Using the dice is the easiest way to use Boss Emboss. If you want to hand-tune your own effects, it helps to learn the controls, which are explained below.

The basic result is gray, but you can use glue modes like 'overlay' to merge the embossing effect with your original image.

embossed

embossed + overlay

Angle is the direction of the light source.

(The mathematically-minded may like to call these controls right ascension and azimuth respectively.)

Relief is the strength of the embossing.

Source chooses whether to use use the grey version of the picture; only its red, green, or blue color channels; or all three channels independently. Mostly you will want to use grey.

Reset Gives you the "factory settings."

Export to PSD Renders the result to a a .psd image file, which can have custom dimensions.

Glue mode popup menu Lets you combine the result with the underlying image in various ways. Modes other than "normal" produce special effects. The next-glue button advances to the next glue mode.

Info Briefly explains of the controls.

Make Gallery Builds a web page showing all the presets in a folder that you choose.

Send to photo manager Sends the result to iPhoto (on Macintosh).

Plus, % and minus buttons: These zoom the preview in and out. Drag the preview to move it.

Load preset Boss Emboss comes with some presets, which are files containing settings. To load one, click this button and browse for a preset file.

Save preset When you make an effect you like, click this button to save the settings in a file. 

Undo backs up one step.

OK  Applies the effect to your image.

Cancel  Dismisses the filter, and leaves the image unchanged.

reset

export to PSD

next glue




info




make gallery




send to photo manager

load preset

save preset

undo

Although you can save your settings permanently to files, you can also stash settings in memory dots.

Click an empty dot to stash the current settings in it.

Click a full dot to retrieve its settings.

Hover the mouse over a dot to see what it contains.

Option-click to erase a dot on Macintosh.

Right-click to erase a dot on Windows.

If a dot is orange, your are currently using that dot's settings.

Dots remember their contents until you erase them. If you'd rather make a temporary dot that forgets when you exit the plug-in, control-click it. Temporary dots are square.

When you start the plug-in, it puts the starting settings in a temporary dot. That way it's easy to start over without exiting.

On Mac, you can drag-and-drop settings files from the central memory well.

memory dots

empty

full

current

temporary

• Use different glue modes like 'luminance' and ' soft light' to add life to the embossing.

• Open a picture and run the filter. Change the angle control and the height slider to extreme settings.

Version 1.4 May 2008

Adds convenience features to the interface. The Mac version is resizable.

Version 1.35 June 2007

Fixes a Macintosh problem where the plug-in could have bad settings or crash when installed on a machine for the first time.

Version 1.3 February 2007

Universal binary for Macintosh. Works as a Smart Filter in Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh. Fixes a Windows problem where the plug-in wouldn't remember its registration when it was installed in one user account but activated in another.

Version 1.2 June 2005

More glue modes. Faster. Larger previews in the file chooser.

Version 1.1 May 2004

More glue modes. Works with 16-bit-per-component color.

Version 1.04 December 2003

Recordable as a Photoshop action.

Version 1.02 September 2003

Adds more glue modes and the next-glue button.

Version 1.0 March 2003

The first release in this form.

The Furbo Filters were originally developed by Craig Hockenberry.