- Filter Plugins For Photoshop
- Instagram Filter Plugins For Photoshop
- Photoshop Plugin Filters Free Download
It is possible to use many Photoshop-compatible plugins in Irfanview, the free pixel-based image editor. Photoshop plugins are files with a .8bf extension and the functionality to install them in Irfanview isn't included by default.
However, there are a few freely available Irfanview plugins that extend the application in this useful way. This tutorial will show you how easy it is to download and install the necessary plugins to make this possible.
Download the Plugins
The Irfanview website has a page dedicated to plugins for the application. You can download all the available plugins as an executable file that will make the installation almost completely automatic, but for the purpose of this tutorial, we'll just download the files needed to install Photoshop plugins.
These are included in a ZIP file called iv_effects.zip, though do note that some older .8bf files may require a couple of additional files and we'll download and install these also for maximum compatibility. If you scroll down the page, you should see the note about filters requiring the Msvcrt10.dll and Plugin.dll and a link to download them just below.
Install the DLL Files
The two DLL files are also packaged as a ZIP file and these need to be extracted before being installed into Windows.
You can right-click on the ZIP file and select Extract All to save the files to a new folder. Alternatively, double-clicking the ZIP folder will open it in a Windows Explorer window and you can click the Extract All button there. Once extracted, you can move or copy them to the System or System32 folder – you can choose either and they don't have to be copied to both folders. On Windows 7, you can find these folders by opening your C drive and then the Windows folder. They will probably be located in a similar location on earlier versions of Windows.
Install the Plugins
The contents of the iv_effects.zip How to download endnote x7. should also be extracted in the same way as before.
Then you'll need to open the Plugins folder within the IrfanView application folder. On Windows 7, you will need to open the C drive >Program Files > Irfanview > Plugins. Now you can copy or move the extracted files from iv_effects.zip into the Plugins folder, noting that any Readme files with a .txt file extension are not required, though they shouldn't cause any problems.
Using Photoshop Plugins in Irfanview
The files that you have installed include some sample plugins, so you can have a go at using this new feature straight away. There are two types of plugins included, Adobe 8BF files and Filter Factory 8BF files and these utilize different interfaces within IrfanView. There is also an interface for using commercial FUnlimited plugins, though we won't cover that here.
Adobe 8BF
If IrfanView isn't already running, launch it now. If it is already running, you may need to restart it before continuing.
To use Adobe 8BF plugins, go toImage > Effects > Adobe 8BF Filters (PlugIn). In the dialog that opens, click the Add 8BF filters button and you can then navigate to the folder where your plugins are stored. If you want to use the plugins that came with the download, go to the C drive> Program Files > Irfanview > Plugins > Adobe 8BFand then click OK. If you want to load plugins saved elsewhere, just select the folder and click OK. In each case, all the compatible plugins in the selected folder will be added to IrfanView.
Once your plugins have been added, you can click on the one you want to use and then click the Start selected filter button to open the control interface for that plugin. When you've finished using your plugins, just click the Exit button.
Filter Factory 8BF
Filter Factory was an Adobe software product for producing Photoshop filters and these use a different control system within Irfanview.
Go to Image > Effects > Filter Factory 8BF and you can then navigate to the folder that contains your filters and click OK. There are some installed by default at C drive > Program Files > Irfanview > Plugins > Filter Factory 8BF.
To use a filter, click on one of the Filter groups in the left-hand pane and then select one of the group's filters in the right-hand pane. The controls for the filter will now be displayed.
You will find many free filters and plugins online that can help you to easily produce a range of interesting effects. It's advised that you save them inside Irfanview's Plugins folder so that they are all stored in a single location, but it isn't necessary if you wish to use a different location.
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The Photoshop community is chock-full of many free resources, tutorials, tips and techniques, .psd files and even Actions. There is one area that it sadly lacks in, and that is free plugins, filters and panels. Of course, Photoshop has been the pioneer in graphic editor development for a long time now, and with each new version has added an endless supply of features and addons, and as a result, perhaps the need for free plugins or filters is no longer required. Or has it been ignored?
Further Reading on SmashingMag:
Traditionally plugins are an amateur photographer’s best friend, take your shots, fire up Photoshop, apply some well preset filters, and hey presto you have a reasonably professional image. Professional photographers have been known to use plugins as a base and then tweak and add effects to achieve a personal professional touch. Plugins are basically an indispensable tool that do not receive the attention they deserve. And that brings us back to our original mystery, why are there so few free plugins and filters? Do you know the answer? I don’t.
In this A-Z of free Photoshop plugins and filters you will find a few plugins that are (almost) as old as time itself, do not fear, they will work perfectly on all versions of Photoshop and the effect they produce are just as useful now as they were then. If you are looking for a simple and easy method to add effects to an image, this is the post for you.
