diff --git a/src/lib/internal.h b/src/lib/internal.h
index 639fb4b1a..2689af52a 100644
--- a/src/lib/internal.h
+++ b/src/lib/internal.h
@@ -678,26 +678,24 @@ void* bgra_to_rgba(const void* data, int rows, int rowstride, int cols);
 // them, we just don't fuck wit' 'em here. Do not pass me palette-indexed
 // channels! I will eat them.
 static inline unsigned
-channels_blend(unsigned c1, unsigned c2, unsigned* blends){
+channels_blend(uint32_t c1, uint32_t c2, unsigned* blends, unsigned* rsum,
+               unsigned* gsum, unsigned* bsum){
   if(channel_alpha(c2) == CELL_ALPHA_TRANSPARENT){
     return c1; // do *not* increment *blends
   }
-  unsigned rsum, gsum, bsum;
-  channel_rgb(c2, &rsum, &gsum, &bsum);
   bool c2default = channel_default_p(c2);
   if(*blends == 0){
     // don't just return c2, or you set wide status and all kinds of crap
     if(channel_default_p(c2)){
       channel_set_default(&c1);
     }else{
-      channel_set_rgb(&c1, rsum, gsum, bsum);
+      channel_rgb(c2, rsum, gsum, bsum);
     }
     channel_set_alpha(&c1, channel_alpha(c2));
   }else if(!c2default && !channel_default_p(c1)){
-    rsum = (channel_r(c1) * *blends + rsum) / (*blends + 1);
-    gsum = (channel_g(c1) * *blends + gsum) / (*blends + 1);
-    bsum = (channel_b(c1) * *blends + bsum) / (*blends + 1);
-    channel_set_rgb(&c1, rsum, gsum, bsum);
+    *rsum += channel_r(c2);
+    *gsum += channel_g(c2);
+    *bsum += channel_b(c2);
     channel_set_alpha(&c1, channel_alpha(c2));
   }
   ++*blends;
@@ -706,13 +704,17 @@ channels_blend(unsigned c1, unsigned c2, unsigned* blends){
 
 // do not pass palette-indexed channels!
 static inline uint64_t
-cell_blend_fchannel(cell* cl, unsigned channel, unsigned* blends){
-  return cell_set_fchannel(cl, channels_blend(cell_fchannel(cl), channel, blends));
+cell_blend_fchannel(cell* cl, unsigned channel, struct crender* cr){
+  return cell_set_fchannel(cl, channels_blend(cell_fchannel(cl), channel,
+                                              &cr->fgblends, &cr->frsum,
+                                              &cr->fgsum, &cr->fbsum));
 }
 
 static inline uint64_t
-cell_blend_bchannel(cell* cl, unsigned channel, unsigned* blends){
-  return cell_set_bchannel(cl, channels_blend(cell_bchannel(cl), channel, blends));
+cell_blend_bchannel(cell* cl, unsigned channel, struct crender* cr){
+  return cell_set_bchannel(cl, channels_blend(cell_bchannel(cl), channel,
+                                              &cr->bgblends, &cr->brsum,
+                                              &cr->bgsum, &cr->bbsum));
 }
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
diff --git a/src/lib/render.c b/src/lib/render.c
index 9bdf4a461..3251b6a5c 100644
--- a/src/lib/render.c
+++ b/src/lib/render.c
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ cellcmp_and_dupfar(const notcurses* nc, egcpool* dampool, cell* damcell,
                    const ncplane* srcplane, const cell* srccell){
   bool srcsimple = cell_simple_p(srccell);
   if(!srcsimple && !enforce_utf8(nc)){
+    // FIXME
   }
   if(damcell->attrword == srccell->attrword){
     if(damcell->channels == srccell->channels){
@@ -208,22 +209,38 @@ highcontrast(uint32_t bchannel){
   return conrgb;
 }
 
