Adobe Photoshop is a powerfully versatile graphic design program used by millions of creative professionals worldwide. However, even the best tools have limitations. This is where plugins come in handy!
Photoshop plugins are add-ons created by third party developers that unlock new features and supercharge Photoshop with advanced capabilities beyond its core functionalities. They boost designer productivity, creativity and efficiency to help take graphic design skills to greater heights.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore 15 phenomenal Photoshop plugins that no designer should be without!
What Are Photoshop Plugins and Why Are They Valuable?
Before jumping into the plugins, let‘s quickly understand what they are and what makes them so useful.
In simple terms, Photoshop plugins are software extensions built by expert developers to enhance Photoshop in some way. Once installed, these plugins integrate seamlessly into Photoshop and can be accessed via the Filter menus.
Plugins introduce fresh capabilities that allow designers to:
- Work smarter and faster by automating tedious tasks
- Access niche functionality not available in native Photoshop
- Elevate visual designs with new creative effects
- Expand skillsets by learning advanced techniques
- Export/integrate designs with other programs
- And much more!
With countless plugins to choose from, designers can customize Photoshop to their unique needs and take their creative abilities to new levels!
Now let‘s explore some of the best plugins out there for unlocking Photoshop‘s full potential.
1. Camera Raw – Powerful RAW Image Editing
Adobe Camera Raw is a must-have plugin for professional photography editing. It provides advanced tools specialized for developing RAW images and achieving perfect color balance and tone adjustments.
Key features include:
- Non-destructive editing tools for sharpening, noise reduction, HSL tuning and more
- Robust white balance controls
- Ability to save presets for streamlined batch editing
- Integrates seamlessly with Lightroom workflows
As part of Adobe Creative Cloud, Camera Raw comes bundled with a Photoshop subscription. It’s a no-brainer for photography post-processing.
2. Pexels – Limitless Stock Photos Access
Struggling to find the perfect stock images? Pexels makes it delightfully simple! This free plugin lets you access over 4 million royalty-free stock photos without leaving Photoshop.
Benefits include:
- Search or browse free HD images added daily by talented creators
- Useful categories and advanced filters for easy discovery
- Lightning fast downloads integrated into creative workflows
- Handy collections feature to organize favorite images
Bring your designs to life with beautiful, customizable stock photography totally free!
3. AKVIS Plugins – Special Effects Magic
Tired of boring, cookie-cutter visual effects? The AKVIS suite of plugins opens up a world of dazzling effects to spark creative inspiration!
Some standouts include:
Akvis Sketch: Transforms photos into spectacular pencil drawings
Akvis Frames: Adds realistic frames, edges and surfaces
Akvis LightShop: Applies jaw-dropping light effects and flare
Akvis Retoucher: Restores old photos by removing scratches & dust
With over 25 specialized effects plugins covering art, retouching, frames and more, AKVIS lets designers easily customize stunning visuals perfect for magazines, posters, cards and websites.
4. GuideGuide – Design Smarter, Faster
Struggling with alignment and precision when mocking up websites or print projects? GuideGuide solves these headaches once and for all!
It extends Photoshop‘s limited grids and guides by helping you:
- Instantly set columns, rows, midpoints and margins
- Save guide layouts for reuse across designs
- Export CSS accurate specs for developers
- Faster web and mobile prototyping
By speeding up guide creation and management, GuideGuide enables designers to perfectly layout projects in half the time.
5. CSS3Ps – Convert PSDs to Web Code
Transforming PSD designs into website code can be tedious for developers. CSS3Ps makes their job much simpler by automating Photoshop to CSS conversions.
This nifty plugin translates layer styles and effects into equivalent CSS3 code. Developers can then easily integrate this output into HTML/CSS web projects.
Benefits include:
- Major timesaver compared to manual code conversion
- Supports multiple layers and prefixed properties
- Free cloud-based updates with latest CSS support
- Promotes collaboration between designers and developers
Now transforming detailed PSDs into functioning websites takes minutes, not hours!
6. Fontself Maker – Convert Fonts & Logos Into Usable Type
Tired of using the same old default fonts in your designs? Fontself lets you turn vector shapes, logos and signatures into custom fonts for endless typographic possibilities!
Transforming vectors into fonts has never been simpler. Benefits include:
- Create entire icon systems or wordmarks as custom fonts
- Complete control over kerning, leading, language support and more
- Export fonts into various formats like OTF, TTF, WOFF2, SVG
- Useful for branding projects to achieve typographic consistency
Add a unique touch across posters, packaging, websites and apps with distinctive custom fonts made effortlessly.
7. Export Kit – Batch Exporting Simplified
Manually exporting assets from multilayered PSDs can devour hours for each project. Export Kit Pro liberates designers from this frustrating bottleneck with streamlined batch exporting magic!
It makes asset extraction incredibly fast by allowing you to:
- Tag layers during designing phase for easier identification
- Define multiple trim boxes for key areas
- Batch export all assets ultra-fast with one click
- Supports PNG, JPG, PDF and even SVG formats
Protect your sanity and speed up client deliverables export with this handy automation power tool!