A-Z of Free Photoshop Plugins & Filters
Watercolor Photoshop Action
Turn your photo — or only parts of it — into a watercolor painting that looks as if it comes straight out of an artist’s treasured sketchbook. To apply the effect, brush onto the areas you want to turn into watercolor art and play the action. More Details and Downloads (affiliate link)
Architectum
Clean edges, precise angles — this Photoshop action turns your photo into a technical sketch. More Details and Downloads (affiliate link)
Smoky Double Exposure
The Smoky Double Exposure add-on elegantly blends the original photo into a watercolor splash. A beautiful play with sharpness and blur. More Details and Downloads (affiliate link)
Spectrum
A sleek look with a subtle, handpainted effect, that’s exactly what Spectrum does. Simply fill in your subject with a color and play the action. More Details and Downloads (affiliate link)
3D Shadow
This handy plugin easily creates various types of 3D shadows from objects such as letters, numbers, shapes and so on. All settings are present in a single window - transparency level, perspective, shadow color and position, X/Y/Z angles, and many more.More Details and Downloads
Camouflage
Use the Camouflage plug-in to make army, fashion and animal camo. The Camouflage plug-in creates seamless images, this means you can use them as textures and patterns for 3D models or as a background for web sites, they can even be used as a pattern for clothing.More Details and Downloads
Chalkaholic
Chalkaholic renders chalk and charcoal type effects with artistic style and flair. It creates a uniquely effective artistic rendering options, it is an essential addition to any digital artist’s effects collection.More Details and Downloads
Circle to Square
With this plugin you can convert any circle into a square.More Details and Downloads
Composer
Filter Plugins For Photoshop
Update multiple layer comps in Photoshop with just one click.More Details and Downloads
Craquelure 3D
This filter creates a wide range of well known craquelure (krăkloor´) effects, that is useful in designing various abstract patterns, decorative surfaces and construction materials.More Details and Downloads
CSS3Ps
Free cloud based photoshop plugin that converts your layers to CSS3.More Details and Downloads
Cut&Slice me
Use Cut&Slice me to export your assets to different devices in seconds.More Details and Downloads
Dreamy Photo
Dreamy Photo gives images a soft romantic feel. This is a superb effect for enhancing stock photography, digital camera photos and any image you want to add a warm feel to.More Details and Downloads
Duplllicator
Clone layer or group and shift it horizontally or vertically with this extension.More Details and Downloads
EasyMockups
Create Mobile App mockups in seconds. Select form the predesigned mockups, select your background and artwork layers and you’re off.More Details and Downloads
Fine Threshold
Unlike the traditional threshold command of Photoshop, Fine Threshold allows you to get quickly, anti-aliased and sharp shapes.More Details and Downloads
Focal Zoom Effect
Focal Zoom generates the proper perspective and depth creating a focal point or emphasizing a particular portion of your image.More Details and Downloads
Font Awesome
Font Awesome icons right inside Adobe Photoshop.
Fontea
800 Google fonts in your Photoshop. Don’t guess which font will fit in your design. Try it.More Details and Downloads
Harry’s Filters
The famous “Harry’s Filters” is a series of filters that contains up to 69 different image effects. The main effect categories are called Color, Artistic, Gradients, Patterns, Warp, Noise, En/Decrypt, Other and Nature. It also includes filters for changing the image color or mood, for creating artistic effects, producing colorful gradients or impressive patterns, warping images and adding special noise effects to image. Additionally they let you encrypt and decrypt images with 64 bit keys, produce zoom, mirror or paint effects as well as natural effects like lightning, tornado and polar lights.More Details and Downloads
Sep 16, 2015 - Automation Studio Overview Automation Studio is a circuit designing software. It is also used as a simulation and project documentation. The Automation Studio™ Viewer allows to open in read-only mode projects realized in Automation Studio™ Professional and Educational. This free edition lets. Take full advantage of Automation Studio™ capabilities by downloading the latest service releases. Adjust your software's settings to receive a notification when. Hai automation studio software download. Hydraulic and Pneumatic Simulation Software. Automation Studio™ is an innovative system design, simulation and project documentation sofware solution for. How can I download Automation Studio from the B&R website? Download area, navigate to the Software / Automation Studio / Automation Studio 4.2 section.
ICO Windows Icon
This plugin gives you an easy method for creating your web site’s favourites/shortcut/bookmark icon in Photoshop.More Details and Downloads
IsometrIcon
IsometrIcon is a free Photoshop plugin that helps to transform shapes into isometric orientation.More Details and Downloads
Ink
More Details and DownloadsInk is a plugin that helps you providing few extra important informations about your mockups by documenting your layers, from typography to effects and shape sizes.
