# Filters: blur, sharpen, vignette, and other quick visual effects

URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/filters
Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/filters.md
Section: Pipelines
Summary: Nine ready-to-use visual effects you can apply across a whole batch — Blur, Pixelate, Vignette, Sharpen, Emboss, Edge Detect, Noise, Sepia, and Posterize.

Filters bundles nine common visual effects into one tool. Pick a filter, set its strength, run on your batch.

Most are creative effects (Sepia, Vignette, Posterize). A couple are practical (Sharpen for crispness, Blur for softening).

## How to use it

1. Add Filters to your pipeline.
2. Pick which **Filter** you want from the dropdown.
3. Adjust the strength slider that appears (different per filter).

You can chain multiple Filters by adding the tool more than once — Sharpen + Vignette + Sepia in three separate Filter steps if you want all three.

## The filters

| Filter | What it does | Strength setting |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Blur** | Softens the image by blending nearby pixels. Useful for hiding small flaws or creating soft backgrounds. | **Blur Radius** (1–100) — bigger = blurrier. |
| **Pixelate** | Reduces the image to chunky blocks. Privacy / artistic effect. | **Block Size** (1–200) — bigger = chunkier blocks. |
| **Vignette** | Darkens the corners of the image, drawing the eye to the center. Classic vintage look. | **Strength** (0–100) — higher = darker corners. |
| **Sharpen** | Increases the crispness of edges. Counteracts soft / blurry source images. | **Amount** (0–100) — higher = crispier (and noisier at extreme values). |
| **Emboss** | Turns the image into a 3D-relief effect, like stamped metal. Creative only. | (No strength slider — fixed effect.) |
| **Edge Detect** | Highlights only the edges of objects. Looks like a line drawing. Creative / technical. | (No strength slider — fixed effect.) |
| **Noise** | Adds random grain texture. Useful for matching grainy stock images or adding a film look. | **Amount** (0–100) — higher = more visible grain. |
| **Sepia** | Brown-tinted vintage look. Classic retro treatment. | (No strength slider — fixed effect.) |
| **Posterize** | Reduces the image to a small number of distinct colors. Cartoon-poster effect. | **Levels** (2–16) — fewer levels = more cartoony, more levels = closer to the original. |

## Common uses

- **Sharpen across a batch of slightly soft AI-generated images** — Sharpen at 25–40 makes them look crisp without going noisy.
- **Vignette every product image** for a subtle Etsy / boutique aesthetic — Strength 30–50 is usually right.
- **Blur backgrounds you've already isolated** — useful when you want a soft-focus product look. Blur Radius 15–30.
- **Sepia + Noise in two stacked Filters** for a vintage look.
- **Posterize at 4–6 levels** turns images into bold poster-style art for sticker batches.
- **Pixelate for privacy** at Block Size 20–40 obscures faces or sensitive details.

## Tips

- **Add Filters AFTER Color Removal V2 and Trim.** Filters work on the actual visible pixels — you want those clean before adding effects.
- **Add Filters BEFORE Reposition.** That way, the filter applies to your raw image, not to the empty canvas around it.
- **Subtle is usually right.** Sharpen 25 looks great. Sharpen 80 looks like a smartphone over-processing image. Same for most filters.
- **Stack filters by adding multiple Filter steps** to your pipeline. Each runs in order, top to bottom.
- **Test on one image first** before running on a 500-image batch. Filter effects can be dramatic and not always what you expected.

## Things Filters doesn't do

- **It doesn't have unlimited filter options.** Just the nine listed above. For more advanced effects (HDR, gradient maps, channel mixing), you'd need a dedicated image editor.
- **It doesn't undo itself.** Once a filter has been applied to a batch, the original is in the input file. Always keep originals.
- **It doesn't combine filters into one slider.** If you want Sharpen + Vignette + Sepia, you add the Filter tool three times to your pipeline, once per effect.
- **It doesn't auto-tune to your image.** You pick the strength manually. There's no "smart" mode.

## What to read next

- **[Image Adjustment](image-adjustment)** — color correction companion (run before Filters for the cleanest result)
- **[Distress](distress)** — related visual-effects tool for vintage/grunge looks
- **[Frames](frames)** — for adding decorative borders alongside filter effects