Adobe 29180155 - Photoshop Elements 4.0 Tutorial page 263

You can reapply the previous filter. The last filter you applied appears at the top of the Filter menu. You can reapply it with the
same settings you last used to further enhance the image.
Tips for creating visual effects with filters
Use the following techniques to achieve special visual results with filters:
Feature the filter edges. If you're applying a filter to a selected area, you can soften the edges of the filter effect by feathering
the selection before you apply the filter.
Apply filters in succession to build up effects. You can apply filters to individual layers or to several layers in succession to
build up an effect. Choosing different blending modes in the Layers panel blends the effect. For a filter to affect a layer, the
layer must be visible and must contain pixels.
Create textures and backgrounds. By applying filters to solid-color or grayscale images, you can generate a variety of
backgrounds and textures. You can then blur these textures. Although some filters (for example, the Glass filter) have little or
no visible effect when applied to solid colors, others produce interesting effects. For such colors, you can use Add Noise, Chalk
& Charcoal, Clouds, Conté Crayon, Difference Clouds, Glass, Graphic Pen, Halftone Pattern, Mezzotint, Note Paper,
Pointillize, Reticulation, Rough Pastels, Sponge, or Underpainting. You can also use any of the filters in the Texture submenu.
Improve image quality and consistency. You can disguise faults, alter or enhance images, or make a series of images look
similar by applying the same filter to each.
Apply a filter
1. Choose the area you want to apply the filter to:
To apply a filter to an entire layer, deselect any selected areas, and then select the layer in the Layers panel.
To apply a filter to a portion of a layer, use any selection tool to select an area.
2. Choose how to apply the filter:
To use the Filter gallery, choose Filter > Filter Gallery, select a category, and click the filter you want to apply.
To use the Effects panel, choose Window > Effects, select a category, and double-click the filter you want to apply. You
can also drag a filter to the image.
To use the Filter menu, choose Filter, then choose a submenu followed by the filter you want to apply. If a filter name is
followed by ellipses (...), a Filter Options dialog box appears.
3. If a dialog box appears, enter values or select options.
4. If available, select the Preview option to preview the filter in the document window. Depending on the filter and how you are
applying it, use one of the following methods to preview the filter:
Use the + button or - button under the preview window to zoom in or zoom out.
Click the zoom bar (where the zoom percentage appears) to choose a zoom percentage.
Click-drag within the preview window to center a specific area of the image in the window.
Click the Show/Hide button
preview area.
Click the eye icon
5. If the dialog box contains sliders, hold down Alt (Option in Mac OS) while dragging a slider to see a real-time preview (real-
time rendering).
6. Click in the image window to center a specific area of the image in the preview window. (This may not work with all preview
windows.)
Note: A blinking line beneath the preview size indicates that the preview is being rendered.
7. If you are using the Filter Gallery, or the filter opens in the Filter Gallery, do any of the following and click OK:
Click the New Effect Layer button
multiple effect layers to apply multiple filters.
Rearrange applied filters by dragging a filter name to another position in the list of applied filters at the bottom of the
dialog box. Rearranging the order of filters can dramatically change the way your image looks.
Remove applied filters by selecting the filter and clicking the Delete Effect Layer button
8. If you are using a Filter command or the Effects panel, do one of the following and click OK:
Double-click the filter.
Drag the filter onto the image.
at the top of the dialog box to hide the filter thumbnails. Hiding the thumbnails expands the
next to a filter to hide the effect in the preview image.
at the bottom of the dialog box and choose an additional filter to apply. You can add
.
To the top