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The Mysterious Disappearing Filters in Photoshop. The Artistic, Brush Strokes, Distort, Sketch, and Texture groups. The filters themselves are still available from the Filter Gallery but the actual menu options for those filters are no longer visible by default. This is an open source filter typically used for noise reduction that will. Open Photoshop if it is closed and click “File,” then “Open.” Navigate to the directory containing the image or graphic you want to apply the blur filter to.
- 1 Fade an Outline in CorelDRAW
- 2 Sharpen in CorelDRAW
- 3 Erase Parts of an Image in Illustrator
- 4 Make a Grid in Gimp
The blur filter in Photoshop smooths out rough edges and removes grainy areas on your images and graphics. The filter is built into the program and doesn’t require downloading or installing like third-party Photoshop plug-ins. The blur filter is also available as a tool that blurs specific areas in your image. The blur tool is on Photoshop's 'Tools' toolbar. The blur filter and blur tool work hand-in-hand with the sharpen filter to finalize the blurring process and further smooth out rough areas, if desired.
Blur Filter
1.Open Photoshop if it is closed and click “File,” then “Open.” Navigate to the directory containing the image or graphic you want to apply the blur filter to. Double click the file’s name to open the file.
2.Click “Select” and “All” to highlight all areas of the image or graphic. Click “Filter,” “Blur” and “Gaussian Blur.”
3.Move the slider at the bottom of the “Gaussian Blur” dialog box to the left or right to change the blur level. Move the slider slowly until details disappear but shapes keep their form or until you are satisfied with the image or graphic.
4.Click “OK” to accept the change. Click “Filter,” “Sharpen” and “Unsharp Mask,” if desired, to blend all areas and smooth out the overall image or graphic.
5.Click “File” and “Save” to save the file, if desired.
Blur Tool
1.Complete step one in the “Blur Filter” section. Click the raindrop icon below the eraser icon on Photoshop’s 'Tools' toolbar to activate the blur tool for blurring specific areas of a image or graphic.
2.Click the down arrow next to “Brush:” on the top toolbar to select the size of the blur tool you want to use. Click “View” and “Zoom In” to zoom into your image or graphic.
3.Navigate to the area you want to blur, then click and hold down your mouse’s button. Move the mouse to the left or right to start blurring the area -- you will see the area blurring.
4.Release your mouse button when the area is to your liking. Click “Filter,” “Sharpen” and “Unsharp Mask,” if desired, to blend all areas and smooth out the overall image or graphic.
5.Click “File” and “Save” to save the file, if desired.
Tip
- Click “Edit” and “Undo” to reverse the blur filter or tool if you are not happy with the blurring or you have made a mistake.
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About the Author
Nick Davis is a freelance writer specializing in technical, travel and entertainment articles. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Memphis and an associate degree in computer information systems from the State Technical Institute at Memphis. His work has appeared in 'Elite Memphis' and 'The Daily Helmsman' in Memphis, Tenn. He is currently living in Albuquerque, N.M.
Photo Credits
- Oli Scarff/Getty Images News/Getty Images
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Davis, Nick. 'How to Get Blur to Work in Photoshop.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/blur-work-photoshop-30847.html. Accessed 14 June 2019.
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The Filter Gallery dialog box in Photoshop CS6, technically an editing window, gives you an alternative route to access and apply filters. To put it onscreen, choose Filter→Filter Gallery. In this window, you can apply multiple filters, as well as edit or delete them later. This feature has made filters more flexible, more user-friendly, and easier to apply.
Follow these steps to get up and running in the Filter Gallery:
- Choose Filter→Filter Gallery.The Filter Gallery dialog box appears.
- Click your desired filter category folder.The folder expands and displays the filters in that category. A thumbnail illustrating the filter’s effect accompanies each filter. To collapse the filter category folder, simply click it again.
- Select the filter you want to apply.Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/JLBarranco Image #7800556
- Specify any settings associated with the filter.You get a large preview of your image in the left side of the dialog box. Use the magnification controls to zoom in and out of the preview. When you change your settings, the preview dynamically updates itself. To preview a different filter, simply select that filter.If you want your custom settings to be the new default for the filter, simply hold down the Ctrl key (Command key on the Mac) while you are specifying your settings. The Cancel button changes to Default. After you have established your settings, release the Ctrl (or Command) key. Your new settings then become the new default.
- When you’re happy with the filter, click OK to apply the filter and exit the dialog box.
- If you want to apply another filter, click the New Effect Layer button at the bottom of the dialog box.Clicking this button duplicates the existing filter.
- Select your new filter, which then replaces the duplicate.Photoshop lists each of the filters you apply to the image in the bottom-right of the dialog box.
- When you’re done, click OK to apply the second filter and exit the dialog box.You can apply as many filters as you want to your image. But, often, less is more.
Here are some other helpful tips to keep in mind when you’re using the Filter Gallery:
- To delete an applied filter, select it in the list in the lower-right portion of the dialog box and click the Delete Effect Layer button at the bottom of the dialog box.
- To edit an applied filter’s settings, select it in the list and make any necessary changes. Click OK to reapply. Although you can edit a particular filter’s settings, that edit affects any subsequent filters you’ve made after applying that particular filter.
- You can rearrange the order of the applied filters. Simply select and drag the filter up or down within the list. This changes the resulting effect of the filters.
- To resize the Filter Gallery dialog box, drag the lower-right corner.
- To hide the Filter menu and provide the maximum real estate for the preview box, click the arrow to the left of the OK button.
- You can choose any of the filters found in the Filter Gallery from the Filter menu itself. Choosing a Filter menu filter launches the Filter Gallery automatically — but not all filters are available in the Filter Gallery. You have to access some of them individually from the Filter menu.
Don’t be misled into thinking that the Filter Gallery is like layer styles, where the styles can be removed and the underlying pixel data is returned to its pristine, original state. Regular filters change the pixels of an image permanently, and after you apply one, you can’t remove it. Be sure that you really like what you’ve done and that you have a backup copy of your image.
That being said, if you do want your filters to act like layer styles, they can. You can apply a Smart Filter to any layer that you first convert into a Smart Object. Smart Filters enable you to apply a filter nondestructively, without altering any underlying pixels.