Merge Modes

The “Layered Fractal” lets you add base fractals to its layer list. Then the images of those fractals are put on top of each other and the resulting image will be drawn.

Let’s have a more close look at this process of putting layers on top of ech other: When a pixel in the Layered Fractal gets calculated, ChaosPro starts with the pixel of the bottom layer and takes its color information. After that it advances to the next layer (the layer above that) and extracts the color from that. Then the colors are merged using the merge mode and the factor in order to form the resulting color. Again, ChaosPro advances to the next layer, extracts its color and merges this color from the resulting color from the previous layers. This process continues upto the first (the topmost) layer in the layer list.

So as you can see, the merging has two main settings: The merge mode, which lets you specify how the layers will be merged, and the factor which lets you specify how strong the merge mode should be applied.

Let me describe the available merge modes. The term base color is used for the color, which is the result from merging of all the layers below the current layer. The color of the current layer (which should be merged) is called the merge color.

  • Normal: The resulting color is a mix between the base color and the merge color. Factor defines the exact mix: 0 means base color, 100 means merge color. By increasing Factor from 0 to 100 you get a smooth color range from base color to merge color. In other words: It lets you lay over one layer where the underlying layers “shine through”.
  • Multiply: Multiplicates base and merge color on rgb basis. This means as soon as one component is 0, the resulting component will be 0, too. This darkens the image.
  • Screen: Lightens the image by multiplying the inverse colors: This lightens the image.
  • Overlay: Multiplicates  or screens  the base and merge color on rgb bases: If the base color component is less than 128, it screens, otherwise it multiplies.
  • Soft light: This mode takes the base color as basis and darkens or lightens it according to the blend color. The resulting image looks like the base image with darker and lighter regions according to the blend image.
  • Hard light: Multiplicates  or screens  the base and merge color on rgb bases (similar to Overlay): But the logic is invers.
  • Darken: Darkens the base image according to the merge image (by taking the smaller rgb color component).
  • Lighten: Lightens the base image according to the merge image (by taking the bigger rgb color component).
  • Difference: Returns the difference between the base color and the merge color (on rgb basis).
  • Hue: Replaces the hue of the base color with the hue of the merge color.
  • Saturation: Replaces the saturation of the base color with the saturation of the merge color.
  • Color: Replaces the hue and saturation of the base color with the hue and saturation of the merge color.
  • Luminance: Replaces the luminance of the base color with the luminance of the merge color.
  • Addition: Adds the base and merge color on rgb basis.
  • Subtraction: Subtracts the merge color from the base color on rgb basis.
  • HSL-Addition: Adds base and merge color on hsl basis.
  • Red: Replaces the red component of the base color with the red component of the merge color.
  • Green: Replaces the green component of the base color with the green component of the merge color.
  • Blue: Replaces the blue component of the base color with the blue component of the merge color.

Factor

The result of merging the base color the merge color is a new color. Factor now interpolates between this new color and the base color (the original color before merging took place) and the result from this interpolation is the final color.

So if you set Factor to 100%, then the color resulting from the merge operation is taken. If you set Factor to 0%, then the merge mode is irrelevant, as always the base color is taken. So Factor lets you define the intensity of the merge mode. Well, one (very important) thing is left to mention: The factor is a general multiplier for the resulting alpha value. So to be more exact, the resulting alpha value is multiplied with “factor”, the result is anywhere between 0 and 1. Then the base color and the merge color are interpolated using that result.

Merge Modes