Applied properly, "Noise" transformations can turn an ordinary photograph into art. In general, "noise" creates a granular effect that adds texture to a flat or overly blended image. Noise filters can also be used to lighten or darken an image by adjusting the number of colors, or to remove the dreaded noise from scanned images.

Among the artistic noise filters, the Impressionist filter gives an image the look of an oil painting by an impressionist like Van Gogh. We can vary the brush shape, brush direction, stroke length, number of brushes, and colors to create an unusual look. The Pointillism filter adds a dot-like appearance to the image, like the pictures of George Seurat.