pixijs-blend-modes
Use this skill when compositing display objects with blend modes in PixiJS v8. Covers standard modes (normal, add, multiply, screen, erase, min, max), advanced modes via pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes (color-burn, overlay, hard-light, etc.), batch-friendly ordering. Triggers on: blendMode, additive, multiply, screen, overlay, color-burn, color-dodge, advanced-blend-modes, glow, erase.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/pixijs/pixijs-skills --skill pixijs-blend-modes- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads pixijs-blend-modes automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Set container.blendMode to composite display objects with GPU blend equations (standard modes) or filter-based advanced modes. Blend-mode transitions break render batches, so group like-mode siblings together.
Quick Start
const light = new Sprite(await Assets.load("light.png"));
light.blendMode = "add";
app.stage.addChild(light);
const shadow = new Sprite(await Assets.load("shadow.png"));
shadow.blendMode = "multiply";
app.stage.addChild(shadow);
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
const overlay = new Sprite(await Assets.load("overlay.png"));
overlay.blendMode = "color-burn";
app.stage.addChild(overlay);
Related skills: pixijs-filters (advanced modes use the filter pipeline), pixijs-performance (batching with blend modes), pixijs-color (color manipulation).
Core Patterns
Standard blend modes
Standard modes are built in and use GPU blend equations directly:
import { Sprite } from "pixi.js";
sprite.blendMode = "normal"; // standard alpha compositing (effective default at root)
sprite.blendMode = "add"; // additive (lighten, glow effects)
sprite.blendMode = "multiply"; // multiply (darken, shadow effects)
sprite.blendMode = "screen"; // screen (lighten, dodge effects)
sprite.blendMode = "erase"; // erase pixels from render target
sprite.blendMode = "none"; // no blending, overwrites destination
sprite.blendMode = "inherit"; // inherit from parent (this is the actual default value)
sprite.blendMode = "min"; // keeps minimum of source and destination (WebGL2+ only)
sprite.blendMode = "max"; // keeps maximum of source and destination (WebGL2+ only)
These are hardware-accelerated and cheap. They do not require filters.
Advanced blend modes
Advanced modes require an explicit import to register the extensions. On the WebGL renderer they also require useBackBuffer: true at init time, or PixiJS logs a warning and the blend silently falls back:
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
import { Application, Sprite, Assets } from "pixi.js";
const app = new Application();
await app.init({ useBackBuffer: true }); // required for advanced modes on WebGL
const texture = await Assets.load("overlay.png");
const overlay = new Sprite(texture);
overlay.blendMode = "color-burn";
Available advanced modes:
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
color-burn | Darkens by increasing contrast |
color-dodge | Brightens by decreasing contrast |
darken | Keeps darker of two layers |
difference | Absolute difference |
divide | Divides bottom by top |
exclusion | Similar to difference, lower contrast |
hard-light | Multiply or screen based on top layer |
hard-mix | High contrast threshold blend |
lighten | Keeps lighter of two layers |
linear-burn | Adds and subtracts to darken |
linear-dodge | Adds layers together |
linear-light | Linear burn or dodge based on top layer |
luminosity | Luminosity of top, hue/saturation of bottom |
negation | Inverted difference |
overlay | Multiply or screen based on bottom layer |
pin-light | Replaces based on lightness comparison |
saturation | Saturation of top, hue/luminosity of bottom |
soft-light | Gentle overlay effect |
subtract | Subtracts top from bottom |
vivid-light | Color burn or dodge based on top layer |
color | Hue and saturation of top, luminosity of bottom |
You set advanced blend modes the same way as standard ones, via the blendMode property. They use filters internally, so they cost more than standard modes.
Batch-friendly ordering
Different blend modes break the rendering batch. Order objects to minimize transitions:
import { Container, Sprite } from "pixi.js";
const scene = new Container();
scene.addChild(screenSprite1); // 'screen'
scene.addChild(screenSprite2); // 'screen'
scene.addChild(normalSprite1); // 'normal'
scene.addChild(normalSprite2); // 'normal'
2 draw calls. Alternating order (screen, normal, screen, normal) would produce 4.
Common Mistakes
[HIGH] Not importing advanced-blend-modes extension
Wrong:
import { Sprite } from "pixi.js";
sprite.blendMode = "color-burn"; // silently falls back to normal
Correct:
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
import { Sprite } from "pixi.js";
sprite.blendMode = "color-burn";
Advanced blend modes (color-burn, overlay, etc.) require the extension import. Without it, only standard modes (normal, add, multiply, screen) are available. The invalid mode silently falls back.
[MEDIUM] Mixing blend modes across adjacent objects
Different blend modes break the render batch. screen / normal / screen / normal produces 4 draw calls, while screen / screen / normal / normal produces 2. Sort children so objects with the same blend mode are adjacent.
[HIGH] Using the v7 BLEND_MODES enum
Wrong:
import { BLEND_MODES } from "pixi.js";
sprite.blendMode = BLEND_MODES.ADD; // runtime error: BLEND_MODES is undefined
Correct:
sprite.blendMode = "add";
In v8, BLEND_MODES is a TypeScript type only (a union of string literals). There is no runtime enum export, so BLEND_MODES.ADD evaluates to accessing a property on undefined. Use the string form.
[HIGH] Advanced blend modes without useBackBuffer
Wrong:
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
await app.init({
/* no useBackBuffer */
});
sprite.blendMode = "color-burn"; // logs a warning, falls back
Correct:
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
await app.init({ useBackBuffer: true });
sprite.blendMode = "color-burn";
Advanced modes read from the back buffer. On WebGL, the blend silently falls back if the back buffer is not enabled. WebGPU enables the back buffer unconditionally.
[MEDIUM] Advanced blend modes clipped or scaled on high-DPI renderers
Advanced blend modes are filter-based and use Filter.defaultOptions, whose resolution defaults to 1. On a high-DPI render target the blended object can look clipped, scaled, or only partially applied.
Wrong:
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
sprite.blendMode = "overlay"; // renders at resolution 1, can clip on retina
Correct:
import { Filter } from "pixi.js";
import "pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes";
Filter.defaultOptions.resolution = "inherit"; // set before creating affected objects
sprite.blendMode = "overlay";
Setting Filter.defaultOptions.resolution = "inherit" makes advanced blend modes render at the render target's resolution. This costs more memory and runtime, so apply it where fidelity matters.
API Reference
FAQ
What does the pixijs-blend-modes skill do?
Use this skill when compositing display objects with blend modes in PixiJS v8. Covers standard modes (normal, add, multiply, screen, erase, min, max), advanced modes via pixi.js/advanced-blend-modes (color-burn, overlay, hard-light, etc.), batch-friendly ordering. Triggers on: blendMode, additive, multiply, screen, overlay, color-burn, color-dodge, advanced-blend-modes, glow, erase.
How do I install pixijs-blend-modes?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/pixijs/pixijs-skills --skill pixijs-blend-modes in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/pixijs-blend-modes/ (personal) or .claude/skills/pixijs-blend-modes/ (project).
Which AI agents can use pixijs-blend-modes?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is pixijs-blend-modes safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains pixijs-blend-modes?
It is published by pixijs in pixijs/pixijs-skills. It has 5,739 recorded installs.
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