Remember if you use a small subset of filters again and again (like Smart Sharpen and Grain), you can eliminate the time it takes to find them in the Filter submenu’s by assigning a keyboard shortcut to them (Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts).
When using Filter Gallery, Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) -click on a filter’s preview icon to add a new filter on top of the selected filter (instead of changing the selected filter). Also while in Filter Gallery, Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) -click on a disclosure triangle (next to the Filter Categories) to hide/show all of the contents (and previews) of filter categories.
Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Shift + F to display the Fade dialog to change Opacity and Blend mode of the fade last filter applied. Note this command must be run directly after applying the filter.
Command-Option (Mac)/Control-Alt (Win) + F to display the dialog box for the last used filter.
In this episode of The Complete Picture (Applying the Lens Blur Filter for Selective Focus), Julieanne Kost shows us how to get great results with the Lens Blur Filter in Adobe Photoshop CS4.
In this training video, (Creative Retouching Techniques and Edge Effects in Photoshop), you will discover how to to completely change the look and feel of a photograph with some simple retouching, creative adjustments, and the addition of edges and texture.