Kaleidoscope 2.1
Kaleidoscope 2.1 is a plugin which uses multiple symmetries to create beautiful patterns, it uses these three spinning effects: Mirror, Copy, Transition and Blend.More Details and Downloads
Layrs Control
Remove unused Effects, flatten all Layer Effects, delete empty Layers or rasterize Smart Objects with just one click.More Details and Downloads
Long Shadow Generator
Long shadow design is still popular. The Long Shadow Generator is an easy-to-use tool that lets you create that effect with just a single click.More Details and Downloads
Luce
Luce blends radial or directional light beams into your image. There is a text box for adjusting the intensity of the effect.More Details and Downloads
Mosaic
Mosaic makes your photos look as if they were created out of a mosaic tile. Photo-realistic depth and variable tile size and color options give this effect an infinite number of looks.More Details and Downloads
Mood Lighting Effect
Mood Lighting lets you apply a darkening effect enhancing the dark mood of any digital image.More Details and Downloads
Nik Effects Collection
Create stunning images faster. Add the power of the Nik Collection by Google to your workflow today.More Details and Downloads
Noise Reduction
The freeware version of Boundary Noise Reduction lets you remove noise.More Details and Downloads
ON1 Effects
Effects 10 Standard Edition includes a select number of stackable filters, presets, borders, and textures from ON1 Effects 10.More Details and Downloads
Pixel2Vector
This little Photoshop tool may save you a plenty of time. It converts your pixel shape in a vector shape or in a Custom Shape Tool.More Details and Downloads
Polar Projection
Photoshop Plugin for 3D 360-degree stereographic projections.More Details and Downloads
Retinize It
The best Photoshop tool for preparing designs for iOS or optimized for Retina-display websites.More Details and Downloads
Retrodots
Retrodots is a simple plugin that generates dot grids which can be based on selections.More Details and Downloads
Sharpen Details Effect
Sharpen Details brings out the highlights in your digital images and brings clarity to the details in seconds. Give photos a crisp clean look.More Details and Downloads
Seamless Textures
The free Seamless Textures Generator is a simple but time-saving photoshop extension. It generates with just one click a seamless pattern from your picture.More Details and Downloads
Sinedots
Old demo effect which uses soem simple sinus calculations to generate nice patterns like this one.More Details and Downloads
Skeuomorphism.it
Become a flat design pro in seconds with this simple photoshop plugin.More Details and Downloads
Swatchy
Folders for your swatches in Photoshop.More Details and Downloads
Vibrations 1.1
This plugin has two different methods (“Levels” and “Lines” ) for creating a streak effect of your images . The filter has an inbuilt blur, in order to ensure smoothness.More Details and Downloads
virtualPhotographer
virtualPhotographer lets you instantly apply high quality, professional photographic styles to your digital images…with just one click.More Details and Downloads
Water Ripples
The highly realistic water ripples effect designer has numerous options as well as an impressive 3D quality. The random settings generator produces unlimited variations of rippled surfaces.More Details and Downloads
Weaver
This plugin creates a weave effect of your images.More Details and Downloads
Plugin Development Resources
- Filter Meister This is another free plugin that allows users to create there own plugins. This plugin offers extensive documentation, step-by-step tutorials and free downloadable samples. This type of plugin is perfect for anyone with limited knowledge of any script language.
- Photoshop SDK If you are feeling really adventurous, you could develop a plugin using the Photoshop SDK. Previously you would have to pay just shy of $200 for the SDK, it is now free, the only thing you have to do is register with Adobe.
- Photoshop Scripting A script is a series of commands that tells Photoshop to perform one or more tasks, Photoshop CS4 supports scripts written in AppleScript, JavaScript or VBScript. Download the latest documentation on scripting here: Photoshop Scripting Documentation.
Filter Lattice Composer
- 1. Effectively designs grids and nettings
- 2. Produces a variety of weave patterns
- 3. Fabric textures
- 4. Body art tattoos and skeleton simulations
- 5. Extraordinary 3D text effects
- Effectively designs grids and nettings
- Produces a variety of weave patterns
- Fabric textures
- Body art tattoos and skeleton simulations
- Extraordinary 3D text effects
FREE
Stereogram Lab Filter
- 1. Allows to generate Hidden Image Stereograms right in your Photoshop
- 2. Stereogram Lab Filter is a stereogram maker plug-in
- Allows to generate Hidden Image Stereograms right in your Photoshop
- Stereogram Lab Filter is a stereogram maker plug-in
FREE
Plugin Switch
- 1. Hundreds of plug-in filters now available for expanding your host applications
- 2. Becomes essential to have an easy way of organising all the installed files
- Hundreds of plug-in filters now available for expanding your host applications
- Becomes essential to have an easy way of organising all the installed files
FREE
Filter Craquelure 3D
- 1. Creates a wide range of well known craquelure effects
- 2. The filter is useful in designing various abstract patterns
- 3. Decorative surfaces and construction materials
- 4. Quickly and easily produce unlimited variations of craquelured surfaces
- Creates a wide range of well known craquelure effects
- The filter is useful in designing various abstract patterns
- Decorative surfaces and construction materials
- Quickly and easily produce unlimited variations of craquelured surfaces
FREE
Texture Anarchy
- 1. Provides a different kind of seamless procedural texture
- 2. Make quick adjustments to the preset and render it out
- 3. Creates 2D or 3D Photoshop textures
- Provides a different kind of seamless procedural texture
- Make quick adjustments to the preset and render it out
- Creates 2D or 3D Photoshop textures
$ 129
Perfect Effects 9
- 1. Easy to add effects
- 2. 170 one click effects
