APPLY FILTERS AS SMART FILTERS for dynamic adjustments

Filters in Photoshop are used to add blur, reduce noise, sharpen, or style an image. When you apply a regular filter, you permanently alter the pixels. By applying a Smart Filter instead, you can edit and change the settings of the filter at any time, even after the document has been saved and reopened. Any filter applied to a Smart Object layer becomes a Smart Filter. 

You can apply a Smart Filter to the entire Smart Object layer or to a selection on a Smart Object layer. You can remove or hide Smart Filters at any time. 

You can add multiple Smart Filters one on top of another and then change the order of the Smart Filters to change the resulting effect. You can also add a mask to a Smart Filter. You can then paint on the mask with black to hide or white to reveal different areas of the filter and create detailed edits on specific areas, all without altering the image data. 

Most Photoshop filters, with the exception of Liquify and Vanishing Point, can be applied as Smart Filters.

 1 Open or convert an image as a Smart Object as shown in the previous task. 

2 Click Filter. 

3 Click Blur.

 4 Click Motion Blur. 

The Motion Blur dialog box appears.

 5 Click and drag the Distance slider and adjust the angle in the dialog box that appears. 

6 Click OK. 

A The Smart Filter appears below the Smart Object layer in the Layers panel. 

B A layer mask is automatically applied to the Smart Filter.

 7 Click the Brush tool. 

8 Click the Brush Preset drop-down menu to open the Brush picker. 

9 Click the first soft-edged brush in the Brush picker. 

10 Click and drag the Size slider to adjust the size.

11 Click the Smart Filter layer mask thumbnail to select it. 

12 Click the Default Colors icon to restore the default foreground and background colors, making sure black is the foreground color. 

13 Click in the image to paint with black to remove the filter from specific areas.

 C The painted areas appear black in the layer mask, and the filters are removed from those areas in the photo.

14 Double-click the filter name to reopen the dialog box. % Adjust the filter’s settings. 

15 Click OK. 

TIPS

 Try This! 

Click the triangle ( ) by the Smart Object layer to reveal the Smart Filters or any layer effects applied to the layer. Double-click the Edit Blending Options button ( ) next to the Smart Filter. A blending mode dialog box appears. Click Mode to select a different blending mode. Click Opacity to drag the slider to a different percentage. 

More Options! 

To change the effect when using multiple Smart Filters, click and drag one Smart Filter above or below another one in the Layers panel. To delete an individual Smart Filter, click its name and drag it to the Layers panel trash ( ). To delete all the Smart Filters on a layer at once, click and drag the text Smart Filters on the Smart Object layer to the trash. 

Did You Know? 

You can copy a Smart Filter or a group of Smart Filters to another Smart Object layer in the Layers panel by pressing Option (Alt) and dragging the Smart Filter. However, you cannot drag a Smart Filter onto a regular layer.