Getting Started with Blend Modes 4 Flash
Using the UltimateBlendModeShader SWC with CS4
If you have Flash CS4 installed a SWC can be referenced from your FLA. Go to File > Publish settings > Flash > Settings Then choose the tab 'Library path' and click the plus icon and select the UltimateBlendModeShader.swc file.
Applying custom blend modes with Actionscript to DisplayObjects
Once the UltimateBlendModeShader.swc is referenced in your FLA or your Flex Project you may apply custom blend modes in the following manners.
1) Using Static references to custom blend modes
import flash.display.BlendModeShader;
myDisplayObject.blendShader = BlendModeShader.SOFTLIGHT;
2) Using constructed instances of custom blend modes
import flash.display.BlendModeShader;
import flash.display.shaders.*;
myDisplayObject.blendShader = new BlendModeSoftlight();
3) Altering custom blend modes via multiplying and undoing
import flash.display.BlendModeShader;
import flash.display.shaders.*;
var customBlendMode: BlendModeSoftlight = new BlendModeSoftlight();
customBlendMode.multiply = 2; //exaggerates the blendmode effect by double
customBlendMode.alpha = 0.5; // reverts the blendmode effect 50% back to the source blending layer
myDisplayObject.blendShader = customBlendMode;
Altering custom blend modes with Actionscript
Custom blend modes have 2 parameters which you can tweak to get a desired result. These parameters are alpha and multiply.
The alpha parameter
The alpha parameter undoes the blend shader to the source image where 0 is undone and 1 is the custom blend shader completely applied.
The multiply parameter
The multiply parameter exaggerates the blend shader effect. This can be thought of as similar to a process you may consider doing via applying the same custom blend shader onto duplicates of the same DisplayObject.
Is it possible to use your custom blend modes for Flash CS3?
I was reading through BlendModeExclusion? pbk and I am lost :( This site http://www.nathanm.com/photoshop-blending-math/ said that exclusion formula is as simple as Exclusion (A, B) = (A + B - 2 · A · B / 255) and I can't really understand what you are doing there...
waaaait... http://dunnbypaul.net/blends/ that the above link refers to puts this as R = ½ - 2×(Base-½)×(Blend-½) which does resemble your formula, and if you open that up you have the above simpler expression :)
Hi there,
Im having trouble getting this swc to work with cs5. will it work or is there a different process to get it working?
So far I have loaded the zipped folder containing library.swf and catalog.xml into the Components folder, and the UltimateBlendModeShader?.swc in the same place. I have added the .swc to the Library path of my flash project, and imported the library.swf to my library. I added the code above to try to apply a shader to an mc, and I recieve 'Warning: unable to load SWC UltimateBlendModeShader?.swc'
Is this the correct process?
thanks, ak
Hi Guys!
I am having the same issue as Akier. I only had a .zip. And inside an .xml and a.swf.
Thanks in advance for your time! Krs