Vivid Light combines Color Dodge and Color Burn around middle grey, increasing perceived contrast

Vivid Light combines Color Dodge and Color Burn, rescaled so that a neutral middle grey is the pivot: where the blend (top) layer is lighter than middle grey it dodges (lightens), and where darker it burns (darkens). A middle-grey blend layer leaves the base unchanged. Because the dodge/burn are steep (Color, not Linear), the net effect pushes the base layer’s white point down and black point up by twice the blend deviation, which increases perceived contrast. It is the high-contrast member of the dodge/burn combination family.

Examples

Vivid Light with a 50% grey blend layer: no change. With a light blend layer: base white point shifts down (highlights harden). With a dark blend layer: base black point shifts up (shadows deepen) — overall contrast rises.

Assessment

Predict what Vivid Light does to a base image when the blend layer is (a) middle grey, (b) light grey, (c) dark grey, and explain why the result is described as increasing contrast.