How to do?

I have started to use the program. I read that it should be possible to use Filter Forge and Photoshop together. I also saw many filters that don't look 100% made only with Filter Forge.
So, I thought to make some basic picture with Photoshop and then working on it with Filter Forge.
But once I go to save it as a filter, Filter Forge is keeping only the modifications I made with the program and losing the original picture. Why?
Yes, I can correctly save the picture, as jpg, png, etc. but not as filter.
And the funny thing is... If I try to save as new filter a picture made in Photoshop, without adding any FF preset, it saves an empty filter. Instead if I don't use any picture and any preset, it saves a flat .
Why can I save a as filter and cannot save a normal picture instead?
I know that all this may sound like a stupid problem to many people here, who made so beautiful filters, but for me is a problem because I cannot add anything external except filters made by other users.

in addition to what steve said, jolly, filter forge can produce two different types of filter. one type is a 'texture' filter. the texture filter produces a complete image which needs nothing else with it and in fact, even if you import an image you wont see the import because the texture is completely opaque.

the other type is an effect filter. this type applies an effect to an imported image. but, like steve said, the image is not saved with the filter. the simplest reason for this is that FF's library is public and folks might very well submit their filters to the library and put copyrighted imported images along with the filter into the library and that would open FF, inc. up to lawsuits. nobody wants that. so, you cant save an image with the filter.

but, that doesnt mean you cant save a rendering of the image and the effect applied together. if you look down in the bottom, right corner of filter forge, you shld see a button that says something like 'save image'. by clicking on that, you can save whatever is showing in the main preview window of the main filter forge display. it can save it in a variety of image formats, including .jpg, .png, .tif and others.

so, yes, you cannot save the image with the filter, but you can save your work

filter forge will run as plugin within photoshop. but, the filter itself maintains its integrity regardless. in other words, if you run FF in photoshop and create an effect, any other effect you create with photoshop only affects the image you are working on, NOT the FF filter itself. understand, an FF filter is not the same as an image that has had the filter applied to it. those are different beasts. the filter is something you use to create an effect. the saved image, the rendering is the result and not the filter. the filter is a tool, just like photoshop is a tool. when you work with photoshop you are not altering photoshop and are not saving photoshop. you save the work you worked on with photoshop.

and your last question doesnt make sense to me, i'm afraid. the filters are tools. yes, you can alter your tools, but those are not your finished images where the tool has been applied. an FF filter can be altered within the filter editor to make it a different filter, but photoshop can in no way actually alter an FF filter. you can alter an effect of a filter in photoshop, but not the actual filter itself.

Quote
CFandM wrote: Did you mean Photoshop plug-in? If so the individual filters cannot be converted into photoshop plug-ins

Request #1,495,732 for an FF 8bf creator.....by far the most requested "feature".....