How to fade filters in Photoshop and PSE

Adobe Photoshop or Elements Tip of the Week from Designer Digitals:

How to fade filters in Photoshop and PSE

You can also watch this tip on video on their blog: How to fade filters in Photoshop and PSE [Video]

We all have a pair of favorite jeans - the comfy ones that started out with a deep blue hue, but each memory you've made in them has faded them just a bit. A family picnic, going to the show, pizza and video nights have rendered them the perfect shade of blue.

Like the color of your jeans, you can make your Photoshop filter effect the perfect intensity as well.

Last week's tip covered how to multiply filter effects by re-running them. Today's tip helps you fade the filter down when the effect is too extreme.

To begin, open a photo in Photoshop and select Filter from the Menu bar. Run a filter by clicking the category and filter name. Make adjustments in the filter dialog box and click OK.

To fade the effect, press Ctrl Shift F (Mac: Cmd Shift F) on the keyboard. This activates the Fade dialog box. With the Mode set to Normal, move the Opacity slider to achieve the look you want.

Using this shortcut allows you to decrease the intensity of your filter without having to undo and readjust the filter settings by opening the filter dialog.

In Photoshop Elements, the best way to fade a filter is to use the Layers Panel Opacity slider feature using these steps.

Open a photo and duplicate it by pressing Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J) on the keyboard.

Target the photo copy and run a filter.

Decrease the opacity of the filter layer by dragging the Opacity slider(in the Layers Panel) to the left.

Some Photoshop users prefer this method since it's a nondestructive way of fading filters.

I find this shortcut especially helpful when I have rerun a filter. Sometimes once is not enough, but twice is too strong. Fading the rerun might give you just the concentration you want.