Photoshop Filters are digital effects used to modify images and selections to create effects, repair images, and move pixels.

Photoshop Filters overview

Photoshop filters allow you to quickly change layer contents. These include simple effects, like sharpening or stylizing an image (adding a craquelure effect or glowing the edges). Some filters offer more advanced effects, such as applying a high-pass filter or offsetting the image pixels.

This page refers to the image filters that come with Adobe Photoshop CC desktop version. Some of these filters are also in the mobile version.

  • Photoshop Filters overview
  • Extended Filters
  • Artistic Filters
  • Blur Filters
  • Blur Gallery Filters
  • Brush Strokes Filters
  • Distort Filters
  • Noise Filters
  • Pixelate Filters
  • Render Filters
  • Sharpen Filters
  • Sketch Filters
  • Stylize Filters
  • Texture Filters
  • Video Filters
  • Other Filters
  • Filter properties chart

Filters affect the active layer or layer mask in the active selection. If there is no selection, the filter is applied to the entire layer or layer mask.

Extended Filters

Extended Filters are additional filters that do not fit in another category. These are newer filters that have specialized pixel analysis, computations, and groups of filter effects.

Filters do not work on Bitmap-mode or indexed-color images. Some filters require RGB and some require 16-bit or 32-bit images, but all work on 8-bit images. See the Filter properties chart for additional details.

Extended Filters include Neural Filters, Filter Gallery, Adaptive Wide Angle, Camera Raw Filter, Lens Correction, Liquify, and Vanishing Point. Extended Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Artistic Filters

Artistic Filters emulate traditional art mediums using color, strokes, and textures resulting in creative painted-art images.

Artistic Filters include Colored Pencil, Cutout, Dry Brush, Film Grain, Fresco, Neon Glow, Paint Daubs, Palette Knife, Plastic Wrap, Poster Edges, Rough Pastels, Smudge Stick, Sponge, Underpainting, and Watercolor. Artistic Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Blur Filters

Blur Filters apply a range of different blur effects using direction, distance, and averaging of colors. These soften and unfocus the image and can remove noise, dust, and undesired texture. They can also be used to blend added objects into the background.

Blur Filters include Average, Blur, Blur More, Box Blur, Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur, Motion Blur, Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Smart Blur, and Surface Blur. Blur Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Blur Gallery Filters extend the blur filters for specialized, more complex blur shapes and applications. These can emulate traditional camera lenses and blur along a path. The five Blur Gallery filters can be used together by toggling their checkmarks on the right side of the interface.

Blur Gallery Filters include Field Blur, Iris Blur, Tilt-Shift, Path Blur, and Spin Blur. Blur Gallery Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Brush Strokes Filters

Brush Strokes Filters emulate traditional paint brushes and techniques using color, line, and texture.

Brush Strokes Filters include Accented Edges, Angled Strokes, Crosshatch, Dark Strokes, Ink Outlines, Spatter, Sprayed Strokes, and Sumi-e. Brush Strokes Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Distort Filters

Distort Filters move, stretch, and compress the pixels to create different effects. These often require higher computer memory to function.

Distort Filters include Diffuse Glow, Displace, Glass, Ocean Ripple, Pinch, Polar Coordinates, Ripple, Shear, Spherize, Twirl, Wave, and ZigZag. Distort Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Noise Filters

Noise Filters remove noise (random color or brightness of image pixels) or add it to create a more unified image or texture.

Noise Filters include Add Noise, Despeckle, Dust & Scratches, Median, and Reduce Noise. Noise Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Pixelate Filters

Pixelate Filters group colors to create patterns and effects.

Pixelate Filters include Color Halftone, Crystalize, Facet, Fragment, Mezzotint, Mosaic, and Pointillize. Pixelate Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Render Filters

Render Filters create new images to replace or merge with existing images.

Render Filters include Flame, Picture Frame, Tree, Clouds, Difference Clouds, Fibers, Lens Flare, and Lighting Effects (Deprecated (3D)). Render Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Sharpen Filters

Sharpen Filters enhance edges in images using contrast to create more defined lines and separation, resulting in a clearer, more focused image.

Sharpen Filters include Sharpen, Sharpen Edges, Sharpen More, Smart Sharpen, and Unsharp Mask. Sharpen Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Sketch Filters

Sketch Filters emulate different drawing tools and methods for hand-drawn or texture effects.

Sketch Filters include Bas Relief, Chalk & Charcoal, Charcoal, Chrome, Conté Crayon, Graphic Pen, Halftone Pattern, Note Paper, Photocopy, Plaster, Reticulation, Stamp, Torn Edges, and Water Paper. Sketch Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Stylize Filters

Stylize Filters add depth, height, and line effects to create dynamic line-art effects and embossing.

Stylize Filters include Diffuse, Emboss, Extrude, Find Edges, Glowing Edges, Oil Paint, Solarize, Tiles, Trace Contour, and Wind. Stylize Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Texture Filters

Texture Filters group pixels into distinct texture shapes and add uniform surface texture.

Texture Filters include Craquelure, Grain, Mosaic Tiles, Patchwork, Stained Glass, and Texturizer. Texture Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Video Filters

Video Filters are used to process frames from or for videos.

Video Filters include De-Interlace, and NTSC Colors. Video Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Other Filters

Other Filters are used to build custom filters and quickly adjust and move pixels.

Other Filters include Custom, High Pass, HSB/HSL, Material Filter, Maximum, Minimum, and Offset. Other Filters are accessed in Adobe Photoshop through the Filters file menu.

Filter properties chart

Adobe, Adobe Photoshop, Filter, Photoshop terms, Software terms

  • How to use filters in Adobe Photoshop.
  • How to open photos in Adobe Photoshop.
  • What program can I use to view, edit, or create images?
  • How to crop an image or picture.
  • The official Adobe Photoshop website.
  • Adobe Photoshop help and support.