- 3. Easily toggle the preview on/off to quickly see how your editing progresses
- 4. Adjustable Filters
- Easy to add effects
- 170 one click effects
- Easily toggle the preview on/off to quickly see how your editing progresses
- Adjustable Filters
FREE
Permanent Press 2
- 1. Powerful and easy-to-use plugin GUI interface
- 2. Convincing printing effects
- Powerful and easy-to-use plugin GUI interface
- Convincing printing effects
$ 99
Pano Warp
- 1. Perform pixel transformations used in panorama stitching
- 2. Five different parameter settings
- 3. Give you full control
- Perform pixel transformations used in panorama stitching
- Five different parameter settings
- Give you full control
FREE
Filter Forge
Instagram Filter Plugins For Photoshop
- 1. You can create your own filters
- 2. You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- 3. Supports for Multiple Source Images
- 4. Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- 5. Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- You can create your own filters
- You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- Supports for Multiple Source Images
- Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- Helps you organize your filter collection
$ 99
Retrographer
- 1. Lens effects
- 2. Flash effects
- 3. Film effects
- 4. Lab effects
- 5. Special effects
- Lens effects
- Flash effects
- Film effects
- Lab effects
- Special effects
- Finish effects
$ 99
Texture Anarchy
- 1. Provides a different kind of seamless procedural texture
- 2. Make quick adjustments to the preset and render it out
- 3. Creates 2D or 3D Photoshop textures
- Provides a different kind of seamless procedural texture
- Make quick adjustments to the preset and render it out
- Creates 2D or 3D Photoshop textures
$ 129
Automagic Pro Photo Effects Gen1
- 1. 43 New Artistic Effects Render more Control over Artistic Digital Design
- 2. Easy to use one click Canvas or Paper Textures Applied to Paper, Canvas, Concrete etc
- 3. Create Amazing Gallery Quality Works of Art from Nearly and Digital Image or Photo
- 4. Large Number of Well Balanced Effect Tools for both Professional and Hobbyist Photographers
- 43 New Artistic Effects Render more Control over Artistic Digital Design
- Easy to use one click Canvas or Paper Textures Applied to Paper, Canvas, Concrete etc
- Create Amazing Gallery Quality Works of Art from Nearly and Digital Image or Photo
- Large Number of Well Balanced Effect Tools for both Professional and Hobbyist Photographers
$ 199
Machine Wash Deluxe
- 1. Wash effects
- 2. Surface Effects
- 3. Background effects
- 4. Creates professional quality image texture
- Wash effects
- Surface Effects
- Background effects
- Creates professional quality image texture
$ 99
Colour Studio
- 1. A collection of 5 plug-in filters for use with Adobe Photoshop
- 2. Filters produce a range of colour modification effects
- 3. Hotshot will help you quickly access a selection of image
- 4. RetroGrade will help you to recreate classic effects
- 5. Vivida provides a quick and easy way to boost the brightness
- A collection of 5 plug-in filters for use with Adobe Photoshop
- Filters produce a range of colour modification effects
- Hotshot will help you quickly access a selection of image
- RetroGrade will help you to recreate classic effects
- Vivida provides a quick and easy way to boost the brightness
$ 19
Retrographer
- 1. Lens effects
- 2. Flash effects
- 3. Film effects
- 4. Lab effects
- 5. Special effects
- Lens effects
- Flash effects
- Film effects
- Lab effects
- Special effects
- Finish effects
$ 99
Filter Forge
- 1. You can create your own filters
- 2. You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- 3. Supports for Multiple Source Images
- 4. Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- 5. Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- You can create your own filters
- You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- Supports for Multiple Source Images
- Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- Helps you organize your filter collection
Photoshop Plugin Filters Free Download
$ 99
Permanent Press 2
- 1. Powerful and easy-to-use plugin GUI interface
- 2. Convincing printing effects
- Powerful and easy-to-use plugin GUI interface
- Convincing printing effects
$ 99
Plugin Switch
- 1. Hundreds of plug-in filters now available for expanding your host applications
- 2. Becomes essential to have an easy way of organising all the installed files
- Hundreds of plug-in filters now available for expanding your host applications
- Becomes essential to have an easy way of organising all the installed files
FREE
Filter Lattice Composer
- 1. Effectively designs grids and nettings
- 2. Produces a variety of weave patterns
- 3. Fabric textures
- 4. Body art tattoos and skeleton simulations
- 5. Extraordinary 3D text effects
- Effectively designs grids and nettings
- Produces a variety of weave patterns
- Fabric textures
- Body art tattoos and skeleton simulations
- Extraordinary 3D text effects
FREE
Filter Forge
- 1. You can create your own filters
- 2. You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- 3. Supports for Multiple Source Images
- 4. Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- 5. Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- You can create your own filters
- You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- Supports for Multiple Source Images
- Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- Helps you organize your filter collection
$ 99
Stereogram Lab Filter
- 1. Allows to generate Hidden Image Stereograms right in your Photoshop
- 2. Stereogram Lab Filter is a stereogram maker plug-in
- Allows to generate Hidden Image Stereograms right in your Photoshop
- Stereogram Lab Filter is a stereogram maker plug-in
FREE
Filter Craquelure 3D
- 1. Creates a wide range of well known craquelure effects
- 2. The filter is useful in designing various abstract patterns
- 3. Decorative surfaces and construction materials
- 4. Quickly and easily produce unlimited variations of craquelured surfaces
- Creates a wide range of well known craquelure effects
- The filter is useful in designing various abstract patterns
- Decorative surfaces and construction materials
