Legacy GM Blending Mode Combinations Comparison

MilesThatch

Member
GM Version: GM Studio
Target Platform: COMPARISON DEMO
Download: Easy Comparison Demo for Blending Modes
Links:NA


Summary:
I have found myself in need of using some advanced Blending Modes and I have had a bit of trouble understanding how they function. Especially the advanced usage of function:
draw_set_blend_mode_ext();

The game maker Help File is a miracle document but unfortunately it's comparison of different blending modes was a tad rushed and did not demonstrate the full potential of blending modes (Especially when looking at Alpha Channels which is why I ventured into this topic this deep). In order to make it easier to understand how different combinations of blending modes work with each other (including alpha channel data) I've made a simple app where you can cycle through first and second blending modes of the extended draw_set_blend function and see how different blending mode combinations react with each other.
 

chance

predictably random
Forum Staff
Moderator
This isn't really a tutorial, but rather an illustration or demo of the different blend mode options (as you said). Nevertheless, it might be helpful for some people.

The most important thing is that you print the actual GML syntax that creates the effect being shown. So users can select a particular source mode with Q, and then cycle through the various destination modes with E. So it's a nice illustration. And being able to create a color chart with a mouse-click than can be moved (so various colors lie behind the sprite) adds to the illustration.

The only part I found not helpful was the animation of the sprite. To me, that's a distraction. So I just set image_speed to zero (in obj_sample create event).
 

MilesThatch

Member
Ah gotcha. There was a fella on youtube who tried to do a comparison and he used a smoother animated sprite, only issue is that fact that it was also a grid-like comparison chart and it still made users dive into the code to change the blending modes for testing. Good point on animation though. Reason I used it is that on some blending modes, you can see some funky alpha mask cropping going on.
 
A

Aura

Guest
Here's the tool that @gnysek was talking about:

http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=636009

Although I see that you have put decent effort into writing this, I'd have to say that the tool I linked to above is a lot better than this one due to the options and circumstances that have been provided. But that's just because it was made by an expert in the field and purely for the purpose of teaching; while yours was made when you were learning blend modes yourself. But nice effort anyway.
 
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