How to Use Filters in DesignScape

You can change the look of your images when using filters in DesignScape. Filters add effects such as paint, embossing, twirling and so much more. You can create some very artistic effects with your images. DesignScape is a great online alternative to Photohop and Illustrator.

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DesignScape has a large variation of filters to choose from. We will begin at the top of the list with the Filter Gallery. It is important to note that different images will give different results.

Before you begin, make sure that you have unzipped your purchased files to your PC.

Step 1 - Access the Filter Gallery

We have already opened our image by dragging and dropping it into DesignScape. The Filter Gallery will give previews of some of the filters available there. To access the Filter Gallery, go to Filter > Filter Gallery.

Add New Filter to Image

A new window will open with the available filters. You will notice that your image is now most likely black or black with lines of color. The Glowing Edges filter from the Stylize category is automatically applied to all images when opening the Filter Gallery.

Each filter added will be placed on the right hand side. You can already see the Glowing Edges filter there. To add a new filter, click on the New Filter icon bottom right. Next to this icon is the Delete option.

When adding a new filter, it will duplicate the previous filter and be placed at the top.

Edit Filters in Filter Gallery

We are going to start by deleting the second filter (top most filter) that we added as an example. Click on it to select, then click on the Delete icon bottom right.

Now, click on the remaining Glowing Edges filter to select it. Go to the filter category Artistic and click on the Dry Brush Filter. This will replace the Glowing Edges filter. You can edit the settings to your liking.

We used the following settings:

Brush Size: 8

Brush Detail: 8

Texture: 3

To see the difference you click on the eye icon to turn the filter on and off.

Apply More Image Filters

Next, we added the Sponge Filter from the Artistic category. We left the settings as is.

You may face the issue of the program slowing down as you add more filters. To get around this, after adding the second filter, click OK to close out of the Filter Gallery.

The filters will be added to the layer. Now, click back on the Filter Gallery and add additional filters if needed. Then click OK again. We added two more filters, Angled Strokes and Ocean Ripple. These are also added to the same layer. You can keep adding filters this way without slowing down too much.

Step 2 - Apply Filters from Filter Menu

You have additional filters in the Filter menu just below the Filter Gallery. These don’t open up a preview like the Filter Gallery. However, they adjust in real time. So as you are adjusting your image, you can see the changes immediately.

The Lens Correction Filter

The Lens Correction filter is used to correct lens distortion or perspective. Go to Filter > Lens Correction to access the options.

Changing the Amount will adjust any distortion that may be present or create distortion. Scale will help fix any edges of the transparent background that may show.

In the image below, as an example, we created distortion, which also showed the transparent background.

Now, if we change the Scale to 110%, the image will fill the screen.

Liquify Filter Tool

With the Liquify filter tool, you can twist and turn your image, distort or shrink and more. On the left side you will find the Liquify tools as well as the Move and Zoom tools.

On the right side you will find the settings for each Liquify tool. You will also be able to Reset everything and once done, click on OK to accept the changes.

3D Normal Map Filter

A normal map is used to create textures when working with 3D. This is more for advanced users who work with 3D projects. The 3D Normal Map filter can be found by going to Filter > 3D > Normal Map.

Blur Filters

Go to Filter > Blur and you will find a variation of Blur filters. The most commonly used Blur filter is Gaussian Blur, which we have applied in the image below. You can experiment with the various blur options to see what works best for your project.

Distort Filters

The next lot of filters can be found by going to Filter > Distort. These selection of filters allow you to distort your image such as Displace, Ripple and Twirl to name a few. Here we used the Ripple filter effect.

Noise Filters

Go to Filter > Noise and choose from the various Noise options available. As an example, we used the Add Noise option. This is a great tool to have when creating a composite where one photo has more noise than the other.

Pixelate Filters

Access the Pixelate filters through the Filter menu as with the other filters. Here you can create some interesting effects such as the ever popular Mosaic filter effect.

Render Filters

The Render filters menu allows you to create certain textures. We used the Lens Flare filter in the image below. The Clouds filter is very popular for use in projects such as Watercolor text effects.

Sharpen and Stylize Filters

In the Sharpen filters menu there are a few options to sharpen your image. For example, if you used Sharpen, there will be no options available and an automatic sharpening effect will be applied.

Stylize filters add a certain style such as Embossing or creating a Wind blow effect.

Other Filters Menu

In the Other filters menu you will find well known filters such as High Pass. The High Pass filter increases contrast along the edges to create an illusion of sharpening.

Fourier Filters

Both the filters, Fourier Transform and Inverse Fourier Transform, are used to achieve a final result. The point of these filters is to remove the textured backgrounds you may get from scanning photos or taking photos of screens.

We hope that this tutorial on using filters in DesignScape has provided you with tools needed to enhance your images. With the large amount of editing options available, your images will be given a new creative curve.