- Quickly and easily produce unlimited variations of craquelured surfaces
FREE
Perfect Effects 9
- 1. Easy to add effects
- 2. 170 one click effects
- 3. Easily toggle the preview on/off to quickly see how your editing progresses
- 4. Adjustable Filters
- Easy to add effects
- 170 one click effects
- Easily toggle the preview on/off to quickly see how your editing progresses
- Adjustable Filters
FREE
Retrographer
- 1. Lens effects
- 2. Flash effects
- 3. Film effects
- 4. Lab effects
- 5. Special effects
- Lens effects
- Flash effects
- Film effects
- Lab effects
- Special effects
- Finish effects
$ 99
Colour Studio
- 1. A collection of 5 plug-in filters for use with Adobe Photoshop
- 2. Filters produce a range of colour modification effects
- 3. Hotshot will help you quickly access a selection of image
- 4. RetroGrade will help you to recreate classic effects
- 5. Vivida provides a quick and easy way to boost the brightness
- A collection of 5 plug-in filters for use with Adobe Photoshop
- Filters produce a range of colour modification effects
- Hotshot will help you quickly access a selection of image
- RetroGrade will help you to recreate classic effects
- Vivida provides a quick and easy way to boost the brightness
$ 19
AAA 8bf
- 1. Allows you to open a mask, texture, grunge, or paint layer and blend it with your image
- 2. Adds a variety of convolutions plus grain, posterize, and vibe filters
- 3. Add a simple frame or a 3D frame to your image
- Allows you to open a mask, texture, grunge, or paint layer and blend it with your image
- Adds a variety of convolutions plus grain, posterize, and vibe filters
- Add a simple frame or a 3D frame to your image
FREE
Machine Wash Deluxe
- 1. Wash effects
- 2. Surface Effects
- 3. Background effects
- 4. Creates professional quality image texture
- Wash effects
- Surface Effects
- Background effects
- Creates professional quality image texture
$ 99
Machine Wash Deluxe
- 1. Wash effects
- 2. Surface Effects
- 3. Background effects
- 4. Creates professional quality image texture
- Wash effects
- Surface Effects
- Background effects
- Creates professional quality image texture
$ 99
Automagic Pro Photo Effects Gen1
- 1. 43 New Artistic Effects Render more Control over Artistic Digital Design
- 2. Easy to use one click Canvas or Paper Textures Applied to Paper, Canvas, Concrete etc
- 3. Create Amazing Gallery Quality Works of Art from Nearly and Digital Image or Photo
- 4. Large Number of Well Balanced Effect Tools for both Professional and Hobbyist Photographers
- 43 New Artistic Effects Render more Control over Artistic Digital Design
- Easy to use one click Canvas or Paper Textures Applied to Paper, Canvas, Concrete etc
- Create Amazing Gallery Quality Works of Art from Nearly and Digital Image or Photo
- Large Number of Well Balanced Effect Tools for both Professional and Hobbyist Photographers
$ 199
Permanent Press 2
- 1. Powerful and easy-to-use plugin GUI interface
- 2. Convincing printing effects
- Powerful and easy-to-use plugin GUI interface
- Convincing printing effects
$ 99
Filter Forge
- 1. You can create your own filters
- 2. You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- 3. Supports for Multiple Source Images
- 4. Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- 5. Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- You can create your own filters
- You get free access to 10679 user-created filters
- Supports for Multiple Source Images
- Flexible UI with Resizable Panels
- Script API for Noise and Blending Modes
- Helps you organize your filter collection
$ 99
![For For](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HnBibZbwaKU/maxresdefault.jpg)
Filter Lattice Composer
- 1. Effectively designs grids and nettings
- 2. Produces a variety of weave patterns
- 3. Fabric textures
- 4. Body art tattoos and skeleton simulations
- 5. Extraordinary 3D text effects
- Effectively designs grids and nettings
- Produces a variety of weave patterns
- Fabric textures
- Body art tattoos and skeleton simulations
- Extraordinary 3D text effects
FREE
Stereogram Lab Filter
- 1. Allows to generate Hidden Image Stereograms right in your Photoshop
- 2. Stereogram Lab Filter is a stereogram maker plug-in
- Allows to generate Hidden Image Stereograms right in your Photoshop
- Stereogram Lab Filter is a stereogram maker plug-in
FREE
Plugin Switch
- 1. Hundreds of plug-in filters now available for expanding your host applications
- 2. Becomes essential to have an easy way of organising all the installed files
- Hundreds of plug-in filters now available for expanding your host applications
- Becomes essential to have an easy way of organising all the installed files
FREE
Filter Craquelure 3D
- 1. Creates a wide range of well known craquelure effects
- 2. The filter is useful in designing various abstract patterns
- 3. Decorative surfaces and construction materials
- 4. Quickly and easily produce unlimited variations of craquelured surfaces
- Creates a wide range of well known craquelure effects
- The filter is useful in designing various abstract patterns
- Decorative surfaces and construction materials
- Quickly and easily produce unlimited variations of craquelured surfaces
FREE
Pano Warp
- 1. Perform pixel transformations used in panorama stitching
- 2. Five different parameter settings
- 3. Give you full control
- Perform pixel transformations used in panorama stitching
- Five different parameter settings
- Give you full control
FREE
Texture Anarchy
- 1. Provides a different kind of seamless procedural texture
- 2. Make quick adjustments to the preset and render it out
- 3. Creates 2D or 3D Photoshop textures
- Provides a different kind of seamless procedural texture
- Make quick adjustments to the preset and render it out
- Creates 2D or 3D Photoshop textures
$ 129
Top Free Filter and Premium Extensions /Addons for Photoshop
The subtle sepia of a summer day’s early morning sunlight, the natural greyness of winters, the crimson shades of the setting sun – these are just a few of the dazzling Photoshop filters that you can enjoy using with your Photoshop designs. Available in the form and free as well as premium packs of Photoshop extensions, these filters are must have assets for a digital designer.
