How to Apply a Smart Filter

1. Click on Filters in the main toolbar to see a drop-down list of the available filters.
2. If you know which filter you’d like to use, click on it, and make adjustments in the filter dialog box that appears—some filters have no dialog box and take effect immediately after you select them.
3. Alternatively, you can click on Filter > Filter Gallery to browse through previews of each filter’s effects. Note that the Filter Gallery (and various specific filters) only for 8-bit image files. If you’re working with a 16- or 32-bit file and would like to use the Filter Gallery or a specific filter for 8-bit files only, select the layer that contains the image and then click on Image > Mode > 8 bits/channel to convert the image to an 8-bit file.
4. After you select a filter and make adjustments to it (if applicable), click OK. The image will then appear in its modified state in the main Photoshop work area.
    
   

The Appearance of Your Layer After Applying a Smart Filter

• A filter effects mask thumbnail will appear beneath the layer that contains the image. The filter effects mask works like a layer mask, but it affects the Smart Filter only—not the image. (For more on filter effects masks, see How to Use Filter Effects Masks.)
• The name of the type of filter that you applied will appear just below the filter effects mask. In this case, the Cutout Filter was applied.
• A filter options icon will appear in the bottom right corner, which allows you to edit the Smart Filter in various ways.
• In addition to the layer’s visibility icon , two more visibility icons will appear that allow you to show or hide the effects of a specific filter or of all Smart Filters.