Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Managing Plug-Ins

Unlike previous CS versions, Photoshop CC wants you to store plug-ins in its Plug-Ins folder and the Required folder (see the box on Finding Built-In Plug-Ins), so that’s where it looks each time you launch the program. That’s all well and good, but there’s an awfully good chance your plug-ins will get zapped if the program crashes, or you upgrade to a new version of Photoshop or reinstall the current one. (The same is true of actions, brushes, and other presets, though the Migrate Presets feature helps if you’re upgrading [see the Note on Note].)

To protect your precious plug-ins, you can store ’em elsewhere, but you have to tell Photoshop where you put them by using the Load command in the respective panel’s menu (say, the Actions panel if you’re loading an action that’s stored somewhere else on your hard drive or the Brush panel if you’re loading custom brushes). In Photoshop CC, you can’t direct the program to look for another folder full of plug-ins by using its Plug-Ins preferences.

In the following pages, you’ll find brief descriptions of some of the most amazing plug-ins on the market. Each one performs its own special brand of magic, such as noise removal, color enhancement, or special effects—one even turns your Photoshop document into a fully functional web page! These plug-ins range in price from $50 to $500, but don’t let that scare you; if a plug-in saves you valuable hours, you’ll make that money back in no time flat. There are gobs of Photoshop plug-ins, ...