Many of today’s cameras come with built-in filter effects that can be applied to shots as you take them. They are only applied to JPEGs because raw files are, by definition, created without adjustments. However, most (if not all) filter effects can be applied once images are in an editable format (JPEG or TIFF) and there’s plenty of software to help you.
Why use filters?
Most reasons for using filters fall into two categories: useful filters and effects filters. Useful filters include sharpening, blurring, noise suppression, rendering for lighting effects and lens correction.
Typical effects filters include those that add mosaic or ripple patterns, simulate oil paintings, crayon drawings or pencil lines, introduce colour effects that boost or subdue colours or change colour balances. Other common filters include linear effects…