Filter effects in Photoshop

Last updated on Oct 4, 2026

Learn how to find descriptions and compatibility information for all filter categories in Adobe Photoshop on desktop.

Explore creative effects, verify filter compatibility with your document's bit depth, or identify the right filter for a specific visual outcome.

Bit-depth and channel compatibility

Not all filters work with every document type. Learn which filters support 16-bit per channel and 32-bit per channel documents.

Filters supporting 16-bit/channel and 32-bit/channel documents

Filter category	Supported filters	Exceptions
Blur	All blur filters	Lens Blur, Smart Blur not supported
Distort	All distort filters	None
Noise	Add Noise only	Other Noise filters not supported
Pixelate	All pixelate filters	None
Render	All render filters	Lighting Effects not supported
Sharpen	All sharpen filters	Sharpen Edges not supported
Stylize	Diffuse, Emboss, Trace Contour	Other Stylize filters not supported
Video	All video filters	None
Other	All Other filters	None

For other filters, convert your document to 8-bit per channel before applying the effect.

Artistic filters

Artistic filters create painterly and fine-art effects by simulating traditional media such as colored pencils, watercolors, and oil paints. Use these filters for creative projects, collage work, or to give photographs an illustrative quality.

Filters	Usage
Dry Brush	Applies a dry brush painting technique that falls between oil and watercolor styles. The filter simplifies images by reducing the color range to areas of common color.
Film Grain	Adds an even pattern to shadow tones and midtones with a smoother, more saturated pattern in lighter areas. Useful for eliminating banding in blends and unifying elements from various sources.
Fresco	Creates a coarse painting style using short, rounded, hastily applied daubs.
Neon Glow	Adds a colorful glow to objects in the image while softening the overall appearance.
Paint Daubs	Reduces detail to give an effect of a lightly painted canvas, offering various brush sizes and types.
Palette Knife	Reduces detail to create a thinly painted canvas that reveals the texture underneath.
Plastic Wrap	Coats the image in shiny plastic, accentuating surface detail.
Poster Edges	Reduces the number of colors and finds image edges, drawing black lines along them.
Rough Pastels	Applies strokes of colored pastel chalk on a textured background.
Smudge Stick	Softens an image using short diagonal strokes that smudge darker areas.
Sponge	Creates highly textured areas of contrasting color, simulating a sponge painting effect.
Underpainting	Paints the image on a textured background, then paints the final image over it.
Watercolor	Simplifies detail using a medium brush loaded with water and color, particularly effective where tonal changes occur at edges.

Blur filters

Blur filters soften selections or entire images and are useful for retouching. They smooth transitions by averaging pixels next to hard edges and shaded areas. For advanced depth-of-field effects and bokeh simulation, create depth of field with lens blur.

Filters	Usage
Average	Finds the average color of an image or selection, then fills the area with that color.
Blur and Blur More	Eliminate noise where significant color transitions occur. Blur More produces an effect three to four times stronger than Blur.
Box Blur	Blurs based on the average color value of neighboring pixels. Larger radius values produce greater blur.
Gaussian Blur	Quickly blurs a selection by an adjustable amount using a bell-shaped curve for the blur distribution.
Lens Blur	Adds blur to simulate a narrower depth of field so some objects remain in focus while others become blurred. Not available for 16-bit or 32-bit documents.
Motion Blur	Blurs in a particular direction at a specified intensity, simulating motion photography.
Radial Blur	Simulates the blur of a zooming or rotating camera. Choose Spin for blur along concentric circular lines or Zoom for blur along radial lines.
Shape Blur	Uses a specified shape (kernel) to create the blur effect.
Smart Blur	Blurs an image with precision while preserving edges. Specify radius, threshold, quality, and mode options.
Surface Blur	Blurs an image while preserving edges, ideal for creating special effects and removing noise or graininess.

Brush Strokes filters

Brush Strokes filters add color, texture, and detail using different brush and ink stroke effects for a fine-art appearance.

Filters	Usage
Accented Edges	Accentuates the edges of an image using brightness control to highlight or darken edges.
Angled Strokes	Repaints using diagonal strokes, with lighter and darker areas painted in opposite directions.
Crosshatch	Preserves details while adding texture with simulated pencil hatching.
Dark Strokes	Paints dark areas with short, tight strokes and light areas with long, white strokes.
Ink Outlines	Redraws with fine narrow lines over the original details in pen-and-ink style.
Spatter	Replicates a spatter airbrush effect.
Sprayed Strokes	Repaints using dominant colors with angled, sprayed strokes.
Sumi-e	Paints in Japanese style with a full, wet brush on rice paper, creating soft blurred edges.

Distort filters

Distort filters geometrically distort images, creating 3D effects or reshaping images in creative ways.

Filters	Usage
Displace	Uses a displacement map to shift a selection based on color values in the map.
Pinch	Squeezes a selection inward or outward.
Polar Coordinates	Converts rectangular to polar coordinates and vice versa.
Ripple	Creates an undulating pattern like ripples on water.
Shear	Distorts an image along a curve.
Spherize	Gives objects a 3D effect by wrapping a selection around a spherical shape.
Twirl	Rotates a selection more sharply in the center than at the edges.
Wave	Works like the Ripple filter but with greater control.
ZigZag	Distorts a selection radially to create wave patterns.

Noise filters

Noise filters add or remove random pixels with similar color levels, helping to blend selections with surrounding areas or create textured effects.

