74 DIGITAL CAMERA^ APRIL 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
Get creative with
the Filter Gallery
Master the control centre for a variety of
colourful looks and eye-catching patterns
Selective filtering
One way to make your filter effects
stand out from the crowd is to apply
different effects to different areas
of the image. This is easily done
by using layers and masks. After
converting a layer to a Smart Object
(see opposite) and applying a filter,
you’ll see a Smart Filter mask
thumbnail appear in the layer. You
can highlight this mask and paint
with black to hide the effect over
parts of the image. What’s more,
you could also duplicate the layer
and change the filter settings, then
select part of the image (try Select
> Subject) and add a Layer Mask
to make the filter work selectively.James
Paterson
With over a decade as a
writer and photographer
behind him, James knows
exactly which Photoshop
and Lightroom tools and
techniques matter most.he Filter Gallery is a creative hub for an
abundance of effects in Photoshop. If
you’re looking for a different look or
a fun treatment, you’ll find plenty
of vibrant options here that let you
take your image in all kinds of interesting directions.
Broadly speaking, these are creative effects filters
rather than the more pragmatic filters found in the Blur
Gallery or the Liquify Filter. They can be used, for
example, to give your image a pencil sketch look,
a painterly finish or a pattern-like texture.
However, its versatility can also be a negative. All the
filters in the Filter Gallery work by altering pixels using
universal algorithms, so the effect isn’t tailored towards
the content of the image, but rather the make-up of the
pixel values. As such, a filter effect, while fun, can
sometimes seem tacky or generic. One way you can
combat this is by combining several filters into one,
as I’ve done here by using the Cutout, Texturizer
and Diffuse Glow filters in combination.
Your image needs to be in 8-bit format before
you open it in the Filter Gallery so, if necessary,
go to Image > Mode> 8-Bit to alter the bit-depth.T
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