Note:

1. Best Free Photoshop Filters

• Adobe Photoshop is a superb tool to edit your pictures, so go on and take the best of it. If you’re looking for cool Photoshop guides to follow, this showcase was made specially for you.
• High Pass Filter in Photoshop Mark Wallace Best known for his web-based video series Digital Photography One on One and Exploring Photography sponsored by Adorama.

Complete information on using some filtersis available in other sections. Search Adobe Help for informationon the sharpening, blurring, Lens Correction, Lens Blur, NoiseReduction, Liquify, and Vanishing Point filters.

There are multiple filters in Adobe Photoshop that can sharpen your images. We are going to cover the three best image sharpening filters that produce the best results. First thing you should do is right click on your image layer in Photoshop and create a duplicate layer.

List of filters supporting 16-bit/channel and 32-bit/channel documents

The following filters support 16-bit/channel and 32-bit/channel documents:

• All Blur filters (except for Lens Blur and Smart Blur)
  
• All Distort filters
  
• The Noise > Add Noise filter
• All Pixelate filters
• All Render filters (except for Lighting Effects)
• All Sharpen filters (except for Sharpen Edges)
  
• The following filters under Filter > Stylize:
  • Diffuse
    
  • Emboss
  • Trace Contour
    
• All Video filters
• All filters under Filter > Other
  

Video Hiding sensitive information in images

Filtersfrom the Artistic submenu help you achieve painterly and artisticeffects for a fine arts or commercial project. For example, usethe Cutout filter for collages or typography. These filters replicatenatural or traditional media effects. All the Artistic filters canbe applied through the Filter Gallery.

Draws an image using colored pencils on a solid background. Edges are retained and given a rough crosshatch appearance; the solid background color shows through the smoother areas.

Note:

For a parchment effect, change the background color just before applying the Colored Pencil filter to a selected area.

Makes an image appear as though it were constructedfrom roughly cut pieces of colored paper. High-contrast images appearas if in silhouette, and colored images are built up from severallayers of colored paper.

Paints the edges of the image usinga dry brush technique (between oil and watercolor). The filter simplifiesan image by reducing its range of colors to areas of common color.

Applies an even pattern to the shadowtones and midtones. A smoother, more saturated pattern is addedto the lighter areas. This filter is useful for eliminating bandingin blends and visually unifying elements from various sources.

Paints an image in a coarse style using short,rounded, and hastily applied daubs.

Adds various types of glows to the objectsin an image. This filter is useful for colorizing an image whilesoftening its look. To select a glow color, click the glow box,and select a color from the Color Picker.

Lets you choose from various brushsizes (from 1 to 50) and types for a painterly effect. Brush typesinclude Simple, Light Rough, Dark Rough, Wide Sharp, Wide Blurry,and Sparkle.

Reducesdetail in an image to give the effect of a thinly painted canvasthat reveals the texture underneath.

Coatsthe image in shiny plastic, accentuating the surface detail.

Reducesthe number of colors in an image (posterizes it) according to theposterization option you set, and finds the edges of the image anddraws black lines on them. Large broad areas have simple shading,and fine dark detail is distributed throughout the image.

Appliesstrokes of pastel chalk on a textured background. In areas of brightcolor, the chalk appears thick with little texture; in darker areas, thechalk appears scraped off to reveal the texture.

Softensan image using short diagonal strokes to smudge or smear the darkerareas. Lighter areas become brighter and lose detail.

Creates imageswith highly textured areas of contrasting color, simulating theeffect of sponge painting.

Paintsthe image on a textured background, and then paints the final imageover it.

Paintsthe image in a watercolor style using a medium brush loaded withwater and color, simplifying details. Where significant tonal changesoccur at the edges, the filter saturates the color.

TheBlur filters soften a selection or an entire image, and are usefulfor retouching. They smooth transitions by averaging the pixelsnext to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas in an image.

Note:

To apply a Blur filter to the edges of a layer,deselect the Lock Transparent Pixel option in the Layers panel.

Findsthe average color of an image or selection, and then fills the imageor selection with the color to create a smooth look. For example,if you select an area of grass, the filter changes the area intoa homogeneous patch of green.

