Photoshop plugins, or Photoshop filters as they are also called, add extra functions to Photoshop. They are automatically loaded into Photoshops Filter menu at start-up. Most plugins focus on effects that are hard to duplicate in Photoshop. Recently a number of plugins have been produced, that do sophisticated image retouching that would otherwise be impossible or very time consuming in Photoshop. Photoshop has since begun to offer functions similar to some of the old plugins, like lens correction and proper black-white conversion.
Installing plugins into Photoshop is pretty easy. Adobe Photoshop installs with a folder called Plug-Ins inside the Photoshop folder. All you have to do is place the plugins inside the Plug-Ins folder. When you launch Photoshop, the menu Filters will show your new plugins. If Photoshop was already running, when you installed the plugins, you will have to quit Photoshop and launch Photoshop anew. The plugins can in fact be installed in any folder you want, not just Photoshop's Plug-Ins folder. Follow these guidelines to install plugins in any folder you like:
1. First make sure your alternative plugins folder exists, otherwise create it where ever you like. 2. Run Photoshop. 3. Open the menu Edit. Go to the bottom of the Edit menu to Preferences. This will load the Preferences sub menu. 4. Plug-Ins might be called "Plug-Ins and Scratch Disk" depending on your Photoshop version. Go there. 5. Activate Additional Plug-Ins Folder by checking it. 6. Now locate your alternative plugins folder by clicking the Browse button.
As simple as that! You now have an alternative plugins folder where you can store all your personal plugins. Exit the preferences and relaunch Photoshop. Next time you run Photoshop, the menu Filters should have all your personal plugins listed at the bottom.
There are generally two types of plugins: 1. Plugins for photo retouching. 2. Plugins that add effects. Retouching plugins tend to manipulate what is already in the photograph without adding anything new. Effects plugins on the other hand add, well, effects to the image. Sharpening, exposure or saturation would be examples of retouching. Effects examples could be lens flare, bokeh or raster. The distinction is not always so easy. Is lens correction a retouch or an effect, for example? It is a retouch if you correct barreling or pincushion, but if you make a regular image look like a fish eye picture, it is an effect.
The history of plugins goes back to Photoshop v 2, in 1991, when support for third party plugins was introduced. In 1994 Joe Ternasky released Filter Factory for writing third party plugins. In 1997 Alex Hunter released Filter Meister as an improvement over Filter Factory and many of todays plugins are written in Filter Meister. Ten years after Filter Meister was released, a novel approach to filter development was released as Filter Forge. Filter Forge plugins require Filter Forge to run and they are not stand alone. Filter Meister plugins are currently only for 32 bit Photoshop, but the developer, Alex Hunter, prmises 64bit support will be released some time 2013. Filter Meister is only available for the Windows platform.
Installing plugins into Photoshop is pretty easy. Adobe Photoshop installs with a folder called Plug-Ins inside the Photoshop folder. All you have to do is place the plugins inside the Plug-Ins folder. When you launch Photoshop, the menu Filters will show your new plugins. If Photoshop was already running, when you installed the plugins, you will have to quit Photoshop and launch Photoshop anew. The plugins can in fact be installed in any folder you want, not just Photoshop's Plug-Ins folder. Follow these guidelines to install plugins in any folder you like:
1. First make sure your alternative plugins folder exists, otherwise create it where ever you like. 2. Run Photoshop. 3. Open the menu Edit. Go to the bottom of the Edit menu to Preferences. This will load the Preferences sub menu. 4. Plug-Ins might be called "Plug-Ins and Scratch Disk" depending on your Photoshop version. Go there. 5. Activate Additional Plug-Ins Folder by checking it. 6. Now locate your alternative plugins folder by clicking the Browse button.
As simple as that! You now have an alternative plugins folder where you can store all your personal plugins. Exit the preferences and relaunch Photoshop. Next time you run Photoshop, the menu Filters should have all your personal plugins listed at the bottom.
There are generally two types of plugins: 1. Plugins for photo retouching. 2. Plugins that add effects. Retouching plugins tend to manipulate what is already in the photograph without adding anything new. Effects plugins on the other hand add, well, effects to the image. Sharpening, exposure or saturation would be examples of retouching. Effects examples could be lens flare, bokeh or raster. The distinction is not always so easy. Is lens correction a retouch or an effect, for example? It is a retouch if you correct barreling or pincushion, but if you make a regular image look like a fish eye picture, it is an effect.
The history of plugins goes back to Photoshop v 2, in 1991, when support for third party plugins was introduced. In 1994 Joe Ternasky released Filter Factory for writing third party plugins. In 1997 Alex Hunter released Filter Meister as an improvement over Filter Factory and many of todays plugins are written in Filter Meister. Ten years after Filter Meister was released, a novel approach to filter development was released as Filter Forge. Filter Forge plugins require Filter Forge to run and they are not stand alone. Filter Meister plugins are currently only for 32 bit Photoshop, but the developer, Alex Hunter, prmises 64bit support will be released some time 2013. Filter Meister is only available for the Windows platform.
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