-// adjust an otherwise locked-in cell if highcontrast has been requested. this
-// should be done at the end of rendering the cell, so that contrast is solved
-// against the real background.
+// Finalize color of a cell. adjust an otherwise locked-in cell if highcontrast
+// has been requested, and divide down the blended color sums. this should be
+// done at the end of rendering the cell, so that contrast is solved against
+// the real background.
 static inline void
 lock_in_highcontrast(cell* targc, struct crender* crender){
   if(crender->highcontrast){
     // highcontrast weighs the original at 1/4 and the contrast at 3/4
     if(!cell_fg_default_p(targc)){
-      crender->fgblends = 3;
       uint32_t fchan = cell_fchannel(targc);
       uint32_t bchan = cell_bchannel(targc);
-      cell_set_fchannel(targc, channels_blend(highcontrast(bchan), fchan, &crender->fgblends));
+      // give highcontrast-adjusted color the influence of 3 planes
+      // FIXME this ought just be 2/3 or something, independent of plane #
+      for(int i = 0 ; i < 3 ; ++i){
+        cell_set_fchannel(targc, channels_blend(highcontrast(bchan), fchan,
+                                                &crender->fgblends, &crender->frsum,
+                                                &crender->fgsum, &crender->fbsum));
+      }
     }else{
       cell_set_fg(targc, highcontrast(cell_bchannel(targc)));
     }
   }
+  if(crender->fgblends){
+    cell_set_fg_rgb(targc, crender->frsum / crender->fgblends,
+                    crender->fgsum / crender->fgblends,
+                    crender->fbsum / crender->fgblends);
+  }
+  if(crender->bgblends){
+    cell_set_fg_rgb(targc, crender->frsum / crender->fgblends,
+                    crender->fgsum / crender->fgblends,
+                    crender->fbsum / crender->fgblends);
+  }
 }
 
 // Paints a single ncplane into the provided scratch framebuffer 'fb', and
@@ -314,7 +331,7 @@ paint(notcurses* nc, ncplane* p, cell* lastframe, struct crender* rvec,
           cell_set_bg_palindex(targc, cell_bg_palindex(vis));
         }
       }else if(cell_bg_alpha(targc) > CELL_ALPHA_OPAQUE){
-        cell_blend_bchannel(targc, cell_bchannel(vis), &crender->bgblends);
+        cell_blend_bchannel(targc, cell_bchannel(vis), crender);
       }
       // Evaluate the background first, in case this is HIGHCONTRAST fg text.
       if(cell_fg_palindex_p(vis)){
@@ -325,7 +342,7 @@ paint(notcurses* nc, ncplane* p, cell* lastframe, struct crender* rvec,
         if(cell_fg_alpha(vis) == CELL_ALPHA_HIGHCONTRAST){
           crender->highcontrast = true;
         }
-        cell_blend_fchannel(targc, cell_fchannel(vis), &crender->fgblends);
+        cell_blend_fchannel(targc, cell_fchannel(vis), crender);
         // crender->highcontrast can only be true if we just set it, since we're
         // about to set targc opaque based on crender->highcontrast (and this
         // entire stanza is conditional on targc not being CELL_ALPHA_OPAQUE).
diff --git a/tests/channel.cpp b/tests/channel.cpp
index ca3cca504..96c87ff82 100644
--- a/tests/channel.cpp
+++ b/tests/channel.cpp
@@ -69,19 +69,18 @@ TEST_CASE("ChannelSetDefault") {
 
 // blend of 0 ought set c1 to c2
 TEST_CASE("ChannelBlend0") {
+  struct crender cr{};
   uint32_t c1 = 0;
   uint32_t c2 = 0;
   channel_set_rgb(&c1, 0x80, 0x40, 0x20);
   channel_set_rgb(&c2, 0x88, 0x44, 0x22);
-  unsigned blends = 0;
-  uint32_t c = channels_blend(c1, c2, &blends);
+  uint32_t c = channels_blend(c1, c2, &cr.fgblends, &cr.frsum, &cr.fgsum, &cr.fbsum);
   CHECK(!channel_default_p(c));
   unsigned r, g, b;
-  channel_rgb(c, &r, &g, &b);
-  CHECK(0x88 == r);
-  CHECK(0x44 == g);
-  CHECK(0x22 == b);
-  CHECK(1 == blends);
+  CHECK(0x88 == cr.frsum);
+  CHECK(0x44 == cr.fgsum);
+  CHECK(0x22 == cr.fbsum);
+  CHECK(1 == cr.fgblends);
 }
 
 // blend of 1 ought perfectly average c1 and c2