Eliminatenoise where significant color transitions occur in an image. Blurfilters smooth transitions by averaging the pixels next to the hard edgesof defined lines and shaded areas. The effect of the Blur More filteris three or four times stronger than that of the Blur filter.

Blurs animage based on the average color value of neighboring pixels. Thisfilter is useful for creating special effects. You can adjust thesize of the area used to calculate the average value for a givenpixel; a larger radius results in greater blurring.

Quickly blurs a selection by an adjustable amount. Gaussian refers to the bell-shaped curve that is generated when Photoshop applies a weighted average to the pixels. The Gaussian Blur filter adds low-frequency detail and can produce a hazy effect.

Note: When Gaussian Blur, Box Blur, Motion Blur, or Shape Blur are applied to a selected image area, they will sometimes produce visually unexpected results near the edges of the selection. This is because these blur filters will use image data from outside the selected area to create the new, blurred pixels inside the selected area. For example, if the selection represents a background area that you want to blur while keeping the foreground sharp, the edges of the blurred background area will be contaminated with colors from the foreground, producing a fuzzy, muddy-looking outline around the foreground. To avoid this effect in such cases, you can use Smart Blur or Lens Blur.

Adds blur to an image to give the effectof a narrower depth of field so that some objects in the image stayin focus and others areas are blurred. See Addlens blur.

Blursin the specified direction (from –360º to +360º) and at a specifiedintensity (from 1 to 999). The filter’s effect is analogous to takinga picture of a moving object with a fixed exposure time.

Simulatesthe blur of a zooming or rotating camera to produce a soft blur.Choose Spin to blur along concentric circular lines, and then specifya degree of rotation. Choose Zoom to blur along radial lines, asif zooming into or out of the image, and specify a value from 1to 100. Blur quality ranges from Draft (for fast but grainy results)or Good and Best for smoother results, which are indistinguishablefrom each other except on a large selection. Specify the originof the blur by dragging the pattern in the Blur Center box.

Usesthe specified kernel to create the blur. Choose a kernel from thelist of custom shape presets, and use the radius slider to adjustits size. You can load different shape libraries by clicking thetriangle and choosing from the list. Radius determines the sizeof the kernel; the larger the kernel, the greater the blur.

Blurs animage with precision. You can specify a radius, a threshold, anda blur quality. The Radius value determines the size of the areasearched for dissimilar pixels. The Threshold value determines howdissimilar the pixels must be before they are affected. You alsocan set a mode for the entire selection (Normal) or for the edgesof color transitions (Edge Only and Overlay Edge). Where significantcontrast occurs, Edge Only applies black-and-white edges, and OverlayEdge applies white.

Blursan image while preserving edges. This filter is useful for creatingspecial effects and for removing noise or graininess. The Radiusoption specifies the size of the area sampled for the blur. TheThreshold option controls how much the tonal values of neighboringpixels must diverge from the center pixel value before being partof the blur. Pixels with tonal value differences less than the Thresholdvalue are excluded from the blur.

Like the Artistic filters, the BrushStroke filters give a painterly or fine-arts look using differentbrush and ink stroke effects. Some of the filters add grain, paint, noise,edge detail, or texture. All the Brush Stroke filters can be appliedthrough the Filter Gallery.

Accentuatesthe edges of an image. When the edge brightness control is set toa high value, the accents resemble white chalk; when set to a low value,the accents resemble black ink.

Repaintsan image using diagonal strokes, with lighter and darker areas paintedin strokes going in opposite directions.

Preservesthe details and features of the original image while adding textureand roughening the edges of the colored areas with simulated pencilhatching. The Strength option (with values from 1 to 3) determinesthe number of hatching passes.

Best Free Photoshop Filters

Paintsdark areas with short, tight, dark strokes, and lighter areas withlong, white strokes.

Redrawsan image with fine narrow lines over the original details, in pen-and-inkstyle.

Replicatesthe effect of a spatter airbrush. Increasing the options simplifiesthe overall effect.

Repaintsan image, using its dominant colors, with angled, sprayed strokesof color.

Paints an imagein Japanese style, as if with a fully saturated brush applied torice paper. Sumi‑e creates soft, blurred edges with rich, inky blacks.

