Using Filters to Edit Photos in PSE

We all know that Photoshop Elements is a great program for editing photos. We can adjust lighting, Blending modes, and color in one or two easy steps. But what about filters? Can we use filters to edit photos? The answer is yes!

This is my original photo:

Note: With every edit, I worked on a copy and then used a Blending mode to work the adjustment over the original photo. I made no changes to my original photo.

My first edit uses the Dark Strokes filter: Filter > Brush Strokes > Dark Strokes with the resulting image being set to Blending mode “Lighten” over the original:

You can see the colors are much richer and have more depth.

My second edit uses the Lighting Effects filter with Soft Omni selected:
Filter > Render > Lighting Effects, then the following settings:

I selected Soft Omni from the Style box, Omni from the Light Type box, and I left everything else as it appeared. These values are open to adjustment, of course!

My resulting image had a vignette effect, which I blended over the original using Blending mode “Overlay,” giving this effect:

Again, the result was a darker, more atmospheric photo with more saturated color.

My final edit, and probably my favorite, uses another Lighting Effects filter, this time the Soft Direct Lights filter: Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

Then I selected as follows:

Again, I selected Soft Direct Lights from the Style box and Omni from the Light Type box but didn’t adjust the other options at all.

The resulting effect was as it appears above — the blue page with the light blue light source. I selected the “Overlay” Blending mode over my original photo, but the blue tinge was all wrong. I adjusted the Hue/Saturation/Lightness by using Ctrl+U until I achieved this beautiful, warm glow.

My final edit looks like this:

As you can see, filters give another option for photo editing. Play with filters, find some you have never used before, and see what great effects you can create! Post your edited photos in the Scrap Girls Gallery for us all to learn from!

PRODUCTS USED:Tutorial written by Jody West