Applying a Filter Again in Photoshop

You can reapply the last filter you worked with, using the same settings, by pressing Ctrl+F (Ô+F on the Mac). (It’s also the first command in the Filter menu.) You might want to do this to strengthen the effect of a filter on a particular image, layer, or selection. Or you simply may want to apply the same filter to a succession of images or selections. To bring up the dialog box for the last filter you applied, press Ctrl+Alt+F (Windows) or Ô+Option+F (Mac). This shortcut can be very useful when you apply a filter and decide you want to go back and use different settings. After applying the filter, press Ctrl+Z (Ô+Z on a Mac) to undo, and then press Ctrl+Alt+F (Ô+Option+F on a Mac) to bring up the filter’s dialog box. The dialog box opens up with the settings you used last time, allowing you to make adjustments and reapply the filter.

Fading a Filter
Sometimes you may not want the full effects of a filter applied to your image or selection. Photoshop has a handy Fade Filter facility that lets you control the intensity of the filter’s effects. You can access this feature by choosing Edit-->Fade, or by pressing Shift+Ctrl+F (Shift+Ô+F on the Mac). The dialog box appears. The Fade Filter facility also has a Preview option so that you can preview the changes you’re making to the original image.

You must fade your filter immediately after you use the filter. If you use a painting or editing tool after the filter, for example, you won’t find Fade Filter in the Edit menu anymore. Photoshop replaces it with Fade Brush or something else. You can also add a fade effect in the following ways:
- Adjust opacity settings: Just about every filter allows you to adjust opacity, so most of the time the Opacity slider is all you need to adjust the strength of the filter applied to your image.
- Use a blending mode: Use one of the blend modes in Photoshop to merge the filter effect with the original image.
- Apply a filter to a duplicate layer or a selection on that layer: Then adjust the opacity of the filtered layer so that it merges with the unfiltered layer below it. One of the advantages to this method is that you can selectively erase portions of the filtered image to allow the unaltered portion to show through. For example, you can apply a blur filter to a face to smooth out a complexion, and then erase the blurred portion that covers the eyes. You could just select the face (minus the eyes) and blur only that with the filter, but using multiple layers gives you more flexibility. You can also fade a filter by using a layer mask to selectively hide or show the filtered area.