The Distort filters geometrically distortan image, creating 3D or other reshaping effects. Note that thesefilters can be very memory-intensive. The Diffuse Glow, Glass, andOcean Ripple filters can be applied through the Filter Gallery.

Rendersan image as though it were viewed through a soft diffusion filter.The filter adds see-through white noise, with the glow fading from thecenter of a selection.

Uses an image, called a displacementmap, to determine how to distort a selection. For example,using a parabola-shaped displacement map, you can create an imagethat appears to be printed on a cloth held up by its corners.

Makes an imageappear as if it were being viewed through different types of glass.You can choose a glass effect or create your own glass surface asa Photoshop file and apply it. You can adjust scaling, distortion,and smoothness settings. When using surface controls with a file,follow the instructions for the Displace filter.

Addsrandomly spaced ripples to the surface of the image so that it appearsto be underwater.

Squeezes a selection.A positive value up to 100% shifts a selection toward its center;a negative value up to – 100% shifts a selectionoutward.

Convertsa selection from its rectangular to polar coordinates, and viceversa, according to a selected option. You can use this filter to createa cylinder anamorphosis—an art form popular in the 18th century—in whichthe distorted image appears normal when viewed in a mirrored cylinder.

Creates anundulating pattern on a selection, like ripples on the surface ofa pond. For greater control, use the Wave filter. Optionsinclude the number and size of ripples.

Distorts animage along a curve. Specify the curve by dragging the line in thebox. You can adjust any point along the curve. Click Default tochange the curve back to a straight line. In addition, you choosehow to treat undistorted areas.

Gives objectsa 3D effect by wrapping a selection around a spherical shape, distortingthe image and stretching it to fit the selected curve.

Rotates a selectionmore sharply in the center than at the edges. Specifying an angleproduces a twirl pattern.

Works much asthe Ripple filter does, but with greater control. Options includethe number of wave generators, wavelength (distance from one wave crestto the next), height of the wave, and wave type: Sine(rolling), Triangle, or Square. The Randomize option applies randomvalues. You can also define undistorted areas.

Distorts aselection radially, depending on the radius of the pixels in yourselection. The Ridges option sets the number of directionreversals of the zigzag from the center of the selection to itsedge. You also specify how to displace the pixels: Pond Ripplesdisplaces pixels to the upper-left or lower right, Out From Centerdisplaces pixels toward or away from the center of the selection, andAround Center rotates pixels around the center.

TheNoise filters add or remove noise, or pixels with randomlydistributed color levels. This helps to blend a selection into thesurrounding pixels. Noise filters can create unusual textures orremove problem areas, such as dust and scratches.

Appliesrandom pixels to an image, simulating the effect of shooting pictureson high-speed film. You can also use the Add Noise filter to reduce bandingin feathered selections or graduated fills or to give a more realisticlook to heavily retouched areas. Options for noise distributioninclude Uniform and Gaussian. Uniform distributes color values ofnoise using random numbers between 0 and plus or minus the specifiedvalue, creating a subtle effect. Gaussian distributes color valuesof noise along a bell-shaped curve, creating a speckled effect.The Monochromatic option applies the filter to only the tonal elementsin the image without changing the colors.

Detectsthe edges in an image (areas where significant color changes occur)and blurs all of the selection except those edges. This blurring removesnoise while preserving detail.

Reduces noise by changing dissimilar pixels. To achieve a balance between sharpening the image and hiding defects, try various combinations of Radius and Threshold settings. Or apply the filter to selected areas in the image. See also Apply the Dust And Scratches filter.

Reduces noisein an image by blending the brightness of pixels within a selection.The filter searches the radius of a pixel selection forpixels of similar brightness, discarding pixels that differ toomuch from adjacent pixels, and replaces the center pixel with themedian brightness value of the searched pixels. This filter is usefulfor eliminating or reducing the effect of motion on an image.

Reduces noise while preserving edges based on user settings affectingthe overall image or individual channels. See Reduceimage noise and JPEG artifacts.

Thefilters in the Pixelate submenu sharply define a selection by clumpingpixels of similar color values in cells.

Simulates the effect of using an enlarged halftone screen on each channel of the image. For each channel, the filter divides the image into rectangles and replaces each rectangle with a circle. The circle size is proportional to the brightness of the rectangle. See Apply the Color Halftone filter.

