{"id":301877,"date":"2025-04-30T01:28:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T08:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/es\/?p=353947"},"modified":"2025-07-01T14:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T21:46:28","slug":"smart-filters-and-adjustment-layers-a-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/smart-filters-and-adjustment-layers-a-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart filters and adjustment layers: A complete guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there is one thing that <strong>Adobe Photoshop<\/strong> is known for, it is its vast array of <strong>options<\/strong> and <strong>adjustments<\/strong>. Thanks to these, any user can materialize what they have in their mind, as long as they know how to handle these tools. Today we will focus on two in particular: <strong>Smart Filters<\/strong> and <strong>Adjustment Layers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine, for example, that you want to edit some photos you took of yourself. Perhaps you want to adjust your skin tone, improve the contrast, or soften the background with a slight blur. Thanks to Smart Filters and Adjustment Layers, you can modify your photo with a couple of clicks and change any adjustment on the fly, without having to start from scratch constantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you don&#8217;t know anything about them, don&#8217;t worry: we will see what they are, what they are for, and how to use them to make your edits much better.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Adobe Photoshop\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-m\/p\/bbdedd58-96bf-11e6-ab2f-00163ed833e7\/2782924292\/adobe-photoshop-icon.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Adobe Photoshop<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/adobe.prf.hn\/click\/camref:1101lr4vs\/creativeref:1100l130405\/pubref:sponsored25article13\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/adobe.prf.hn\/click\/camref:1101lr4vs\/creativeref:1100l130405\/pubref:sponsored25article13\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are Smart Filters and how can I use them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<strong>Smart Filters<\/strong>&nbsp;are filters applied in an &#8220;intelligent&#8221; way to a layer. This means you can modify, adjust, or remove the filter at any time without damaging the original image. This is known as <strong>non-destructive editing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In summary, if we apply any filter (like Blur or Noise, for example), it would directly affect the layer, making it impossible to change later (only with our beloved <strong>CTRL + Z<\/strong>). With Smart Filters, everything is <strong>reversible<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To start, convert the layer into a&nbsp;<strong>Smart Object<\/strong>. To do this, right-click on the layer and choose&nbsp;<strong>Convert to Smart Object<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/photoshop-filters1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-353959\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Then, go to <strong>Filter<\/strong>, which is located in the top menu and choose the effect you want (<strong>Blur<\/strong>, <strong>Distort<\/strong>, <strong>Pixelate<\/strong>, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automatically, <strong>the filter will be applied as a Smart Filter<\/strong>. You will see it right below the layer in the Layers panel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/photoshop-filters2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-353962\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To modify it, you can <strong>double-click<\/strong> on the filter. You can also <strong>hide it<\/strong> as if it were another layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adjustment layers: This is how they work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<strong>Adjustment Layers<\/strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong>Adjustment Layers<\/strong>&nbsp;are another tool that, like Smart Filters, will help us to <strong>edit without altering the original image<\/strong>. With them, we can change things like brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, levels, curves, and much more. It will be very useful for experimenting with different light and color effects without affecting the base photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To use them, you just need to follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click on the icon of&nbsp;<strong>New Adjustment Layer<\/strong>&nbsp;at the bottom of the layers panel (it is a circle half white, half black). If you can&#8217;t find it, you can also go to <strong>Layer &gt; New Adjustment Layer.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/photoshop-filters3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-353963\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Choose the type of adjustment you want: <strong>Brightness\/Contrast, Hue\/Saturation, Levels, Curves, Black &amp; White<\/strong>&#8230; The list is long. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Next, a new layer will be created on top of your image with the adjustment you have chosen. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just like with Smart Filters, you can edit the adjustment by double-clicking on the layer icon. You can also use the <strong>layer mask <\/strong> that is automatically created to <strong>control where the effect is applied. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have never used them, you will see that Adjustment Layers will be very helpful when editing, designing, or drawing in Adobe Photoshop. Some of their advantages are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They are reversible<\/strong>: you can change your mind at any time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They give you more control<\/strong>: adjust each filter or setting without touching the original.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They facilitate experimentation<\/strong>: try combinations of filters and settings without fear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They improve your workflow<\/strong>: you will work faster and more organized.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A practical case: use Smart Filters and Adjustment Layers step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine you want to give your photos an older, vintage touch. Here&#8217;s how you could do it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Convert your photo into a&nbsp;<strong>Smart Object.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apply a&nbsp;<strong>Gaussian Blur<\/strong>&nbsp;filter as a Smart Filter and lower the opacity to your liking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then, add an&nbsp;<strong>Adjustment Layer<\/strong>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<strong>Hue\/Saturation<\/strong>&nbsp;and reduce the saturation levels a bit. Alternatively, you can also use the&nbsp;<strong>Black &amp; White<\/strong>&nbsp;option.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finally, <span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">an\u00a0<strong>adjustment layer<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0<strong>curves<\/strong>\u00a0is applied\u00a0<\/span>to give a soft contrast.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At any time, you can adjust any of these steps without destroying your original photo. Additionally, you can group all the effects in a folder to keep everything well organized. Below, we leave you some tips that will also be helpful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Name your layers<\/strong>: Labeling your layers will make your design, editing, or drawing much more organized and easier for you to work on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grouping layers<\/strong>\u00a0will also help you with this.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can <strong>use the layer mask<\/strong>&nbsp;of Smart Filters to apply the effect only in the areas you want.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Duplicate your layers<\/strong>\u00a0to make quick variations and see other alternatives without risking losing the original photo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see, Smart Filters and Adjustment Layers are two essential tools for any self-respecting Photoshop user. They not only allow you to work non-destructively, but they also open up a world of creative possibilities. Experiment with them to achieve more interesting effects, knowing that you won&#8217;t lose your photo.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Adobe Photoshop\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-m\/p\/bbdedd58-96bf-11e6-ab2f-00163ed833e7\/2782924292\/adobe-photoshop-icon.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Adobe Photoshop<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/adobe.prf.hn\/click\/camref:1101lr4vs\/creativeref:1100l130405\/pubref:sponsored25article13\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/adobe.prf.hn\/click\/camref:1101lr4vs\/creativeref:1100l130405\/pubref:sponsored25article13\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If there is one thing that Adobe Photoshop is characterized by, it is its large number of options and adjustments. Thanks to them, any user can materialize what they have in their head, as long as they know how to handle these tools. Today we will focus on two in particular: Smart Filters and Adjustment Layers. Imagine, for example, that you want to edit some photos you took of yourself. Maybe you want to adjust your skin tone, improve the contrast, or soften the background with a slight blur. Thanks to Smart Filters and Adjustment Layers, you can modify your photo with a [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9211,"featured_media":301878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[6461],"class_list":["post-301877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","content-category-graphic-design"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301877"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":307454,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301877\/revisions\/307454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301877"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=301877"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=301877"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=301877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}