Photoshop Plugins

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Best free Photoshop plugins: Super PNG. SuperPNG is a handy open-source Photoshop plug-in specifically for using with PNG files. It has more comprehensive support for the format than Photoshop's included plug-in and provides control over alpha-channel handling.


Best Premium Photoshop Plugins. Luminar 4 (Formerly Luminar Flex) Luminar 4 is one of the best Photoshop plugins for those who want impressive enhancements in minimal time. Click here and use coupon code SHOTKIT15 to save $15 on Luminar 4. Luminar 4 is one of the most advanced AI-powered photo editing plugins on the market. These plugins for Photoshop are designed for those who want to master the art of skin retouching, without using a complicated photo enhancer. Within a single click, you may smooth the skin texture, get rid of minor imperfections, and add a matte touch to the skin tone. It doesn't matter if you are only a beginner PS user.

Ready to become a Photoshop power-user? Good, because the Photoshop plugins, add-ons, and extensions we list in this post will supercharge the already impressive capabilities of Adobe’s preeminent software.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop CC is outstanding on its own. But there are plenty of features that users wish they had access to but don't. Plus, there’s no way that Adobe could’ve packed in every add-on, extension, or plugin and still kept the software at its current price point.

Lucky for you, not all of the plugins you’ll read about today cost money!

That’s not to say that you should only look for free plugins. Some of the premium Photoshop plugins we list are so good, you’ll want to buy them immediately — if you’re really serious about upping your Photoshop game, that it. But before we get into the best free and premium Photoshop plugins for 2021, let’s quickly cover how to install Photoshop plugins:

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How to Install Photoshop Plugins

Here’s a simple way to install Photoshop plugins:

  1. Open Photoshop.
  2. Select Edit from the dropdown menu, and select Preferences > Plugins.
  3. Check the 'Additional Plugins Folder' box to accept new files.
  4. Download a plugin or filter to your desktop.
  5. Open your Program Files folder and select your Photoshop folder.
  6. Open your Plugins folder, found inside your Photoshop folder.
  7. Drag your new Photoshop plugin from your desktop into the Plugins folder.
  8. Reopen Photoshop and find your new plugin under Filters in the dropdown menu.

Now that you know how to use Photoshop plugins, let’s take a look at some of the best free and premium Photoshop plugins available in 2021.

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Best Free Photoshop Plugins

As the old saying goes, “the best things in life are free.” Of course, these plugins may not be “the best things in life” (unless Photoshop IS your life), but they’re pretty good and can be used completely free of charge.

1. Camera Raw


Camera Raw is a Photoshop plugin that lets you edit and enhance raw files from your digital camera, along with JPEG and TIFF files. If you’re unfamiliar with a raw file, it’s simply the unprocessed picture data from your digital camera.

With the Adobe Camera Raw plugin, you can sharpen raw pictures, set white balance, and adjust the contrast among many other features.

The best part is, Camera Raw uses non-destructive editing, which means it doesn’t alter the original picture file in case you want to revert back to it after you’ve finished editing. This plugin has been a must-have tool for photographers and should definitely be in your editing toolkit.

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2. Ink

Ink is one of the best free Photoshop plugins on this list. It allows designers to create useful mockups and user interfaces, which lets an inexperienced Photoshop user — like a developer, for example — understand the design elements within a coding framework.

In other words, Ink makes it easy to communicate your design by generating full specs such as text formatting, layer styles, and dimensions.

This is especially helpful if you have to hand off work to a developer on GitHub and want to ensure that he or she will accurately interpret your design. Fortunately, this handy app can be accessed and used for the low price of zero dollars!

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3. Texture Anarchy


Texture Anarchy is a Photoshop plugin that offers its users a library of different filters and textures to edit their photos with. What sets it apart from similar plugins like ON1 Effects is the fact that the textures it produces are based on fractal noise, which makes it easy to create natural images like fire, smoke, or marble.

