Applying filters and effects to bitmap images, Improving performance for filters and effects, Modify or delete an effect – Adobe Illustrator CS3 User Manual
Page 359
ILLUSTRATOR CS3
User Guide
353
Applying filters and effects to bitmap images
Filters and effects let you apply a special look to bitmap images as well as vector objects. For example, you can apply
an impressionistic or mosaic look, apply lighting changes, distort images, and produce many other interesting
visual effects.
Consider the following information when applying filters or effects specifically to bitmap objects:
•
Filters and effects don’t work on linked bitmap objects. If you apply a filter or effect to a linked bitmap, it is applied
to an embedded copy of the bitmap instead of to the original. To apply the filter or effect to the original, you can
embed the bitmap in the document.
•
Adobe Illustrator supports plug-in filters and effects from Adobe products such as Adobe Photoshop and from
non-Adobe software developers. Once installed, most plug-in filters and effects appear in the Filter and Effect
menus and work the same way as do built-in filters and effects.
•
Some filters and effects can be memory-intensive, especially when applied to a high-resolution bitmap image.
See also
“About linked and embedded artwork” on page 253
“About plug-in modules” on page 50
Improving performance for filters and effects
Some filters and effects are very memory-intensive. The following techniques can help improve performance when
applying these filters and effects:
•
Select the Preview option in filter or effect dialog boxes to save time and prevent unintended results.
•
Change the settings. Some commands, such as Glass, are extremely memory-intensive. Try different settings to
increase their speed.
•
Make sure Illustrator has enough RAM allocated for performing tasks and for the scratch disk (the temporary disk
space used to work with bitmap images).
•
If you plan to print to a grayscale printer, convert a copy of the bitmap image to grayscale before applying filters.
Note, however, that in some cases, applying a filter to a color bitmap image and then converting it to grayscale may
not have the same result as applying the same filter directly to a grayscale version of the image.
Modify or delete an effect
1
Select the object or group (or target the layer in the Layers panel) that uses the effect.
2
Do one of the following:
•
To modify the effect, double-click the effect listing in the Appearance panel. In the effect’s dialog box, make the
desired alterations, and then click
OK.
•
To delete the effect, select the effect listing in the Appearance panel, and click the Delete button.