They can be used to smudge an image, tear its edges, infuse it with a neon glow--in fact, the range of effects extends way beyond the standard settings as filters can be configured and combined in any number of ways. This beautifully designed visual reference opens with a brief introduction for beginners on how to set up smart filters, use the filter gallery, adjust the blend modes for different filters, and identify the effect of each blend mode. The bulk of the book, however, serves as a visual reference to the many, many, many types of filters within Photoshop, including artistic, brush stroke, distort, pixelate, sketch, stylize, texture filters, and more.