In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Last updated on
Apr 27, 2021
Diffuse Glow
The Diffuse Glow filter renders an image as though it were viewed through a soft diffusion filter. This filter adds see-through white noise to an image, with the glow fading from the center of a selection.
Displace
The Displace filter uses an image, called a displacement map, to determine how to distort a selection. For example, using a parabola-shaped displacement map, you can create an image that appears to be printed on a cloth held at its corners.
This filter requires a displacement map file composed of either a flattened image saved in Photoshop format or an image in bitmap mode. You can use your own files or the files included in the locations:
- C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 2018\Presets\Textures
- C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 2018\Required\Plug-Ins\Displacement Maps
Apply the Displace filter
Select Filter> Distort > Displace.
To define the magnitude of the displacement, enter a
value between ‑999 and 999 in the Horizontal and Vertical Scale
text boxes.
When the horizontal and vertical scales are 100%, the greatest displacement is 128 pixels (because middle gray produces no displacement).
If the displacement map is not the same size as the selection,
select how you want the map to fit the image:
Stretch To Fit
Resizes the map.
Tile
Fills the selection by repeating the map in a pattern.
Select how to fill voids that are created by the filter
in the image, and click OK.
Wrap Around
Fills voids with content from the opposite edge of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels
Extends the colors of pixels along the image’s edge in the direction you specify.
Select and open the displacement map. Photoshop Elements applies the map to the image.
Glass
The Glass filter makes an image appear as if it were being viewed through different types of glass. You can choose a glass effect or create your own glass surface as a Photoshop file and apply it. You can adjust scaling, distortion, and smoothness settings.To apply your own texture file, click 
icon and select Load Texture.
Liquify
The Liquify filter makes it easy to manipulate areas of an image as if those areas had been melted. You work with a preview image of the current layer, using special tools to warp, twirl, expand, contract, shift, or reflect areas of the image. You can make subtle changes to retouch an image or drastic distortions to create an artistic effect.
Apply the Liquify filter
In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Choose Filter > Distort > Liquify.
To zoom in on or out of the image preview, do one of
the following:
Choose a zoom level from the pop‑up menu in the lower-left area of the dialog box.
Select the Zoom tool from the toolbox in the dialog box, and click in the image to zoom in, or Alt-click (Option-click in Mac OS) to zoom out. You can also use the Zoom tool to drag over an area of the preview you want to magnify.
Select a tool from the toolbox.
Select one of the following tools from the toolbox:
Warp
Pushes pixels forward as you drag.
Twirl Clockwise
Rotates pixels clockwise as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Twirl Counter Clockwise
Rotates pixels counterclockwise as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Pucker
Moves pixels toward the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Bloat
Moves pixels away from the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Shift Pixels
Moves pixels perpendicularly to the stroke direction. Drag to move pixels to the left, and Alt-drag (Option-drag in Mac OS) to move pixels to the right.
Reconstruct
Fully or partially reverses the changes you’ve made.
In the Tool Options section, adjust the brush size and
pressure of the tool, as needed:
To change the brush size, drag the pop‑up slider, or enter a brush size value from 1 to 15000 pixels.
To change the brush pressure, drag the pop‑up slider, or enter a brush pressure value from 1 to 100.
Note
A low brush pressure makes more gradual changes.
- If you’re using a stylus tablet, select Stylus Pressure.
Note
To create the effect of dragging in a straight line between the current point and the previous point that you clicked, Shift-click with the Warp, Shift Pixels, or Reflection tool.
To apply the changes in the preview image to the actual
image, click OK.
(Optional) To revert to a previous state, do one of the
following:
Select the Reconstruct tool
, and
hold down the mouse button or drag over the distorted areas. The
restoration occurs more quickly at the brush center. Shift-click
to reconstruct in a straight line between the current point and
the previous point that you clicked.To restore the entire preview image to its state when you opened the dialog box, press Alt (Option in Mac OS) and click Reset. Alternatively, click Revert to restore the original image and reset the tools to their previous settings.
