Merge two layers with transparent BG in Photoshop

Question

I have two layers in Photoshop. Layer one has Soft Light blend mode and 50 % opacity, and layer two has normal blend mode and 100% opacity.

When I merge these two layers, color of the picture on layer one changes.

Before

After

I added the background after the merge to see the result more clearly.

How can I merge these layers without any change in Photoshop?

Thank you

Answer 1

1. Rasterise the first layer which has 50% soft light
2. Convert it to smart object by selecting the layer>Right click>Convert to SmartObject
3. Do the same to the next layer
4. Select both layers and merge.

Hope this work for you.

Cheers