Clumpspixels into a solid color in a polygon shape.

Clumps pixelsof solid or similar colors into blocks of like-colored pixels. Youcan use this filter to make a scanned image look hand-painted orto make a realistic image resemble an abstract painting.

Creates fourcopies of the pixels in the selection, averages them, and offsetsthem from each other.

Convertsan image to a random pattern of black-and-white areas or of fullysaturated colors in a color image. To use the filter, choose a dotpattern from the Type menu in the Mezzotint dialog box.

Clumps pixelsinto square blocks. The pixels in a given block are the same color,and the colors of the blocks represent the colors in the selection.

Breaksup the color in an image into randomly placed dots, as in a pointillistpainting, and uses the background color as a canvas area betweenthe dots.

TheRender filters create 3D shapes, cloud patterns, refraction patterns,and simulated light reflections in an image. You can also manipulateobjects in 3D space, create 3D objects (cubes, spheres, and cylinders),and create texture fills from grayscale files to produce 3D-likeeffects for lighting.

Generates asoft cloud pattern using random values that vary between the foregroundand the background colors. To generate a more stark cloud pattern,hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you chooseFilter > Render > Clouds. When you applythe Clouds filter, the image data on the active layer is replaced.

Usesrandomly generated values that vary between the foreground and backgroundcolor to produce a cloud pattern. The filter blends the cloud datawith the existing pixels in the same way the Difference mode blendscolors. The first time you choose this filter, portions of the imageare inverted in a cloud pattern. Applying the filter several timescreates rib and vein patterns that resemble a marble texture. Whenyou apply the Difference Clouds filter, the image data on the activelayer is replaced.

Creates the look of woven fibers using the foreground and background colors. You use the Variance slider to control how the colors vary (a low value produces long streaks of color, and a high value results in very short fibers with more varied distribution of color). The Strength slider controls how each fiber looks. A low setting produces a loose weave, and a high setting produces short, stringy fibers. Click the Randomize button to change how the pattern looks; you can click the button a number of times until you find a pattern you like. When you apply the Fibers filter, the image data on the active layer is replaced.

Note:

Try adding a gradient map adjustment layer to colorize the fibers.

Simulatesthe refraction caused by shining a bright light into a camera lens.Specify a location for the center of the flare by clicking anywhere insidethe image thumbnail or by dragging its cross hair.

Video Adding & Removing Lens Flare

Lets you produce myriad lighting effects on RGB images by varying 17 light styles, three light types, and four sets of light properties. You can also use textures from grayscale files (called bump maps) to produce 3D-like effects and save your own styles for use in other images. See Add Lighting Effects.

Note: Lighting Effects is unavailable in 64-bit versions of Mac OS.

TheSharpen filters focus blurred images by increasing the contrastof adjacent pixels.

Focus a selection and improve its clarity.The Sharpen More filter applies a stronger sharpening effect thandoes the Sharpen filter.

Find the areas in the image where significantcolor changes occur and sharpen them. The Sharpen Edges filter sharpens onlyedges while preserving the overall smoothness of the image. Usethis filter to sharpen edges without specifying an amount. For professionalcolor correction, use the Unsharp Mask filter to adjust the contrastof edge detail and produce a lighter and darker line on each sideof the edge. This process emphasizes the edge and creates the illusionof a sharper image.

Sharpens an image by letting you set the sharpening algorithm or control the amount of sharpening that occurs in shadows and highlights. This is the recommended way to sharpen if you don’t have a particular sharpening filter in mind. See Sharpen using Smart Sharpen.

In Photoshop CC, the enhanced Smart Sharpen filter empowers you to produce high-quality results through adaptive sharpening technology that minimizes noise and halo effects. The streamlined UI design for this filter offers optimized controls for targeted sharpening. Use the sliders for quick adjustments and advanced controls to fine-tune your results.

Smart sharpening in Photoshop CC supports CMYK. Additionally, you can sharpen arbitrary channels. For example, you can choose to sharpen just the blue channel, green channel, or the alpha channel.