Ocean Ripple
The Ocean Ripple filter adds randomly spaced ripples to the image's surface, making the image look as if it were under water.
Pinch
The Pinch filter squeezes a selection or layer inward or outward.
Apply the Pinch filter
In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Choose Distort > Pinch from the Filter menu.
Drag the slider to the right, into positive values, to
pinch a selection inward toward its center; or to the left, into
negative values, to shift a selection outward. Then click OK.
Polar Coordinates
The Polar Coordinates filter converts a selection from its rectangular to polar coordinates, and vice versa, according to a selected option. You can use this filter to create a cylinder anamorphosis—art popular in the 18th century—in which the distorted image appears normal when viewed in a mirrored cylinder.
Ripple
The Ripple filter creates an undulating pattern on a selection, like ripples on the surface of a pond. For greater control, use the Wave filter. Options include the amount and size of ripples.
Shear
The Shear filter distorts an image along a curve.
Apply the Shear filter
In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Choose Distort > Shear from the Filter menu.
To define a distortion curve, do one of the following
in the Shear dialog box:
Click anywhere on either side of the vertical line.
Click on the vertical line, and then drag the new curve point.
You can drag any point along the curve to adjust the distortion, and you can add additional curve points.
Select one of the following in the Undefined Areas options
and click OK:
Wrap Around
Fills new voids in the image with content from the opposite side of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels
Extends the colors of pixels. Banding may result if the edge pixels are different colors.
You can click Defaults to start over and return the curve to a straight line.
Spherize
The Spherize filter gives objects a 3D effect by wrapping a selection around or inside a spherical shape, distorting and stretching the image.
Apply the Spherize filter
In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Choose Distort > Spherize from the Filter
menu.
For Amount, enter a positive value to stretch the image
outward as though it were wrapped around a sphere. Enter a negative
amount to compress the image inward as though it were wrapped inside
a sphere.
For Mode, choose normal, horizontal, or vertical, and
then click OK.
Twirl
The Twirl filter rotates an image or selection more sharply in the center than at the edges. Specifying an angle produces a twirl pattern. You can drag the slider to the right into positive values to twirl the image clockwise, drag the slider to the left into negative values to twirl counterclockwise, or enter a value between ‑999 and 999.
Wave
The Wave filter creates an undulating pattern on a layer or selection.
Apply the Wave filter
In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Choose Distort > Wave from the Filter menu.
Select a wave type in the Type section: Sine (creates
a rolling wave pattern), Triangle, or Square.
To set the number of wave generators, drag the slider
or enter a number between 1 and 999.
Drag the minimum and maximum Wavelength sliders to set
the distance from one wave crest to the next. Set both sliders to
the same value to create a consistent pattern of wave crests.
Drag the minimum and maximum Amplitude sliders to set
the wave strength.
Drag the horizontal and vertical Scale sliders to set
the height and width of the wave effect.
To apply random results based on the set of values in
the dialog box, click Randomize. You can click Randomize multiple
times to get more results.
Select one of the following and click OK:
Wrap Around
Fills the voids in the image with content from the opposite edge of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels
Extends the colors of pixels along the image’s edge in the direction specified.
ZigZag
The ZigZag filter distorts a selection radially, depending on the radius of the pixels in your selection.
Apply the ZigZag filter
In the Edit workspace, select an image, layer, or a specific area.
Choose Distort > ZigZag from the Filter menu.
Drag the Amount slider to set the level and direction
of distortion.
Drag the Ridges slider to set the number of direction
reversals for the zigzag from the center to the edge of the selection.
Choose a displacement option from the Style menu and
click OK:
Around Center
Rotates the pixels around the center of the selection.
Out From Center
Produces a rippling effect toward or away from the center of the selection.
Pond Ripples
Produces a rippling effect that distorts the selection to the upper left or lower right.
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