8. Krita – Free Photoshop Alternative
Looking for a no-cost Photoshop-grade design application? Stop searching and grab Krita! This open-source software is loved by illustrators and concept artists for its rich toolset and incredible flexibility.
Some standout features include:
- Intuitive interface similar to Photoshop
- Immersive digital painting with customizable brushes
- Non-destructive adjustments and transformations
- Animation keyframing for basic motion graphics
- Comic creation tools like speech bubbles and panels
Krita proves that powerful design applications don’t need big price tags. Its expanding features make it a compelling free alternative for budget-conscious creators.
9. Imagineer Systems Mocha – Advanced Tracking & Masking
Mocha by Imagineer Systems is the secret weapon of Hollywood‘s top VFX artists for advanced motion tracking and masking. This industry-leading plugin is now available for Adobe CC apps!
Mocha equips Photoshop with unique tools for:
- Stabilizing shaky footage
- Motion tracking tough shots
- Rotoscoping complex outlines
- Clean plating/object removal
- Perspective matching photos to footage
Take your photo and video compositing to the next level with the legendary planar tracking and masking capabilities of Mocha!
10. Topaz Studio – AI Photo Enhancing
Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, Topaz Studio makes complex photo enhancement delightfully easy! This award-winning plugin uses machine learning algorithms for studio-grade improvements.
Some magical one click fixes include:
- Sharpening blurry images
- Reducing image noise / grain
- Increasing resolution without affecting quality
- Automatic color adjustment
- Black and white conversion
Get professional image retouching results instantly without expertise or effort using AI!
11. Pixel Squid – 3D Mockup Generator
Tired of boring 2D product mockups? Pixel Squid adds life to your designs with its incredible 3D mockup generator plugin.
It lets you quickly wrap graphics around 3000+ real-world objects. This creates ultra-realistic packaging, apparel, signage and branding mockups in seconds!
Benefits include:
- 3000+ mockup templates covering various products & contexts
- Adjust positioning, rotation and sizing easily
- Photo-quality rendering and lighting
- Download mockups as PSD files to add further touches
Make high-impact visuals that grab viewer attention with this gamechanging 3D mockup simulator!
12. Figma Plugin – Design Collaboration Flow
Access the power of Figma’s real-time design collaboration without ever leaving Photoshop! This handy Figma plugin keeps team communication fluid across the entire creative process.
It allows you to:
- Open cloud-saved Figma files
- Export layer comps to Photoshop as robust smart objects
- Auto-sync edits between Figma and PSD versions
- Share updates and gather feedback in one place
Bridge UX design, mockups, prototyping and testing by connecting Adobe and Figma ecosystems through this time-saver integration.
13. StockUnlimited Vector Library
StockUnlimited’s extension makes the entire catalog of this leading vector marketplace accessible within Photoshop!
Browse 500,000+ vector images gaplessl across categories like:
- Halloween Graphics
- Animated Icons
- Maps and Locations
- Food Graphics
- Tech and Devices
- Universal Symbols
Finding the perfect vector illustration has never been quicker!
14. Creative Market – Assets On Demand
Creative Market’s plugin puts thousands of design assets right at your fingertips:
- Graphics like patterns, brushes and textures
- Font bundles with distinct styles
- Presentation templates
- Mockups, additive assets and more
It’s a treasure chest of high-quality resources to enhance all creative projects. Super useful for moments of inspiration or beating deadlines!
15. Shutterstock – Media Discovery Powerhouse
Last but definitely not the least, Shutterstock’s integration unleashes the media giant’s gargantuan library across all Adobe apps!
It offers lightning fast access to:
- 370 million images, vectors, patterns and textures
- 2.7 million video clips across 4K and HD
- Incisive search filters for accurate discovery
- Brand new content added daily
Finding the perfect media asset is a breeze with the media discovery might of Shutterstock!
Installation Guide: Adding Plugins to Photoshop
The hardest part of using Photoshop plugins is usually installation. But fret not, just follow these quick steps to get up and running fast:
- Download your chosen plugin executable file
- Navigate to local disk C:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop {VERSION}/Plugins folder
- Copy the entire plugin folder into the Plugins destination folder
- Launch Photoshop and the plugin will appear under Filter> Name
- Follow any activation steps if required by the developer
And voila, you are all set to boost Photoshop productivity with exciting new capabilities!
Most plugins today offer great onboarding education. But don’t hesitate to consult accompanying manuals or YouTube tutorials on using specific features.
Supercharge Photoshop and Take Design Skills Skyward
There you have it – the 15 best Photoshop plugins for unlocking new potentials from one of the world’s favorite creative applications!
From revolutionizing workflows to opening up expanded toolsets, these add-ons help graphic designers save vast amounts of time while delivering visual brilliance.
Photoshop plugins are a must-have investment for any designer seeking to level up skills and creativity. Hopefully this guide serves as the perfect launchpad for building your dream plugin toolkit!
So go forth and create your masterpieces faster and better than ever before!
