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Photoshop General Discussion

Kar209

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how to add the Cloud Filter to Custom Shapes?

Aug 5, 2012 1:55 PM

Tags: #photoshop #help #draw #filters #cs6 #custom_shapes #cloud_filter #add_filter

Hello: Level: Newbie OS: Windows 7 64bit Ps CS6

I am trying to make a sun. I used the elliptical marquee and was able to add the filter > render > coulds w/no problem

However, when I draw a custom shape and try to use the cloud filter it fills the whole layer not just the shape.

I've tried several things but nothing has worked.

Also, a box pops up that says the layer must be rasterized before using the cloud filter and then it fills the whole canvas/layer.

Any ideas? Thank you for your time

247 Views 3 Replies Latest reply: Kar209, Aug 5, 2012 4:40 PM

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1. conroy,

Aug 5, 2012 2:38 PM in reply to Kar209

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Photoshop filters operate on raster images (i.e. pixels) only. A couple of ways to get the necessary raster from a Shape Layer:

1. Rasterize the SL, permanently converting it to a regular pixels layer (although you could keep a hidden copy of the SL in case you wanted to return to it).

2. Convert the SL to a Smart Object which non-destructively encapsulates the SL and provides a raster representation on which filters can operate. This is advantageous in that you can edit the contained Shape Layer at any time, you can non-destructively transform (e.g. stretch or warp) the SO as many times as you want, and filters can be attached as non-destructive re-editable Smart Filters.

For Clouds to be visible in only the existing pixels and not the empty region of a layer, make a mask for the layer: target the layer, Ctrl-click on its thumbnail to get a marquee of its pixels then click the Add Mask button at bottom of Layers panel. That's what I did below, but the mask could have been used as a Smart Filters mask which you can see as a white thumbnail.

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2. conroy,

Aug 5, 2012 3:52 PM in reply to conroy

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Instead of creating a Shape Layer then filling it with clouds, you could create clouds in a new layer then use a path as a Vector Mask for the clouds. Ctrl-clicking the Add Mask button makes it an Add Vector Mask button.

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3. Kar209,

Aug 5, 2012 4:40 PM in reply to conroy

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Wow!! Awesome info!! Thank you so very much!!

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