Let's Learn About Spot Wash : Halftone

Spot Wash : Halftone Paper Settings


After you've washed your image to reveal the layers below, choose from 20 different background papers to give your images added tactile realism that you can colorize or tint to your heart's desire!

Enhance Your Image With Paper


  • Choose Your Paper - Simply click the Choose button in the Paper dialog to launch the Paper Effect Picker. As you click each paper, your image will update in the preview window in realtime. To see a quick preview of all paper effects, simply click the eyeball icon along the bottom of the picker to toggle this view. Click the arrow icons along the top of the picker to see more options.

    Once you've selected the desired paper effect you'd like to use, Click Apply to select and apply the chosen effect or click Cancel to leave the picker dialog.
Once you've selected the desired paper you'd like to use, you can adjust the controls within the Paper dialog box to fine tune the paper. Additionally, you can select a different paper at any time and your current settings will be applied to the new paper. All other paper controls will remain disabled until a paper has been selected.

  • Paper Scale - Using the slider control, you may enlarge or reduce the size of the paper or simply enter a number in the text entry field to the right.

  • Color - Simply click the color swatch icon to the right of the Color slider to launch the color picker to select the color you'd like to apply to the paper. Slide the Color slider to the right to saturate the paper tint using the selected color. Check the Colorize checkbox to fully colorize the paper for a brighter, more vibrant paper color.

Working with the Preview Window


  • Preview Options - Above the preview window at left, you'll notice some viewing options. By default the Composite option is selected to show you all Spot Wash : Halftone effects applied to the image. At any time you can click the Original option to toggle between the unaffected image and a preview of the filtered image with the effects applied.

  • Reset All - Reset All is located above the preview window on the right. When clicked, it will reset all effects to their default state.

  • Magnifying the Preview - Below the preview window, you'll see the magnification controls. By clicking the appropriate icon (- or +), you can decrease or increase the magnification of the preview window. The current level of magnification is shown between the magnification icons. If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, you can simply hold down the Command (Apple) key (or the Ctrl key on Windows) then press the plus sign (+) or the minus sign (-) respectively to zoom in or out of your image.

  • Pro Tip - Adobe Photoshop users may use keyboard shortcuts to instantly change the zoom magnification. To fit the full image within the preview window, simply hold down the Command (Apple) key (or the Ctrl key on Windows) then press the number zero (0) on the keyboard. To view the image at 100% size, hold down the Command (Apple) key (or the Ctrl key on Windows) then press the number one (1) on the keyboard.

  • Moving the Preview - When you have increased magnification and wish to view the texture effect on the rest of the image not visible in the preview window, simply move your mouse into the preview window and click and drag your image around to reveal the effect on your image.

  • Generate Effect in New Layer Above* - Simply enable this option if you want the plug-in to duplicate your original image and apply the filtered version on a new layer above the original image leaving it intact.

    * NOTE - This option is only displayed in certain versions of Adobe Photoshop and other imaging applications that support layering and automation.

Click Here to learn about the Advanced Techniques . . .