thanks for That!!!! BooksbyDavid :)

really glad I asked!

yes, digital art is about being spoilt for choice, hmmm, 

The Portrait of  the Artist as a Filter is what James Joyce should have written  

Not a digital filter, but as the person who decides what to keep and what not to, regardless of the medium.

I haven't looked but can you/do you ever use  object index pass render in perfect effects to generate a mask (ie help select parts of image) ....  ?