Glass Refraction effect

Slices the image into refracting facets, with lensing, dispersion and a specular edge.

Made with the Glass Slice filterWorks in

$Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a man in black sunglasses, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Facet Fan preset)$ BeforeAfter

Glass Slice cuts your photo into strips or shards of glass. Each facet bends what is behind it, splits the light into colour ribbons and catches a bright edge. Presets run from shattered panes to venetian slats and a fan of facets.

3presets
16settings
3apps

Same effect, different presets.

8 photos, each with its own preset. Try it on yours

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a woman in sunglasses against a blue sky, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Shatter preset) — Shatter

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a woman with red hair in a studded beanie, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Venetian preset) — Venetian

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a man in black sunglasses, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Facet Fan preset) — Facet Fan

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a man in sunglasses on a red background, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Shatter preset) — Shatter

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a woman with copper red hair, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Venetian preset) — Venetian

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a woman with black hair, hands on her head, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Facet Fan preset) — Facet Fan

Glass refraction effect on a wide-angle portrait of a woman looking up at the camera, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Shatter preset) — Shatter

Glass refraction effect on a portrait of a woman in headphones holding a CD, made with the Glass Slice filter in Filter Archive (Venetian preset) — Venetian

Use the glass refraction effect in Photoshop, Affinity or Figma.

One licence covers all three: $9.99 a month or $59.99 once. See pricing

Photoshop

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu, pick Glass Slice and press Apply. The result lands on a new layer above your original.

Mac & Windows · Photoshop 2024+

Affinity

Choose Filters, Plugins, Filter Archive on a pixel layer, pick Glass Slice and apply it to that layer.

Mac & Windows · Affinity 3

Figma

Select an image, frame or shape, run Filter Archive and apply Glass Slice as a new layer or in place.

Figma Community

Settings worth touching.

LensingRefraction: How curved each facet is. Zero is a plain cut and shift; more makes it refract.
DispersionRefraction: Splits the light into colour ribbons inside each facet.
Specular EdgeFinish: A bright line where facets meet. Without it the strips read as an accident.

Plus 13 more in the panel, all editable after you pick a preset.

Glass Refraction Effect questions.

What is a glass refraction effect?

A glass refraction effect makes a photo look like it is seen through textured glass, such as fluted or reeded panels or broken shards, with the image bent and offset in each section.

How do I make a glass refraction effect in Photoshop?

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu and choose Glass Slice. Start from a preset such as Shatter or Venetian, adjust the settings while the preview updates, then press Apply. The result goes on a new layer and your original stays untouched.

Can I use it in Affinity or Figma?

Yes. The same Glass Slice filter runs in Affinity 3 on Mac and Windows, from Filters, then Plugins, then Filter Archive on a pixel layer, and in Figma on an image, frame or shape. One licence covers Photoshop, Affinity and Figma.

Which presets come with Glass Slice?

3 presets: Shatter, Venetian and Facet Fan. Every setting stays editable after you pick one, and you can save a stack of filters to use again.

Can I change the colours?

Glass Slice keeps the colours of the picture you run it on. To recolour the result, stack it with a filter that has its own palette, such as Thermal or Bitmap, in the same panel.