Here is a recommended approach to sharpening images with Photoshop CC:

1. To begin, set Amount to a high value.
2. Increase the Radius to a value that introduces a halo effect.
3. Decrease the Radius until the halo effect disappers. You've arrived at the optimal value for Radius.
4. Now, decrease the Amount value as necessary.
5. Adjust the Reduce Noise slider, such that the noise in the image looks similar to how it was before you began sharpening the image. Too much noise reduction can result in a plasticy look. Higher Amount values require greater noise reduction.

Filtersin the Sketch submenu add texture to images, often for a 3D effect.The filters also are useful for creating a fine-arts or hand-drawnlook. Many of the Sketch filters use the foreground and backgroundcolor as they redraw the image. All the Sketch filters can be appliedthrough the Filter Gallery.

Transformsan image so that it appears carved in low relief and lit to accentthe surface variations. Dark areas of the image take on the foreground color,and light colors use the background color.

Redrawshighlights and midtones with a solid midtone gray background drawnin coarse chalk. Shadow areas are replaced with black diagonal charcoallines. The charcoal is drawn in the foreground color; the chalk, inthe background color.

Creates aposterized, smudged effect. Major edges are boldly drawn, and midtonesare sketched using a diagonal stroke. Charcoal is the foreground color,and the background is the color of the paper.

Renders theimage as if it had a polished chrome surface. Highlights are highpoints, and shadows are low points in the reflecting surface. Afterapplying the filter, use the Levels dialog box to add more contrastto the image.

Replicatesthe texture of dense dark and pure white Conté crayons on an image.The Conté Crayon filter uses the foreground color for dark areasand the background color for light areas. For a truer effect, changethe foreground color to one of the common Conté Crayon colors (black,sepia, or sanguine) before applying the filter. For a muted effect,change the background color to white, add some of the foregroundcolor to the white background, and then apply the filter.

Uses fine,linear ink strokes to capture the details in the original image.The effect is especially striking with scanned images. The filterreplaces color in the original image, using the foreground colorfor ink and the background color for paper.

Simulatesthe effect of a halftone screen while maintaining the continuousrange of tones.

Createsan image that appears to be constructed of handmade paper. Thisfilter simplifies images and combines the effects of the Stylize > Embossand Texture > Grain filters. Dark areas of the imageappear as holes in the top layer of paper, revealing the backgroundcolor.

Simulatesthe effect of photocopying an image. Large dark areas tend to becopied only around their edges, and midtones fall away to eithersolid black or solid white.

Molds an imagefrom 3D plaster, and then colorizes the result using the foregroundand background color. Dark areas are raised, and light areas are recessed.

Simulatesthe controlled shrinking and distortion of film emulsion to createan image that appears clumped in the shadows and lightly grainedin the highlights.

Simplifies theimage so that it appears to be created with a rubber or wood stamp.This filter is best used with black-and-white images.

Reconstructsthe image so that it appears composed of ragged, torn pieces ofpaper, and then colorizes the image using the foreground and backgroundcolors. This filter is particularly useful for text or high-contrast objects.

Uses blotchydaubs that appear painted onto fibrous, damp paper, causing thecolors to flow and blend.

TheStylize filters produce a painted or impressionistic effect on aselection by displacing pixels and by finding and heightening contrastin an image. After using filters like Find Edges and Trace Contourthat highlight edges, you can apply the Invert command to outlinethe edges of a color image with colored lines or to outline theedges of a grayscale image with white lines.

Shuffles pixelsin a selection to soften focus according to the selected option:Normal moves pixels randomly (ignoring color values), Darken Only replaceslight pixels with darker ones, and Lighten Only replaces dark pixelswith lighter ones. Anisotropic shuffles pixels in the directionof the least change in color.

Makes a selectionappear raised or stamped by converting its fill color to gray andtracing the edges with the original fill color. Options includean embossing angle (from –360° to recess the surface, to +360° toraise the surface), height, and a percentage (1% to 500%) for theamount of color within the selection. To retain color and detailwhen embossing, use the Fade command after applying the Emboss filter.

Gives a 3D texture to a selection or layer. See Apply the Extrude filter.

Identifiesthe areas of the image with significant transitions and emphasizesthe edges. Like the Trace Counter filter, Find Edges outlines the edgesof an image with dark lines against a white background and is usefulfor creating a border around an image.

