When I upgraded from my Photoshop CS2 to CS4 I noticed a new filter set called "Filter Gallery" in my filter menu. Adobe's Filter Gallery provides a preview of many of the special effects filters. You can apply multiple filters, turn on or off the effect of a filter, reset options for a filter, and change the order in which filters are applied. When you are satisfied with the preview, you can then apply it to your image. This brief How To will get you started using Photoshops Filter Gallery and teach you how to use Smart Filters too. It is easy, just follow these easy steps and you will convert your good photos into incredible works of art. See my complete review at our web site.

1. Open your favorite photo in Photoshop CS4 and do your basic photo corrections. Crop it, adjust the levels, color balance, etc. until you feel the photo is looking good and the way you want it. Now get ready for some fun. Go to the Filter Menu and select Filter Gallery from the choices. This will open a new window with your image file and lots of filter options to select or try.

2. Now before you begin to apply any filters go to either your PS Menue under Layer/Smart Objects/Convert to Smart Object. This can also be done at your Layers Palette too.

Once you apply a filter to your Smart Objects layer, you will see a new layer now show up on your layers palette as a Smart Filter which you can adjust, reorder, or delete it if you like...very cool.

3. Next go through the various filters and start with their default settings at first. You can tweek them later and make them do what you want them to do. This is a very flexible program. As you apply various filters you can determine which ones you like best and make a number of versions to print out later. I was also able to double click on the arrows icon on the filter in my layers window and open up to my Blending Options for that filter layer, select which option I wanted to use and even adjust the opacity of that option.

4.You can of course combine various filters on additional layers, but that will be for another time. For now get used to using these wonderful Photoshop filters and you will be able to frame these prints and have people think you are an artist and able to do water color paintings, oils, pastels, pen and ink and others.

5. Since you have been working with a Smart Filter layer you have not changed the original file at all. So it is non-destructive and you can save various versions you did using the filters as I have in my article without touching the original image file.

* Try all the filters to get an idea of what they do to your images, then pick the ones you feel look best.

* Print your images using a good photo quality ink jet printer using either matt or glossy paper. Matt paper will give you great results when using many filters like Water Color, Dry Brush and others so the photos will look as if they were painted on art stock.

* Read my complete article at the IPA web site to see actual samples of what I did on my image files.

* Download a free 30 day trial version of Photoshop CS4 from the Adobe web site and use the heck out of it while it is active. It is a full working version of the program.

* Do not work on an original file or you will change it and may not be able to get back to your original file if you save it with the filter applied.