# BlendState ### Introduction The BlendState property allows a GraphicalUiElement to blend with what is drawn before it. BlendStates can be used to control both color and alpha blending. Most games do not need to modify BlendState, and coverage of BlendStates is beyond the scope of this documentation. The Gum BlendStates type mimics the XNA (MonoGame) BlendState. For more information see on BlendState, see the MonoGame BlendState API reference: For examples of custom BlendStates, see this post: ### Example - BlendState for RenderTargets By default Gum objects render directly to the back buffer, so the alpha value of the back buffer does not matter. If you are rendering to a render target, then you may want to modify the blend state so that the object being renders adds to the alpha. The following code shows how to do this: ```csharp // Initialize // assuming MyColoredRectangle is a valid GraphicalUiElement MyColoredRectangle.BlendState = Gum.BlendState.NonPremultipliedAddAlpha; ``` --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.flatredball.com/gum/code/gum-code-reference/graphicaluielement/blendstate.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.