Identifiesthe edges of color and adds a neon-like glow to them. This filtercan be applied cumulatively.

Blends anegative and a positive image—similar to exposing a photographicprint briefly to light during development.

Breaks up animage into a series of tiles, creating an offset between the selectionand its original position. You can choose one of the following tofill the area between the tiles: the background color, the foregroundcolor, a reverse version of the image, or an unaltered version ofthe image, which puts the tiled version on top of the original andreveals part of the original image underneath the tiled edges.

Finds the transitions of major brightness areas and thinly outlines them for each color channel, for an effect similar to the lines in a contour map. See Apply the Trace Contour filter.

Places tiny horizontallines in the image to create a windblown effect. Methods includeWind; Blast, for a more dramatic wind effect; and Stagger, which offsetsthe lines in the image.

Usethe Texture filters to simulate the appearance of depth or substance,or to add an organic look.

Paintsan image onto a high-relief plaster surface, producing a fine networkof cracks that follow the contours of the image. Use this filterto create an embossing effect with images that contain a broad rangeof color or grayscale values.

Adds textureto an image by simulating different kinds of grain—Regular, Soft,Sprinkles, Clumped, Contrasty, Enlarged, Stippled, Horizontal, Vertical,and Speckle, available from the Grain Type menu.

Rendersthe image so that it appears to be made up of small chips or tilesand adds grout between the tiles. (In contrast, the Pixelate >Mosaic filter breaks up an image into blocks of different-coloredpixels.)

Breaks upan image into squares filled with the predominant color in thatarea of the image. The filter randomly reduces or increases thetile depth to replicate the highlights and shadows.

Repaintsan image as single-colored adjacent cells outlined in the foregroundcolor.

Appliesa texture you select or create to an image.

TheVideo submenu contains the De-Interlace and NTSC Colors filters.

Smooths moving images capturedon video by removing either the odd or even interlaced lines ina video image. You can choose to replace the discarded lines byduplication or interpolation.

Restricts the gamut of colorsto those acceptable for television reproduction, to prevent oversaturatedcolors from bleeding across television scan lines.

Filters in the Other submenu let you createyour own filters, use filters to modify masks, offset a selectionwithin an image, and make quick color adjustments.

Lets you design your own filter effect. With the Custom filter, you can change the brightness values of each pixel in the image according to a predefined mathematical operation known as convolution. Each pixel is reassigned a value based on the values of surrounding pixels. This operation is similar to the Add and Subtract calculations for channels.

You can save the custom filters you create and use them with other Photoshop images. See Create a custom filter.

Retainsedge details in the specified radius where sharp color transitionsoccur and suppresses the rest of the image. (A radius of0.1 pixel keeps only edge pixels.) The filter removes low-frequencydetail from an image and has an effect opposite to that of the GaussianBlur filter.

It is helpful to apply the High Pass filterto a continuous-tone image before using the Threshold command orconverting the image to Bitmap mode. The filter is useful for extractingline art and large black-and-white areas from scanned images.

The Maximum and Minimum filters are useful for modifying masks. The Maximum filter has the effect of applying a spread (dilation)—spreading out white areas and choking in black areas. The Minimum filter has the effect of applying a choke (erosion)—shrinking white areas and spreading out the black areas. Like the Median filter, the Maximum and Minimum filters operate on selected pixels. Within a specified radius, the Maximum and Minimum filters replace the current pixel’s brightness value with the highest or lowest brightness value of the surrounding pixels.

These filters, especially with larger radii, tend to promote either corners or curves in the image contours. In Photoshop CC, you can choose from the Preserve menu to favor squareness or roundness as you specify the radius value.

Moves a selectiona specified horizontal or vertical amount, leaving an empty spaceat the selection’s original location. You can fill the empty areawith the current background color, with another part of the image,or with your choice of fill if the selection is near the edge ofan image.

TheDigimarc filters embed a digital watermark into an image to storecopyright information.

Note:

Digimarc plug-ins require a 32-bit operating system. Theyare unsupported in 64-bit versions of Windows and Mac OS.

The Vanishing Point feature preserves correct perspectivein edits of images that contain perspective planes (for instance,the sides of a building or any rectangular object).

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