If you're new to Photoshop, or photo editing in general, and the above paragraph sounds confusing, don't worry. Texture Anarchy is actually pretty easy to use. It even comes with presets to help you get started on the right foot.

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4. FlatIcon

FlatIcon is a Photoshop plugin that will give you access to thousands of free vector icons, which can be downloaded in multiple formats such as SVG or PNG.

With FlatIcon installed, you can search through its database of icons from within Photoshop and insert them directly into your design panel. What kind of icons are we talking about? Just about anything! FlatIcon has millions of icons available for use.

Now, FlatIcon does have thousands of icons available for free. But, they require attribution to use legally. Alternatively, you can sign up for a FlatIcon subscription and get access to many more, attribution-free icons and priority support. FlatIcon plans start at $8.25 a month.

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Best Premium Photoshop Plugins

As Warren Buffett once said, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”

While these premium Photoshop Plugins come with a price tag, they pack a serious punch and provide artists, photographers, and casual Photoshop users alike with tons of value. Here are the six paid plugins that we believe will make the biggest impact on your output and workflow:

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1. RH Hover Color Picker

RH Hover Color Picker is a Photoshop color plugin that isn’t ugly or cumbersome (unlike the color picker built into Photoshop) and gives you more control over the colors you pick with its set of customizable sliders.

It’s aptly named the “Hover” Color Picker because it only reveals itself when you hover over its minimized version, and then conceals itself once you’re done using it. Convenient!

RH Hover Color Picker is really easy to use and will speed up your Photoshop workflow dramatically. Luckily, it can be had for just $16. Make the process of picking colors much easier and more enjoyable with this premium plugin.

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2. ON1 Effects

ON1 Effects is a Photoshop plugin that gives you access to hundreds of built-in presets, filters, LUTs, textures, and borders. These effects can then be combined, blended, and otherwise customized to create a unique look for each of your photographs.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one tool for adding complex effects to your photos, ON1 Effects is the solution you need. Get it for a one-time payment of $59.99.

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3. Fluid Mask 3

Fluid Mask 3 is a Photoshop plugin that can be used to remove backgrounds and perform cutouts — a necessity for most modern photographers and graphic artists.

Masking, i.e. making part of a layer invisible, is a delicate and often difficult process. Fluid Mask 3 is one of the few plugins that will give you a clean and accurate mask, especially with problem areas like hair and fur.

Even though Fluid Mask 3 costs $99, its ability to detect edges, blend layers, and simplify painstaking tasks makes the high price tag worth it. That's why big companies like Disney, NBC, and Macy's use it on a regular basis.

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4. Noiseware

Noiseware is an award-winning Photoshop plugin for noise reduction. Noise is the colorful grains or discoloration found in Photographs that give it a splotchy or blurry look. In simple terms, it's the part of your photographs that you usually don't want.

Noiseware removes graininess from images and sharpens them simultaneously, allowing you to clean up your photos quickly and professionally.

Although it costs $79.95, it justifies its premium price tag with unparalleled targeted noise reduction that few other plugins can even come close to matching.

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5. PortraitPro

Have you ever taken a picture of yourself and thought, 'Oh no, is that what I really look like?' Don't be ashamed, it's happened to all of us. The camera can be quite unkind at times. When you're not happy with the results of your latest portrait, get PortraitPro.

PortraitPro is a Photoshop plugin that helps users retouch and edit portraits without giving them a “Photoshopped” finish. It prides itself on being a software built to enhance human beauty without making faces look plastic or fake.

PortraitPro accomplishes this feat by using a slider interface to sculpt and refine a subject’s features. Use this editing tool to smooth skin, apply makeup, correct poor lighting, change hair color, and more.

Whatever aspect of your portraits that you need to adjust, PortraitPro can help you do it for a one-time payment of $89.90.


6. Machine Wash Deluxe

Last, but certainly not least, we have Machine Wash Deluxe, which is a Photoshop plugin that adds scratchy, weathering effects to your photos. When you want your images to have that cool, retro vibe, Machine Wash Deluxe is the app you need.

