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.