Filters	Usage
Add Noise	Applies random pixels to simulate shooting film with high ISO. Works on 16-bit and 32-bit documents.
Despeckle	Detects edges and blurs everything except edges to remove noise while preserving detail.
Dust & Scratches	Reduces noise by changing dissimilar pixels.
Median	Blends brightness of pixels within a selection to reduce noise.
Reduce Noise	Reduces noise while preserving edges based on user settings affecting the whole image or individual channels.

Pixelate filters

Pixelate filters define selections by clumping pixels of similar color values into cells.

Filters	Usage
Color Halftone	Simulates the effect of using an enlarged halftone screen on each channel.
Crystallize	Clumps pixels into polygonal shapes of solid color.
Facet	Clumps solid or similarly colored pixels into blocks.
Fragment	Creates four copies of pixels, averages and offsets them.
Mezzotint	Converts images to random patterns of black and white or colored areas.
Mosaic	Clumps pixels into square blocks.
Pointillize	Breaks up image color into randomly placed dots on a background color.

Render filters

Render filters create clouds, refraction patterns, lighting effects, and textured fills.

Filters	Usage
Clouds	Generates a soft cloud pattern using random values between foreground and background colors.
Difference Clouds	Uses randomly generated values between foreground and background colors to produce a cloud pattern, blending with existing pixels.
Fibers	Creates a woven fiber appearance using foreground and background colors.
Lens Flare	Simulates the refraction of bright light shining into a camera lens.
Lighting Effects	Not available for 16-bit or 32-bit documents. Creates various lighting effects for texture and material appearances.

Sharpen filters

Sharpen filters focus blurry images by increasing contrast of adjacent pixels. For detailed guidance on sharpening techniques and when to use each method, explore the sharpening overview.

Filters	Usage
Sharpen and Sharpen More	Focus selections and improve clarity. Sharpen More applies a stronger effect.
Sharpen Edges	Sharpens only edges while preserving overall smoothness. Not available for 16-bit or 32-bit documents.
Smart Sharpen	Sharpens by letting you set the sharpening algorithm and control sharpening in shadows and highlights. Recommended for most sharpening needs due to its precision and noise reduction capabilities.
Unsharp Mask	Adjusts contrast of edge detail to produce a lighter and darker line on each side of edges, emphasizing the edge and creating the illusion of sharper detail.

Sketch filters

Sketch filters add texture while simplifying images, often for hand-drawn effects. Many use foreground and background colors for redrawing.

Filters	Usage
Bas Relief	Transforms to appear carved in low relief with lighting showing surface variations.
Chalk & Charcoal	Redraws highlights and midtones with chalk and shadows with charcoal.
Charcoal	Creates a posterized, smudged effect.
Chrome	Renders as polished chrome with highlights as high points and shadows as low points.
Conté Crayon	Replicates dense dark and pure white Conté crayon textures.
Graphic Pen	Uses fine ink strokes to capture detail.
Halftone Pattern	Simulates halftone screen while maintaining continuous tone range.
Note Paper	Creates relief images appearing made of handmade paper.
Photocopy	Simulates photocopying an image.
Plaster	Molds from 3D plaster, then colorizes with foreground and background colors.
Reticulation	Simulates controlled film emulsion shrinking and distortion.
Stamp	Simplifies to appear created with rubber or wood stamp.
Torn Edges	Reconstructs as ragged pieces of paper, then colorizes.
Water Paper	Uses blotchy daubs appearing painted on damp, fibrous paper causing colors to flow and blend.

Stylize filters

Stylize filters produce impressionistic or painted effects by displacing pixels and finding and heightening image contrast.

Filters	Usage
Diffuse	Shuffles pixels to make selections look less focused. Works on 16-bit and 32-bit documents.
Emboss	Makes selections appear raised or stamped by converting fill color to gray and tracing edges with original color. Works on 16-bit and 32-bit documents.
Extrude	Creates a texture effect.
Find Edges	Identifies areas with significant transitions and emphasizes edges.
Oil Paint	Makes images appear painted with oils.
Solarize	Blends negative and positive images similar to brief light exposure during photographic development.
Tiles	Breaks up into series of tiles creating an offset from the selection.
Trace Contour	Finds transitions of major brightness areas and outlines with thin lines. Works on 16-bit and 32-bit documents.
Wind	Places tiny horizontal lines to create wind effect.

Texture filters

Texture filters give depth or a natural substance appearance.

Filters	Usage
Craquelure	Paints on a high-relief plaster surface with crackling patterns.
Grain	Adds texture by simulating different grain types.
Mosaic Tiles	Renders as tiles with grout between tiles.
Patchwork	Breaks into squares filled with predominant color in that area.
Stained Glass	Repaints as single-colored adjacent cells outlined in foreground color.
Texturizer	Applies selected or custom textures.

Video filters

Video filters include:

NTSC Colors: Restricts color gamut to television reproduction standards
De-Interlace: Smooths moving images by removing odd or even interlaced lines

Other filters

Filters	Usage
Custom	Lets you design your own filter effect by changing brightness values of pixels.
High Pass	Retains edge detail in specified radius where sharp color transitions occur, suppressing the rest.
Maximum	Spreads white areas and contracts black areas, useful for modifying masks.
Minimum	Spreads black areas and contracts white areas, useful for modifying masks.
Offset	Moves a selection by a specified horizontal or vertical amount, leaving an empty space.

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