The plugin comes with over 3,500 presets, which can be used to texturize and alter photographs in thousands of different ways and make them look old, vintage, or otherworldly.

Machine Wash Deluxe is an incredibly fun plug-in to play with and will help you create unique images that stop viewers in their tracks. It will cost you $99 to access. But if you have a little extra cash to spend, you’ll love the abstract photo transformations you can make with it.


Honorable Mention: CloudApp


CloudApp isn’t technically a Photoshop add-on, plugin, or extension — at least not yet. But it will help you get the “raw materials” you need to create great photos.

Our free screen recorder lets you record videos and take screenshots on mac and win of virtually anything, edit them in Photoshop, and then pass them on to your developer. If your developer has questions, they can take a screenshot of your finished product, annotate it, and send it back to you. You’ll then be able to comment on those annotations and easily make the required changes.

Photoshop Plugins

CloudApp is available as a Mac App, a Windows App, and as a Chrome Plugin. This means that just about anyone can create visual content from their desktop device of choice!

If you want to streamline your Photoshop workflow and easily create the stunning visual materials needed to get the job done, consider signing up for CloudApp — it's free and it integrates with Adobe products, Slack, and other workflow tools.

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In Conclusion:

There you have it, the 10 best photoshop plugins in 2021. If you regularly use Adobe's legendary software, these tools will help you supercharge your workflow and create better visual content. Now you just have to decide which ones you want to use!
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And don't forget about CloudApp! Our visual communication software is a great way to create the raw materials you need to edit inside of Photoshop. From screenshots to annotated images, use CloudApp to capture anything on your computer screen. Get started today for free!




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Adobe Photoshop is known as professional-level, widely-acclaimed photo editing software. Using Photoshop, you can edit layered photos, design logos, and posters, and create your own pieces of art. Photoshop includes over 100 different editing tools from a hex color picker to image blurring to 3D tools. And for tools that aren’t available within the software, there are hundreds of photoshop plugins available that can be integrated with the base tool. Many of them come free of charge–an important thing, considering Photoshop users are already paying a minimum of $20.99/month for the app. As such, to get the most out of Photoshop without paying even more, you should use free Photoshop plugins.

However, with so many free Photoshop add ons available, it can be difficult to identify the best ones for your needs. This is why we have compiled a list of the 10 best free Photoshop plugins. Using these extensions is sure to bring your Photoshop experience to the next level. So, without further ado, here is our list of the best Photoshop plugins for 2021 that you can integrate for free.

Top 10 Free Photoshop Plugins

1. Pexels

Website Pexels provides a collection of over 30,000 free stock photos and videos that can be downloaded and used for non-commercial use. Pexels’ Photoshop plugin lets you search through this collection directly on Photoshop and use them in your creations. Additionally, you can browse through suggested categories, popular photos, recent photos, and previously liked photos. Any photos you like on the Pexels website will automatically sync with Photoshop and vice versa, making the Photoshop Pexels plugin one of the best free Photoshop plugins for marketers and graphic designers.

2. Ink

Ink is a free Adobe Photoshop plugin that lets you add more information to mockups before you hand them off to a developer team. The plugin documents your layers by recording which effects, text formatting, and measurements you used for each of your layers. Ink is a vital plugin for any designers who use Photoshop.

3. Tych Panel 2

Tych Panel 2 is an open-source Photoshop extension that automatically diptychs and triptychs pictures. In simple terms, it divides a Photoshop creation into 2 or 3 panels, as shown above. Tych Panel 2 supports many different layouts of rows and columns and includes an easy-to-use panel interface.

4. Texture Anarchy

Texture Anarchy provides a set of Photoshop filters for creating textures and borders on your images. This free Photoshop plugin includes a number of preset textures and borders as well as tools for editing and creating your own. These tools include palettes for lighting, layers, fractal noise, and color gradients, color wells, blend modes that let you combine colors and patterns with one another. Texture Anarchy can create both 2D and 3D textures.

