CREATIVE EFFECTS
Use filters to add creative effects
Learn how to apply different artistic filters to your photographs,
and modify and combine them to produce unique looks
Apply filters in a couple of clicks using the Expert editor’s Effects panel
How to apply Filter effects
01 EFFECTS
If you want to quickly apply preset
filters to an image without tinkering
with the Filter Gallery settings, click
the fx icon in the Expert editing mode,
then click the Filters tab at the top to
see preview thumbnails.
03 IDENTIFY FILTERS
Each thumbnail gives you a preview
of the effect produced by each filter.
Move the cursor over a thumbnail to
read the filter’s name. Turn on Tool
Tips in the Preferences menu if the
labels don’t appear.
02 SHOW ALL
Filters in Photoshop Elements are
grouped in categories such as Stylize
and Texture. You can display every
filter by choosing Show All. They are
then listed alphabetically, kicking off
with Accented Edges at the top left.
04 APPLY MULTIPLE
FILTERS
Double click a preview thumbnail to
apply a particular filter to the image.
In this example we applied the
Watercolor filter to start with. We
then double clicked Cutout to stylise
the image even more.
05 MAKING PROGRESS
Some filters take longer to apply than
others because they have more work to
do. Occasionally, you’ll see a progress
bar appear while a more complex filter
works its magic.
06 SCROLL
Drag the scroll bar on the right to
explore all the filter thumbnails in this
collection. These fabulous creative
filters are also accessible in the Filter
Gallery, which we examine in detail on
the following page.
F
or the majority of this book we’ve
looked at how to use Photoshop
Elements to enhance the colours
and tones of photos, enabling you
to produce natural colours and a healthy range
of tones that feature detail in the shadows,
midtones and highlights. Our earlier chapters
focused on overcoming common problems
such as colour casts, incorrect exposure
settings and poor composition. In this chapter
we’ll have a bit more fun by applying a host of
creative effects to our photos. Thanks to
Photoshop Elements’ filters you can stylise
the colours and tones of a photograph to
produce a wide range of creative looks, from
pencil sketches to oil paintings. To help you
find suitable creative effects, the Filter menu
groups filters in folders such as Artistic and
Brush Strokes. In Elements 14, when you
select a filter it’s applied directly to the image,
but you can also open the Filter Gallery
window via the Filter menu to get handy
previews of how the filtered image will look,
as well as a host of editable attributes that
will change the results. Here we’ll introduce
you to the key features of the Filter Gallery, as
well as show you other ways to apply filters.
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GET THE START FILES HERE: http://bit.ly/type-files