What are Smart Filters?

Using Smart Filters we can apply one or more effects without changing the original pixels. We can later modify or even delete these effects.

Apply Smart Filter

The first thing you do to apply a smart filter is to create a layer with a smart object.
Just click the button “Filter” in the menu bar and select “Convert for Smart Filters.”

This opens a dialog box stating that the selected Photoshop layer is converted into a Smart Object.
We have nothing against something that is smart, so click the OK button.
This places a small icon at the bottom right of the layer icon, which we still know from the previous lesson.

Now that we have our layer with a Smart Object, when we apply a filter to this layer, it will be a smart filter.

As an example I will use the filter “Radial Blur” to the image. This will create a bit of a movement effect in the photo.

Just click the “Filter” button in the menu bar, select “Blur” in the drop-down menu and click the “Radial Blur”.

In the dialog that appears, choose the option “Zoom”, and I set the amount to 70.
Do not panic, as I mentioned previously, we can always change this.

I click the OK button.

This gives an effect of motion in our picture. Right?
As you notice in the picture below, this has a layer mask added to our smart filter (1). And as with each layer mask, we can edit it using the colors black, white and grayscale.

For this, first select the layer mask (1).
Then select the “brush” tool (2).
Apply color black (3) to the graphic that you do not want to apply the filter.
Remember, black hides, white shows.
In this example, I draw the girl with black, so it appears bright again.
When you compare the above wiith the below figure, do you notice that the girl plus the swing is made clear again through the layer mask.

As I told you earlier, we can always change the features of a smart filter.
Double-clicking on the name of the filter effect opens a dialog box where we can set preferences for the effect (4).
Double clicking on the “Blend Mode” (5) opens a dialog box where we not only change the blending mode for the filter to be initiated, but also the “Opacity”.

Featured Courses

• Downloading iPad Apps
• Lesson 1: Introduction to Publisher
• Lesson 65: File Formats