A Word on Filters

Want to know some of my favourite filters? Maybe you can even learn about some new ones? Read about them here.

But first of all, What is a 'Filter'? A Filter is an effect that you can use on an image to make a wide variety of different looks. Filters can be used to blur, warp, pixelate, fade, glow, lighten, stamp, emboss... Plus much, much more. (If you don't know what some of that stuff means... don't worry, it's not exactly useful info. xD)
As a guide, all the images below have been 'filtered' from this original image: (Creative, I know xD)

Here are some examples of what filters can do:

Film Grain

A basic effect that could be used for just about anything. It gives the impression of one of those olden day movies... maybe you could use it for something like that? xD

To Get This Filter: Filter > Artistic > Film Grain...

Spatter

A slightly more complex filter, the Spatter gives off a watery, ocean-y effect. Could also be used for things like Paint splatters or whatever.

To Get This Filter: Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter...

Chalk and Charcoal

A filter which grayscales and blurs slightly. If you want something to look as though it was drawn in Charcoal (hence the name) you should consider using this filter right here. I don't think there's any way to retain the colour though, so if you don't want it black and white, stay away.

To Get This Filter: Filter > Sketch > Chalk and Charcoal...

Graphic Pen

This is one of my favourites. Kind of like the one before, it makes an image look as though it has been drawn. Again, it doesn't retain colours.

To Get This Filter: Filter > Sketch > Graphic Pen...

Note Paper

Another of my fav's... This looks to be a mix of embossing and photocopying, but it's a filter! xD

To Get This Filter: Filter > Sketch > Note Paper...

Blur

Ah, a good all-purpose blur. Who doesn't like the classics, huh? The blur (if used correctly) can look extremely good in just about any piece. I seriously recommend experimenting with this little filter.

To Get This Filter: Filter > Blur > [There's plenty of different types of blurs here... try them all!]

Mosaic

For the person who likes their images squared! The Mosaic filter is a good one to use in moderation. I wouldn't recommend using this filter on a large scale.

To Get This Filter: Filter > Pixelate > Mozaic...

Wind

Last but not least, again one of my all time favourites; Wind! How cool does it look? xD and the best bit is, you can manipulate it to just about any level. Try this one out! (Looks great on text!)

To Get This Filter: Filter > Stylise > Wind...