16. A system for generating specialty imaging effects from layered documents, comprising: computer memory, which stores a specialty imaging converter comprising a conversion module configured to: for the at least one page of a layered document, identify at least one visual layer; for each of the at least one identified visual layers: identify at least one visual graphical element within the at least one identified visual layer; and for each of the at least one identified visual graphical element in a visual layer: (i) using a computer processor, identify, as a next effect layer, a closest effect layer above the visual layer which includes an effect graphical element that overlaps, at least in part, the at least one identified visual graphical element, comprising: detecting and storing in memory a location and layer overlay position of the identified visual graphical element; for each next-closest above effect layer on the same page as the identified visual graphical element: (a) identifying any effect graphical elements stored on the next-closest effect layer; (b) cropping each identified effect graphical element at the same place and size as the identified visual graphical element with respect to the visual layer dimensions; (c) determining whether each cropped effect graphical element contains graphical information; (d) if at least one effect graphical element contains graphical information, then identifying the at least one cropped effect graphical element as overlapping, at least in part, the identified visual graphical element and identifying the next-closest above effect layer as the next effect layer; (e) else, repeating (a)-(d) for the next-closest above effect layer on the same page as the identified visual graphical element; (ii) create a new graphical element by merging at least part of the identified visual graphical element with at least part of the overlapping effect graphical element of the identified next effect layer; and (iii) transform the input layered document by replacing the identified visual graphical element on the visual layer with the new graphical element; and a processor in communication with the memory for implementing the specialty imaging converter.
23. The system of claim 16 , wherein the specialty imaging converter resides on the same computing device as a creative tool used to create the layered document.