Filter Gallery - Halftone Filter Unpredictable

Question

I've deleted my PS preferences and restarted, and I cannot get this filter to do what is was just doing a day earlier.
It doesn't matter what the foreground/background colors are, nor does it matter what the resolution of the file is.  I've experimented with every variable. The filter effect changes the filled layer to a solid color of the current foreground color.  No lines, dots or circles at all.
I'm trying to make lines in a filled layer, or a rasterized text layer.  Adjusting the sliders has no effect at this point, but the other Gallery filters DO work, oddly enough.
I've used this filter effect many times over the years, and it just started acting wonky.  This is PS CS6, on Mac OSX 10.8.5.
It seems to be unpredicable or temperamental.  Is there a reasonably-priced plugin that will create lines that are completely adjustable?
Anyone?

Answer 1

If you're actually trying to use the halftone pattern on a fill layer, which is a solid color layer, it will not work.  You need to use it on a pixel based layer.  For the rasterized text layer, it will only apply to the text and not the transparency, and if you text is black, it will create a halftome pattern that is all black.  Try white or better gray text.  Yes, this filter is crude for trying to make exact lines.  I often just create a large lined layer then size it down to what I want rather than trying to be exact with the filter.  Then use blending modes or whatever else you're trying to do with this lined layer.  But trying to apply to a rasterized text layer it going to give you issues.