• Adobe Photoshop has a myriad of uses in the graphics arts field, from creating webpage layouts to retouching and repairing old photographs. But aside from purely commercial uses, Photoshop is also a remarkable tool for converting photographic images into something more artistic. There are several filters in Photoshop that can be used singly or in combination to produce various artistic effects.
  
  

Graphics Pen Effect

• The graphics pen effect produces converts a photographic image into something resembling a pen and ink drawing. To use this effect you first load the image you want to work with into Photoshop. Make any changes you want to make to it (such as cropping or resizing) before adding the effect. Then select "Filter" from the menu, then "Artistic" and click "Graphics Pen." In the dialog that pops up there are two adjustments to make. The first is "Stroke Length," and determines how long the ink stokes in the image will appear. If you make them too short the image will look as though it is made of dots. The second adjustment controls the "Light and Dark Balance" in the image. Adjusting this will make some sections stand out more than others.
  
  

Pallete Knife

• Another useful artistic effect in Photoshop is the "Palette Knife." This effect tends to make the image look painted. To use this effect on your image, select "Filter," then "Artistic" and click "Pallete Knife." In the dialog that pops up change the "Stroke Size" to about 10, the "Stroke Detail" to about 2 and the "Softness" to 0. The exact numbers you use will depend on the size of the original image and the effect you want.
  
  

Underpainting

• The Underpainting filter in Photoshop works differently than many of the other artistic filters in that it used not to make the image look drawn or painted but to make it look as though it is on a canvas or other surface. This means that will works best when used with other filters. For instance, you might first apply the Pallete Knife filter, and then select "Filter," "Artistic" and choose "Underpainting." In the dialog, you cans set the "Brush Size," "Scaling" "Relief" and the type of surface, such as canvas or brick.