Fixed my layer blending issue with a simple layer order trick

I kept having my highlights get muddy when I painted over dark backgrounds in Procreate. After 3 months of frustration, I tried putting a multiply layer between my base color and my highlights instead of on top. It finally kept the bright colors clean and vibrant. Has anyone else found a weird layer stacking order that fixed their workflow?

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dakota4794h ago

Oh man, I've been exactly where you are! I spent like 6 months fighting with muddy shadows in my digital paintings before I found a fix that worked for me. I started using a color dodge layer set to low opacity behind my main highlights, and it gave me this soft glow that never turned into mud. Your multiply trick between layers is solid though, I might steal that for my next piece. Honestly, messing with layer order feels like magic sometimes, like finding the right puzzle piece you didn't know was missing.