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            Blending options are used to make layers blend better with other layers and to add some cool effects to text and pictures. Below is a screenshot of the blending options menu.

        The drop shadow is used to put a shadow behind the image in the background. It is mainly used for text and can look really good when used on a lighter background.

       The inner shadow is used to put a shadow on the inside of text or a picture and isn’t all that useful. It may how help you to get a certain type of text effect that other options won’t give you.

       The outer glow is arguably the most useful blending option. It is used to put a glow of any color around a picture or text. It is widely used on both, A cool effect using the outer glow is to make the background the same color as the text (black is best) So you can’t see the text and then add an outer glow color to the text layer.

       The inner glow does the exact same effect as the outer glow only on the inside of an image or text. I personally don’t use it a lot and it isn’t that useful for many things but it can make some images look a little more finished off.

       The emboss option is very useful for making custom text. It can either make text look cool or make it look 3-D. When used in conjunction with other filters it can make an awesome effect. Especially when used with the outer shadow on a light background.

     The color overlay is most likely the easiest option to master. Just choose a color and it will fill it with that color.  You can also change the opacity if you are looking to do that.

       The gradient overlay is used 95% of the time on text because of the gradient tool being used on everything else. It has more control and more options than the gradient tool also and it appears to be designed for use on text.

       The pattern overlay option is used mainly to add some texture to text. It is probably one of the least useful tools. Although on special occasions you may end up using it.

       The stroke option is somewhat under estimated. It can be used by itself to create some nice text effects but it is mainly used to add a boarder around an image or layer, many signature artists use it to finish off a signature.