Photoshop plugins, or Photoshop filters as they are also called, add extra functions to Photoshop. They are automatically loaded into Photoshop's Filter menu at start-up. Almost anything can be done by a plugin and some are very advanced. Recently a number of plugins have been produced, that do sophisticated image retouching that would otherwise be impossible or very time consuming in Photoshop. Recent version of Photoshop does what some of the older plugins did, like lens correction and black-white conversion.
It is easy to install plugins into Photoshop. Inside the Adobe Photoshop folder, there is a folder called Plug-Ins. 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. You can actually install the plugins in a different folder than Photoshop's Plug-Ins folder. To install in any folder you like, follow these guidelines:
1. First make sure your alternative plugins folder exists, otherwise create it where ever you like. 2. Start Photoshop. 3. Open the menu Edit. Go to the bottom of the Edit menu to Preferences. Open Preferences. 4. In Preferences go to Plug-Ins or Plug-Ins and Scratch Disk, depending on your Photoshop version. 5. Check Additional Plug-Ins Folder to activate it. 6. Click the button Choose to browse to your desired alternative Plug-Ins folder.
As simple as that! This alternative plugins folder can now be used to store all your personal plugins. Exit the preferences and relaunch Photoshop. The plugins in your alternative location will be listed at the bottom of the Filter menu next time you run Photoshop.
Plugins generally fall into two categories: 1. Plugins for photo retouching. 2. Plugins that add effects. Retouching plugins don't add anything new to the image, but rather manipulate what is already there. On the other hand, effects plugins add, well, effects to the picture. Retouching examples could be sharpening, exposure or saturation. Examples of effects plugins could be lens flare, bokeh or raster. The distinction is not always so easy. What about lens correction? Is that a retouch or an effect? If you correct barreling or pincushion, it is a retouch, but if you use it to create the look of a fish eye lens, it is an effect.
Third party plugin were made possible in 1991 when Photoshop introduced the possibility in Photoshop 2. Three years later Joe Ternasky released Filter Factory for writing third party plugins. Three years after Filter Factory appeared, Alex Hunter released Filter Meister as an improvement over Filter Factory. Many of today's plugins are written in Filter Meister. In 2007 a novel approach to plugin 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, promises 64bit support will be released some time 2013. Filter Meister is only for Windows.
It is easy to install plugins into Photoshop. Inside the Adobe Photoshop folder, there is a folder called Plug-Ins. 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. You can actually install the plugins in a different folder than Photoshop's Plug-Ins folder. To install in any folder you like, follow these guidelines:
1. First make sure your alternative plugins folder exists, otherwise create it where ever you like. 2. Start Photoshop. 3. Open the menu Edit. Go to the bottom of the Edit menu to Preferences. Open Preferences. 4. In Preferences go to Plug-Ins or Plug-Ins and Scratch Disk, depending on your Photoshop version. 5. Check Additional Plug-Ins Folder to activate it. 6. Click the button Choose to browse to your desired alternative Plug-Ins folder.
As simple as that! This alternative plugins folder can now be used to store all your personal plugins. Exit the preferences and relaunch Photoshop. The plugins in your alternative location will be listed at the bottom of the Filter menu next time you run Photoshop.
Plugins generally fall into two categories: 1. Plugins for photo retouching. 2. Plugins that add effects. Retouching plugins don't add anything new to the image, but rather manipulate what is already there. On the other hand, effects plugins add, well, effects to the picture. Retouching examples could be sharpening, exposure or saturation. Examples of effects plugins could be lens flare, bokeh or raster. The distinction is not always so easy. What about lens correction? Is that a retouch or an effect? If you correct barreling or pincushion, it is a retouch, but if you use it to create the look of a fish eye lens, it is an effect.
Third party plugin were made possible in 1991 when Photoshop introduced the possibility in Photoshop 2. Three years later Joe Ternasky released Filter Factory for writing third party plugins. Three years after Filter Factory appeared, Alex Hunter released Filter Meister as an improvement over Filter Factory. Many of today's plugins are written in Filter Meister. In 2007 a novel approach to plugin 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, promises 64bit support will be released some time 2013. Filter Meister is only for Windows.
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