blend-modes
Image processing blend modes
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package is stable, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with minimal friction (NumPy only), and fills a genuine gap for programmatic image blending. Install it if you need to composite images with blend modes in Python; skip it if you only need basic image overlay without blend mode control.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Input images must be NumPy float arrays in RGBA format with shape (height, width, 4) and values in range 0.0–255.0; both images must have identical dimensions.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with only NumPy as a runtime dependency.
- Actively maintained with recent commits and a stable release history since 2016.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2024-10-16 (667 days) · last repo commit 2026-04-30 · 158 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 153,512 downloads/mo, #10,880 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install blend_modes
from blend_modes import soft_light
import numpy as np
# Assuming bg_img and fg_img are numpy float arrays with shape (height, width, 4)
blended = soft_light(bg_img, fg_img, opacity=0.7)- Whether Cython optimization mentioned in the description is available or planned as a separate package.
- Current Python version support (classifiers list 3.5 but requires_python is unspecified).
What it is and what it does
Blend Modes is a NumPy-based image compositing library that applies blend modes—the layer-blending algorithms used in graphics editors—to combine two images. It supports fourteen modes including soft light, dodge, multiply, overlay, and grain extract, each producing different visual effects by controlling how pixel values from a foreground layer mix with a background layer. You pass two same-sized NumPy arrays (in RGBA format with float values 0–255) and an opacity parameter; the function returns a blended array in the same format.
The package is designed for speed through NumPy vectorization and integrates easily with image-loading libraries like Pillow or OpenCV. It's useful when you need programmatic control over layer blending in image processing pipelines—tasks that would otherwise require calling external graphics software or reimplementing blend algorithms yourself.
Use it for
- Composite multiple image layers in batch image processing pipelines with control over blend mode and opacity.
- Apply Photoshop-style blend modes to images loaded via Pillow or OpenCV without leaving Python.
- Generate image effects (dodge, multiply, overlay) programmatically for graphics generation or photo editing tools.
- Blend watermarks, overlays, or annotations onto background images with precise blending control.
- Implement layer-based image editing in custom graphics applications.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package is stable, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with minimal friction (NumPy only), and fills a genuine gap for programmatic image blending. Install it if you need to composite images with blend modes in Python; skip it if you only need basic image overlay without blend mode control.
Install
blend-modes on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with only NumPy as a runtime dependency. Actively maintained with recent commits and a stable release history since 2016.
Input images must be NumPy float arrays in RGBA format with shape (height, width, 4) and values in range 0.0–255.0; both images must have identical dimensions.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install blend_modes
from blend_modes import soft_light
import numpy as np
# Assuming bg_img and fg_img are numpy float arrays with shape (height, width, 4)
blended = soft_light(bg_img, fg_img, opacity=0.7)Verify before relying
- Whether Cython optimization mentioned in the description is available or planned as a separate package.
- Current Python version support (classifiers list 3.5 but requires_python is unspecified).
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagenumpy |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 667 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 153,512 / month, #10,880 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.5Topic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: Graphics Conversion |
Evidence: blend_modes-2.2.0-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “soft light dodge multiply”
- blend-modesImplements blend modes (soft light, dodge, multiply, overlay, and…
- django-soft-deleteAdds soft deletion to Django models by marking records as deleted…
- nvidia-cutlass-dsl-libs-coreProvides a Python interface for writing high-performance CUDA kernels…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Graphics Conversion packages
Pillow adds image processing capabilities to Python, providing file format support, efficient pixel data handling, and image manipulation operations.
Install it if you need to work with images in Python—it is the de facto standard for this task.
fonttools manipulates font files in multiple formats (TrueType, OpenType, AFM, Type 1, Mac-specific) and includes TTX, a tool to convert fonts to and from XML text format.
Install it if you need to read, write, or manipulate fonts programmatically or via the TTX command-line tool.
WeasyPrint converts HTML and CSS into PDF documents using a Python-based rendering engine designed for pagination and document generation.
CairoSVG converts SVG files to PDF, EPS, PS, and PNG formats using the Cairo graphics library.
pillow-heif adds HEIF/HEIC image format support to Python, enabling decoding and encoding of 8, 10, and 12-bit HEIC files with metadata and depth image handling.
Rasterio reads and writes geospatial raster data in formats like GeoTIFF, providing a Python API based on N-D arrays for working with gridded datasets.
See also blendmodes · pilgram · loadimg · psd-tools · python-resize-image · qoi · pilkit · skia-pathops · pixeloe · opencv-python