Photoshop filters give digital painters and illustrators an alchemical array of creative effects quickly and easily. Filters can transform a standard photograph to give it the look of an oil painting, pencil drawing, or old film still, for example. They can be used to smudge an image, tear  its edges, infuse it with a neon glow--in fact, the range of effects extends way beyond the standard settings as filters can be configured and combined in any number of ways.<br><br>This beautifully designed visual reference opens with a brief introduction for beginners on how to set up smart filters, use the filter gallery, adjust the blend modes for different filters, and identify the effect of each blend mode.   <br><br>The bulk of the book, however, serves as a visual reference to the many, many, many types of filters within Photoshop, including artistic, brush stroke, distort, pixelate, sketch, stylize, texture filters, and more. For each group of filters, the book provides an overview that broadly explains the effects of each group of filters and how different settings affect them. The book then goes into greater detail showing swatches of photographs with the filters applied so readers can see the affects of the filters--used with their default settings, as well as with incremental changes made to their setttings. The swatches create an invaluable reference, saving the reader from experimenting by having a ready-made, look-it-up guide to the possible effects of each filter.<br>