Tweak the tints and tones of your images and bring out the hidden elements of design and beauty, with amazing Photoshop filters to do the trick for you. One click is all it needs to change the face of your Photoshop designs, as collections of Photoshop filters bestow amazing shades and hues on your existing images. With filter effects from themes such as retro, vintage, contemporary, portrait, outdoors, and nature, you can bring out the best aesthetics from all your Photoshop creations.
The best of these filter effects come with several variants, and all you need to do in order to have a preview of how your images will look after being superimposed by the effect is to drag your mouse over the filter button and see the changes! Single shot saving of an image with all versions of a bundled filters pack having been applied to it is a massive shot in the arm for any Photoshop artist. Saving time and bringing in a sense of excitement and confidence in the world of digital designers, these Photoshop filters are what can make your images look like masterpieces.
Photoshop plugins (or plug-ins) are add-on programs aimed at providing additional image effects or performing tasks that are impossible or hard to fulfill using Adobe Photoshop alone. Plugins can be opened from within Photoshop and several other image editing programs (compatible with the appropriate Adobe specifications) and act like mini-editors that modify the image.ps
- 1Plugin types
Plugin types[edit]
Photoshop-compatible plugins fall into several main types: filter plugins .8bf, import plugins (also called 'acquisition') .8ba, export plugins .8be, file format plugins .8bi, and automation plugins .8ly. Also, there are selection plugins 8bs and parser plugins 8by, but no one other than Adobe has ever created plugins of these types.[1]
'Import/export plugins' acquire or write image data from or to certain devices, 'file format plugins' open and save less common image formats (not inherently supported by Photoshop), and 'automation plugins' automate certain tasks in the manner of Photoshop 'actions'[2] (macros).
Host applications[edit]
Host applications or plugin hosts are graphics applications that are capable of running plugins. Many commercial graphics applications support Photoshop-compatible plugins — Paint Shop Pro,[3] Photoshop Elements, PhotoImpact, Corel PhotoPaint, and Adobe Fireworks are the most renowned ones. There are several dozens more plugin hosts, including little known products like Chasys Draw IES, free editors like GIMP (with certain add-ons) and viewers like IrfanView.[4] Much support is limited to the Microsoft Windows platform and .8bf filter plugins.
Photoshop fully supports all available plugin types; certain hosts, like Photoshop Elements, support most of them, while the majority of hosts support filter plugins only and many of them don't even support all available filter plugins.
The support for plugins was more uniform up until 2002, when Adobe restricted access to the Photoshop SDK containing the specifications for Photoshop plugins, and made the developer license more prohibitive. Since then, developers of other image applications have had limited or no access to it anymore, so they can't support newer host features. Therefore, plugin developers face a dilemma: either support the new host features that appeared in Photoshop 7 and later versions, like the access to layers, and lose the compatibility with other image applications, or use the old SDK version which already includes all important specifications and make sure the plugin will be supported by all hosts.[1]
Around 2005, Adobe changed the policy so that developers could make the request for the SDK via a Web form with no fee charged for it and with all requests handled individually.[5]
History[edit]
Year | Event |
---|---|
1991 | Adobe first introduces filters and support for third-party Photoshop-compatible plugins in Photoshop 2.0. The same year, Aldus presents Aldus Gallery Effects - a set of filters including Emboss, Mosaic, Charcoal and other effects. When Aldus and Adobe merge in 1996, Gallery Effects will be embedded into Photoshop.[citation needed] |
1992 | Kai Krause releases one of the most renowned plugins of the 1990s -- Kai's Power Tools (a.k.a. KPT). Many artists of the time consider it a must-have plugin set for Photoshop.[6] It features several advanced warp and deformation effects, as well as support for bump maps and 3D graphics formats (in KPT SceneBuilder). |
1994 | Joe Ternasky releases Filter Factory, a plugin allowing users to create their own filters using an internal programming language resembling C and compile them as separate plugins. It uses programmable formulas to process the red, green and blue channels of each pixel of the image. However, the fact that it requires considerable programming skills is viewed by many as a serious drawback.[7] |
1994 | Alien Skin Software, founded a year earlier, creates the first drop shadow filter for Photoshop. The same year, they also release the Black Box filter set, later renamed to Eye Candy, which becomes an all-time favorite among Photoshop users.[8] |
1994 | Auto FX Software is founded. In the subsequent years they release a couple of much-noticed Photoshop plugins and automated effects software products. Photo/Graphic Edges is one of the common image enhancement tools used by graphic artists of the time.[9] |
1997 | Alex Hunter, inspired by KPT but dissatisfied with the limitations of the Filter Factory, presents FilterMeister -- 'a 'bigger and better' Filter Factory'. It is said to be much easier to use than Filter Factory, and many of today's free and commercial plugins are made in FilterMeister.[10] |
2007 | Filter Forge Inc. brings procedural texturing to Photoshop by releasing Filter Forge, a plugin allowing users to build custom filters without any programming. In Filter Forge, filters are assembled in a visual node-based environment.[11] |
2008 | YouSendIt Inc. enables delivering files across different users/computers from within Photoshop. |
2008 | Adobe introduces their first Flash extension panel SDK for better integration of plugins with the UI. Anastasiy Safari builds[12] MagicPicker, the first and well noticed color picking extension suite for tablets based on it[13]. |
Plugins are typically distributed as 'try before buy' and: shareware, limited freemium versions, or 'free for personal use' freeware.[14][15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abThe Plugin Site - Adobe Photoshop plugins and plug-ins, filters and effects for Paint Shop Pro, Corel Photo-Paint, Adobe Premiere
- ^Understanding Photoshop Actions
- ^'virtualPhotographer Help'. optikvervelabs.com. 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^'IrfanView PlugIns'. irfanview.com. 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^John Nack on Adobe: Why do I have to pay for the Photoshop SDK?
