This lesson tours the Filter menu’s most-used groups: Sharpen, Blur, Distort, Noise, Render, Stylize.
2026 note: This lesson was recorded on Photoshop CS6 in 2014. Adobe no longer sells the CS line — Photoshop now ships via Creative Cloud subscription. About 95% of the menus and shortcuts shown in the video still match the modern version; only the iconography is a bit fresher.
Filter Gallery
Filter > Filter Gallery. Artistic, Brush Strokes, Texture, and Distort effects in one preview window. Stack effects in layers inside the dialog.
Filters You’ll Actually Use
- Sharpen > Unsharp Mask: pro sharpening. Amount 100, Radius 1, Threshold 2 is a solid web baseline.
- Blur > Gaussian Blur: softening. Masked properly it creates depth.
- Blur > Motion / Radial Blur: motion feel.
- Noise > Add Noise: a touch of grain prevents banding.
- Render > Lens Flare: optical flare simulation.
- Stylize > Oil Paint: painterly look.
2026 Workflow — Smart Filters
Convert the layer to a Smart Object first. Filters then live as an editable, re-orderable list below the layer.
Also worth noting: Neural Filters (AI-powered) cover face swaps, depth maps, JPEG cleanup, colorization, and more — all inside Photoshop now.
