Use Photoshop Effects, Not Photoshop Filters!

Use Photoshop Effects, Not Photoshop Filters!

Oftentimes folks are confused about the Filter menu and the Effects menu. Don’t be. There are many distinctions between the two, the most important being that effects change the appearance of your artwork, not the artwork itself, lending you the ability to change the original underlying artwork at any time.

Even though the Photoshop (pixel-based) filters at the bottom of the Filter menu and the Effects menu are exactly the same, there’s a huge difference between the two when it comes to usability. Here’s a little Adobe inside secret: The only reason the Photoshop filters are still in the Filter menu is because the Adobe programmers didn’t have time to take them out properly; there’s absolutely no reason you should ever use them. Effects filters can be applied to type, images, or paths, while “Filter” filters can only be applied to embedded images.

In fact, if it weren’t for a few of the filters in the Colors menu, you’d never need the Filter menu at all.