- ^KPT Effects - Corel KPT Collection - Software Review and Rating
- ^The Official Filter Factory FAQ
- ^Alien Skin Software Web Site
- ^Auto FX Software Web Site
- ^FilterMeister Web Site
- ^Filter Forge - Features
- ^John Nack on Adobe: Photoshop gets a new color picker panel
- ^MagicPicker color wheel Web Site
- ^Sarah Bennet Mills (2014-11-20). 'Free Adobe Photoshop Extensions for Designers'. Byteswire.com. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ^'Directory of Photoshop Filters and Plug-ins'. GRAFNET.com.pl. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
External links[edit]
21. Perspective Mockups
Create perspective mockups using CSS3 3D transforms.
Publisher: BlazRobar | Price: $19 | Best for: Artists, designers
If you can forgive or overlook the gratuitous use of swearing and obscenity on the Perspective Mockups site, the plugin is definitely worth checking out. Essentially it's a great way to make perspective mockups for your designs using CSS3 3D transforms. The plugin sits within your Photoshop tools palette and includes eight different layouts to choose from. Simply click to set. It’s a quick way to give your artwork punch and lift.
22. CSS Hat 2
Turn your Photoshop styles into clean CSS3.
Publisher: Source | Price: $39.99 | Best for: Web designers
CSS Hat turns your Photoshop styles into clean CSS3 for your website. Simply click on a layer designed with some layer styles and the styling markup pops up instantly, for you to copy to your clipboard. This is especially useful when rendering specifically sized elements on your page or copying text styles as everything is translated pixel-for-pixel between Photoshop and CSS3. Version 2 also supports both Less and Sass for cleaner code output.
23. FlatIcon
Publisher: Freepik | Price: Free | Best for: Designers
FlatIcon is a large database of thousands of free vector icons that you can download in SVG, PSD or PNG format. This free Photoshop plugin lets you quickly find all the icons without leaving your working environment, inserting them directly into your design from a panel.
24. Shutterstock
Access Shutterstock's full library from within Photoshop.
Publisher: Shutterstock | Price: Free (licence images via plugin) | Best for: Designers
Working across the full Creative Suite, this plugin from Shutterstock provides direct in-app access to the huge range of stock imagery available in the Shutterstock library. Search inside Photoshop, click to select and insert, and license directly for an easier workflow. This is especially useful if you commonly licence royalty-free images for use in your designs.
25. Fractalius
Publisher: RedField | Price: $39.90 | Best for: Artists and designers
This unusual plugin uses fractal patterns, apparently hidden within the source image, to generate procedural effects that are reminiscent of pencil sketches, or stylised light glow streaks. Fractalius is useful either as the start of a piece of artwork, or to generate abstract imagery for use within a design project.
26. Dream Suite Ultimate
A pricey but powerful suite of effects.
Publisher: Auto FX | Price: $179.99 (currently $89.99) | Best for: Photographers
This all-encompassing suite of effects covers everything from textures to pseudo-3D effects, tonal correction and borders. Dream Suite Ultimate is not in any way cheap (although we've seen special offers of up to 50% off on the download page), but as it covers such a wide range of effects it’s worth adding to your shortlist if you’re looking for a single purchase that will give you a lot of power and options without having to maintain a disparate collection of plugins.
27. Machine Wash Deluxe
Add beautiful, scratchy weathering effects.
Publisher: Mister Retro | Price: $99 | Best for: Artists and designers
One of our personal favourites, Machine Wash Deluxe filter brings insanely beautiful scratchy textures to your designs and images with accurate, believable weathering and ageing effects. Effects include the ability to place artwork on a leather base, render onto wood with the grain visible through the artwork and rust effects. It produces especially nice effects on simple typography.
