| Q1: | Why is the Filter menu grayed out? |
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A1:
| There are a couple of possible reasons:
You are transforming (Free Transform, Warp, Transform Selection), and you haven't “finished” yet. Press Return (PC: Enter) to complete the transformation and the Filter menu should reappear. The document is either in Indexed Color or Bitmap mode (Image>Mode), and these modes do not allow filters to be used.
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| Q2: | Why are some of the filters grayed out? |
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A2:
| Your document is in CMYK, Lab Color, or 16-bit mode, and in each of these modes, some filters are not available. |
| Q3: | How do I apply a filter in CMYK mode? My document is in CMYK mode, and the filter I want to apply is grayed out. Is it possible to apply this filter but stay in CMYK mode? |
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A3:
| It depends on the filter. For many filters, you can go to the Channels palette (Window>Channels), click on the Cyan channel, and apply the filter. Then, click on the Magenta channel and press Command-F (PC: Control-F) to apply the filter again. Repeat for the Yellow and Black channels. Note that filters that apply a random effect, such as Filter>Render>Clouds, will apply a different look to each channel. |
| Q4: | Why are some of the filters missing? |
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A4:
| If “standard” filters do not appear under the Filter menu, it suggests that the menus have been customized. Go to Edit>Menus and click on the right-facing arrow to the left of the word “Filter” to show the missing filter(s) for that menu. You can also hold down Command (PC: Control) as you click on the Filter menu in the menu bar to temporarily show the missing menu items. |
| Q5: | Where is the 3D Transform filter? In Photoshop 7 I had a filter called 3D Transform, but when I upgraded to Photoshop CS2, it's gone. Can I get it back? |
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A5:
| As of Photoshop CS, that filter is no longer installed by default, but you can find it on the installation disc in Goodies>Optional Plug-Ins>Filters. Drag it from the disc into Photoshop CS2>Plug-Ins>Filters. Restart Photoshop and the 3D Transform filter will appear in Filter>Render. |
| Q6: | How do I apply a filter to type without rasterizing? |
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A6:
| Technically you can't apply a filter without rasterizing text, but you do have a couple of options:
Duplicate the Type layer (Command-J [PC: Control-J]), rasterize the copy (Layer>Rasterize>Type), click on the Lock Transparent Pixels icon, and then apply the filter to the copied layer. That way you at least have a backup copy in case you need to edit the text. 
For some filters, you can add a new layer above the Type layer (by clicking on the Create a New Layer icon with your Type layer active in the Layers palette), fill it with the same color as the type (by pressingOption-Delete [PC: Alt-Backspace] with your Foreground color selected), and apply the filter to that layer. Then press Command-Option-G (PC: Control-Alt-G) to create a layer clipping mask, so the filtered layer is only visible within the letters. This way the type is still editable. (Note: Not all filters will be visible on the colorized layer.)
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| Q7: | Is there a way to lessen the effects of a filter once it's been applied? |
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A7:
| If you've applied a filter—and have not done any other operation—you can use Edit>Fade to “fade out” the effects of the filter. Unfortunately, that is pretty much a one-shot deal. So, before applying the filter, press Command-J (PC: Control-J) to duplicate the layer. Now apply the filter, and then lower the layer Opacity to lessen the effect. |
