confused on what to actually do with filters

Now normally I am pretty handy with photoshop, been using it for a very long time. However I cant seem to get the filters I tell FF to apply to an image in photoshop to do anything other than replace it. This has me baffled, I dont want to replace my image, I want to enhance it...how do I do this? I have tried putting it on another layer using various multiply/overlay etc, and nothing seems to work, I lose the details of the filter because its not actually applying itself to my image (obviously when on a separate layer). Yet if I allow it to paste on the same layer as my image, it just flat out replaces it. I am using CS2 9 for the record. So for now, I have no idea what to do with these filters other than use them as images by them self, which is fine and all, but, thats not a filter...thats a texture.

Any ideas what exactly I am doing wrong?

*grumbles at ineptness*

OH! Wow, ok sheesh I feel silly now. Its so funny because all this time I have been trying to make my own eyeballs using some of the 'filters' for eyes, but not getting anywhere

I did finally figure out how to edit the filter, snap in my own eyeball texture in place (sorta) strictly using filter forge. XD

(another SL'r looking for yet another program to keep me entertained)


Thanks!

The need to make custom textures in SL is what brought me here. I've pretty much left SL, but I still love this program and use it for other things.