5. Pathfinder for Photoshop

Pathfinder for Photoshop is an extension available on Adobe’s Creative Cloud app storethat can merge shapes. Based on the PathFinder Panel of Adobe Illustrator, this plugin’s toolbar lets you click on two separate shapes and merge them together to form a new shape on your image. It’s that simple!

6. PixelSquid

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PixelSquid contains a library of 3D objects that can be overlayed on design projects. You can manipulate these objects to find the right angle and downloaded them with a transparent background. PixelSquid’s free plugin lets you add these objects and manipulate them directly on your Photoshop creation. Though PixelSquid does include paid features, the entire catalog and Photoshop plug-in are available for free commercial use. Simply make an account and download the PixelSquid plugin for free.

Photoshop Plug-ins Mac

7. Composer

Composer is a Photoshop plugin that updates multiple layer comps in Photoshop with just one click. You can use Composer to update the layer style, position, or visibility (or all three at once) for multiple layer comps. To do so, simply select the layers you want to be changed, then select which layer comps you want those changes to apply to, and then click the update command you want to occur on the Composer ribbon.

8. Camera Raw

Photoshop Plugins 2021

Camera Raw is an Adobe product that can be integrated with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, After Effects, and Bridge. Adobe Camera Raw lets you import and enhance raw images directly from your camera. Camera Raw supports camera models from 29 different brands.

9. EasyMockups

EasyMockups creates app design mockups for iOS from Photoshop creations. To present your design, simply choose from one of 10 predesigned mockups, select a background, and choose your artwork layers. The plugin then automatically generates a high-resolution mockup for the perfect presentation or your design.

10. Chroma Palette

Chroma Palette is a Photoshop plugin created on GitHub that allows you to create and store colors with hotkeys. The plugin can store up to 20 colors across 9 pages for up to 180 colors total. These colors can be accessed through their assigned hotkey while switching pages and toggling separate Background/Foreground color palettes can be accessed using the NumPlus/NumMinus and NumMultiply keys respectively.

How To Install Photoshop Plugins

Plugins

Installing Photoshop add ons is as easy as going to the plugin’s website or page on the Adobe Creative Cloud app shop and clicking download. To integrate the plugin with Photoshop, first, download the plugin onto your device. Then, open up your Photoshop folder in your Program Files folder, then click on the Plugins folder nestled inside the Photoshop folder. You can simply drag your plugin for its current location on your device and drop it into the Plugin folder. To access your new plugin from within Photoshop, find it under Filters in the drop-down menu.

If you’re still having trouble, you may need to set Photoshop to accept new plugins. Open up Photoshop and select Edit > Preferences > Plugins from the dropdown menu. Then check the “Additional Plugins Folder” box so that the software will accept new files. If you have any further trouble, be sure to contact either Adobe or your plugin’s distributor.

Photoshop Plug-ins Download

Using The Best Photoshop Plugins

Photoshop Plugins

Adobe Photoshop plugins are useful tools that help make an already incredible app even better. Free plugins are especially useful for designers, illustrators, and advertisers on a budget. Be sure to check out any of the above plugins that interest you so you can begin taking your Adobe Photoshop experience to the next level. If you want to check out even more Photoshop plugins, then you can read our article 10 Best Photoshop Plugins That Anyone Can Use.

Photoshop Plug-ins 2021

If you’re a Droplr user, then be sure to check out our Photoshop plugin so you can send your edited images directly from Photoshop to Droplr! This way you can easily share your Photoshop image using a Droplr short link. Simply copy and paste the tiny URL into Gmail, Slack, or whatever app you use to communicate with co-workers and clients, even if they don’t have a Droplr account. Droplr’s plugin makes it easy to share your Photoshop creations online with cloud sharing, making it one of the best Photoshop plugins available.