Select Filter > Distort > Displace.
Last updated on
Oct 6, 2026
Use Displace, Color Halftone, Extrude, and Trace Contour filters to create unique creative effects and transform images.
These filters create distinctive visual effects by manipulating pixel placement, color distribution, and dimensional depth. The Displace filter shifts pixels based on a displacement map, Color Halftone simulates printed halftone screens, Extrude adds 3D depth to selections, and Trace Contour outlines areas of major brightness transitions. Use these filters for posters, illustrations, and experimental compositions. For basic filter application techniques, see Apply filters.
These creative filters work best on layers you can edit non-destructively. Convert your layer to a Smart Object before applying filters so you can adjust or remove effects later without permanently altering the original image.
Before you begin
- Adobe Photoshop 2023 or later
- An open image or composition
- For Displace filter: a grayscale Photoshop file to use as a displacement map
- Basic familiarity with the Layers panel
Understanding edge treatment for displacement
When the Displace filter shifts pixels, some areas at the image edges may become undefined. Photoshop provides three options to handle these areas:
- Wrap Around: Fills undefined space with content from the opposite edge of the image, creating a continuous wrap effect.
- Repeat Edge Pixels: Extends the colors of pixels along the edge in the direction specified. If edge pixels differ significantly in color, banding may occur.
- Set To Background: Fills undefined areas with the current background color.
You'll find these same options in the Shear, Wave, and Offset filters. Choose the method that best suits your intended effect. Wrap Around works well for tileable patterns, while Repeat Edge Pixels maintains continuity for photographic content.
Apply the Displace filter
In the Displace dialog, enter values for Horizontal Scale and Vertical Scale to control displacement intensity.
Under Displacement Map, select how undefined areas are handled: Stretch To Fit scales the map to image dimensions, or Tile repeats the map pattern.
Under Undefined Areas, choose Wrap Around to fill edges with opposite-side content or Repeat Edge Pixels to extend edge colors.
Select OK, then locate and open a grayscale Photoshop file to use as your displacement map.
The displacement map must be saved in Photoshop format. Lighter areas in the map shift pixels in one direction, while darker areas shift them in the opposite direction. A 50% gray value produces no displacement.
Apply the Color Halftone filter
Select Filter > Pixelate > Color Halftone.
Enter a Max. Radius value between 4 and 127 pixels to set the maximum radius of halftone dots.
Enter screen angle values in degrees for each channel: typically, 108 for Channel 1 (Cyan), 162 for Channel 2 (Magenta), 90 for Channel 3 (Yellow), and 45 for Channel 4 (Black).
Select OK to apply the halftone effect.
Tip
For grayscale images, use only Channel 1. Default angle values simulate standard commercial printing screen angles.
Apply the Extrude filter
Select Filter > Stylize > Extrude.
Under Type, select Blocks for cube-shaped extrusions or Pyramids for pyramid-shaped extrusions.
Enter a Size value between 2 and 255 pixels to determine the base dimensions of each shape.
Enter a Depth value between 1 and 255 to control how far shapes protrude, or select Random for varied depth and enter a maximum depth value.
Select Solid Front Faces to fill the front of each shape with the image, or leave unchecked to fill with the average color of the shape.
Select Mask Incomplete Blocks to hide shapes that extend beyond the image edge.
Select OK to create the 3D texture effect.
Note
The Extrude filter divides your image into a grid of tiles and turns each tile into a three-dimensional shape. The filter creates depth by projecting shapes outward from the image surface.
Apply the Trace Contour filter
Select Filter > Stylize > Trace Contour.
In the Level field, enter a brightness value between 0 and 255 to define which tonal transitions the filter outlines.
Under Edge, select Lower to trace pixels below the specified level or Upper to trace pixels above it.
Select OK to outline the brightness transitions.
The Trace Contour filter produces thin, contoured lines like contour lines on a topographic map. It works on individual channels, so applying it to a composite color image produces different results than applying it to each channel separately. For best results, adjust image contrast before applying the filter.
Tip
After applying Trace Contour to a color image, use the Invert command to outline edges with colored lines on a white background.
Enhance creative effects with filters
These four filters combine well with other Photoshop effects. Try layering the Color Halftone filter over gradient fills for retro poster effects or apply Trace Contour to photos and adjust blend modes for illustration-style outlines. The Displace filter works particularly well with custom displacement maps you create from clouds or textures. For additional creative filter techniques, see Tips for creating special effects.
When working with multiple filters, apply each to a separate Smart Object layer so you can adjust settings independently and control the blend mode and opacity of each effect.
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