Thanx for all the tips and ideas from you guys. I finished my image and you can see it in the gallery full size: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=819077&Start=1&Sectionid=0&filter_genre_id=0&WhatsNew=Yes I used several of the suggestions you gave me. And ICM, I finally figured out why I was having such a bugger of a time with the blending modes. I was looking at the effect you did with the desaturation and the lowered opacity and thinking that was the blending effect when all along it was the soft red edge and the gray line. Somehow I didn't connect that. Today, it finally clicked in my mind. Can you say "layer blending for dummies"?!