What is the effect of converting a layer to a Smart Object before applying a filter?

• A. The filter becomes permanent and rasterized.
• B. It prevents applying any further filters.
• C. The filter becomes non-destructive and can be adjusted or removed later.
• D. It converts the layer to grayscale.

Answer: (C)

Converting a layer to a Smart Object before applying a filter makes the filter non-destructive. When you apply the filter to a Smart Object, it becomes a Smart Filter, which you can tweak at any time by adjusting the filter’s settings, toggle its visibility, or delete it without altering the original pixels. You can also edit the Smart Object’s contents later, and the filter effect will update accordingly. This flexibility is what lets you refine or reverse the effect as needed. In contrast, applying a filter to a regular, rasterized layer would bake the effect in permanently, with no easy way to adjust later. The option to revert, adjust, or remove the filter is why this approach is preferred for reversible, non-destructive editing.