Freelance Photographer
Seeing things differently
A taker of Photographs - A creator of images

Painting with Filters...

Here is a little technique that can be used with almost all filter effects by utilising the combination of a mask within a layer, sounds complicated, well it’s not... I will explain the basic technique, the effect you apply is up to you...


1... Firstly you open your image and create a duplicate layer either by holding down the Ctrl+J keys, or by opening the layers folder (F7 key) and dragging the background layer to the duplicate icon at the bottom of the pallet marked in green...

2... With the new layer selected from the Menu bar you click on Filter... Then choose which filter you wish to apply...
Note:- The new layer will be named layer 1 if you used Ctrl+J or Background copy if you used the duplicate icon...

3... Click on Layer... from the menu bar at the top of the screen and select Layers... Select Add Layer Mask... Click on Hide All...

4... Choose white as your foreground colour and select a soft edge brush to suit the image...

5... Set the Opacity of the brush to between 10-20% and start painting over the part of the image you wish to apply the filter to... I set the brush opacity this way so I can add the effects gradually and build them up if necessary...

The good things about this method are...

You can apply loads of different effects to selected parts of the image just by creating another layer and mask...

You can apply different amounts to different parts of the image...

If you change the foreground colour to black you can undo the effects if you’ve over done it a bit...

You can also remove the mask and leave the layer in tact if you go off the effect...