28. 3D Invigorator
This Photoshop plugin simplifies the complex 3D process.
Publisher: Digital Anarchy | Price: $175 | Best for: Designers
It’s true that Photoshop’s own 3D engine has come on leaps and bounds, there's still room for additional tools that can simplify the process of creating complex 3D scenes and models. The 3D Invigorator Photoshop plugin features a simple object editor that uses a pen-like tool for drawing and editing shapes. The final renders are polished and look good with little input required, making this a good choice for designers who need to generate 3D elements with little fuss.
29. Blow Up 3
Create enlargements without compromising on quality.
Publisher: Alien Skin | Price: $99 | Best for: Photographers and designers
Blow Up allows you to create pin-sharp enlargements from photos without compromising on quality. The algorithm is more advanced than Photoshop's own bicubic filters, which allows the plugin to produce accurate images without artefacts. This makes it a great tool for designers where clients send over images that aren't of a high-enough resolution.
30. PhotoMatix Pro
Publisher: HDR Soft | Price: $99 | Best for: Photographers
PhotoMatix Pro is a high dynamic range (HDR) processing and toning tool that integrates with Photoshop either standalone or as a plugin (depending upon which version you go for). This tool goes beyond Photoshop's built-in HDR processing capabilities, especially with the toning aspects and allows for the creation of extreme HDR images with relative ease. If the $99 price point is too steep for you, there's PhotoMatix Essentials at $39 for those looking for something simpler.
31. ON1 Effects 10.5
Add a range of effects quickly.
Publisher: ON1 | Price: $59.99 | Best for: Artists and designers
ON1’s Effects is a handy tool for getting a quick effect on an image, whether that's a colour treatment, addition of texture and noise, or creative borders, this plugin features an effects library (a bit like the filter gallery in Photoshop) and allows you to stack multiple effects to achieve interesting new results.
32. Noiseware
This specialist tool removes noise and sharpens images.
Publisher: Imagenomic | Price: $79.95 | Best for: Photographers and designers
Noise is a problem for everyone, but no more so than for photographers who need to present clients with clean images regardless of the conditions in which the shot was captured, and designers who receive sub-par quality images from clients. Noiseware is a specialist noise-suppression tool that will both remove noise and sharpen at the same time making it a really useful addition to Photoshop’s in-built noise management toolset.
33. Texture Anarchy
Publisher: Digital Anarchy | Price: Free | Best for: Designers
Texture Anarchy is another plugin that used to charge a premium price, but is now available free of charge. This pack offers a combination of different filters for Photoshop that each provide seamless and rich textures you can incorporate into your designs. Some of these are a little predictable, but the sheer range available, along with the ability to generate true fractals, makes this a great addition to Photoshop.
34. Portraiture 3
Publisher: Imagenomic | Price: $199.95 | Best for: Photographers and designers
Portraiture is a combined plugin for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture that automates the process of retouching portraits for a perfect-skin look. The plugin automatically smooths skin tones while removing blemishes and, crucially, avoids softening or destroying detail areas such as eyelashes and skin texture. The price may seem a bit 'whoa!' but this is a top-quality plugin for portrait photographers.
35. SuperPNG
Improved control over PNG images in Photoshop.
Publisher: FNord | Price: Free | Best for: Designers
If you're a regular user of the PNG format, you'll know that Photoshop can sometimes struggle a bit to render PNGs quickly. SuperPNG aims to fix this by offering more control over your PNG output, allowing for a balance between speed and file size, control over the alpha channel and meta data. SuperPNG's a handy tool for taking control of your image export, and is free! This is becoming less useful as Adobe have substantially improved export for web in recent releases, but if you’re using an older version of Photoshop it’s well worth a look.
36. Exposure X4
Simulate film effects for digital projects.
Publisher: Alien Skin | Price: From $149 | Best for: Photographers and designers
Exposure is a creative tool that allows you to simulate film effects on your digital images. For its X4 release, publisher Alien Skin has improved its shadow and highlight recovery, as well as adding fully adjustable light effects and transform tools that correct tilted or skewed perspectives. Users can also now create smart collections to automatically organise your photo library (and, boy, is that required around here). Exposure X4 is available as a plugin for Photoshop or Lightroom, or as a complete standalone raw photo editor.
37. GuideGuide
An easy way to create a grid system.
Publisher: Cameron McEfee | Price: From $35/year | Best for: Designers
GuideGuide is a simple Photoshop plugin makes it easy to create a grid system in your document, hijacking the built-in guides system to create a pinpoint accurate grid according to your chosen settings. You can use negative margins for special hanging columns, separately define individual margins and gutters, and save your preferred options for quick access in the future. Perfect for anyone using a grid to help them create their layouts.
38. Screensnap
Easily create screenshots from your PSDs.
Publisher: PluginMate | Price: $9.99 | Best for: Designers
Easily create screenshots from your PSDs with ScreenSnap. The Photoshop plugin aims to make it easier to share screenshots of your WIP or designs. There’s no need to manually crop or use Save for Web: just select a folder, choose your settings and hit the button. And if you’re designing at standard resolution, you can export your screenshot to Retina.
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