played a little longer with Fur Trade Frontier Collection and created a free little sampler of bordered papers for you today. Simply click to access the free download: