Favorite Photoshop Plug-Ins

For all its power and capability, Photoshop is a program that can leave a photographer’s eyes glazed over. The seemingly endless assortment of features and different ways to achieve similar results can lead many of us to spend more time emptily gazing into a computer monitor rather than creating images behind a camera. Enter Photoshop-compatible plug-ins—tools that make photo editing simpler, more efficient and intuitive.

Yes, Photoshop has extensive controls for sharpening, color adjustments, noise reduction and lens distortion, but there’s often a steep learning curve involved in becoming adept with those controls. And while some of us may have the time and inclination to do so, others of us welcome the alternatives provided by plug-ins, which can help photographers, whether tech-savvy or not, to improve the quality of their digital images. Here’s a selection of Photoshop-compatible plug-ins that can help your image-editing time at the computer. Remember, even if you don’t own a copy of Photoshop, many of these plug-ins will work with other applications that accept Photoshop-compatible plug-ins.

 
Auto FX Software AutoEye
Despite the advanced technologies found in our digital cameras, there will be times when exposure and color won’t be as accurate as we need them to be. Trying to achieve precise color values can be one of the more difficult challenges when enhancing images.

Auto FX Software’s AutoEye forgoes traditional Level and Curves adjustments to improve images and instead uses its Intelligent Visual Image Technology to restore lost tonal and color detail. Easy-to-navigate controls allow you to apply the software’s tools individually or in combination with one another to optimize images in a fraction of the time it would take using standard editing tools and techniques. List Price: $129.

Full Spectrum RGB
Though digital cameras often do a good job of capturing a color, there are some colors that they don’t render accurately, such as purple. They also aren’t smart enough to know the quality of color we prefer for our images. The strong, saturated colors desired for a landscape aren’t ideal for portraits, which require a softer, more neutral palette.

Full Spectrum RGB is a plug-in that takes the guesswork out of achieving the right type of color by using a straightforward interface to enhance and adjust color. The software comes with two presets: one for saturated color and higher contrast, ideal for landscape images, and another with a more neutral palette with reduced contrast for portraits. Users also can create their own personal custom color spectrum, and the program has easy-to-use highlight and shadow controls to retain or compress data at the far ends of the tonal range. List Price: $49.

Digital Film Tools 55mm
Optical filters played a large role in traditional photography, as they provided creative visual effects by simply being attached to the front of a lens. However, high-quality graduated, soft-focus, color-conversion and special-effects filters can become expensive and slow you down in the field.

Digital Film Tools 55mm software provides the equivalent of dozens of filters that can be applied to your digital images. Compatible with both 8-bit and 16-bit files, the software delivers creative optical effects with a level of control that can’t be achieved with optical filters. Dozens of filters and effects can be used to smooth skin, correct lens distortion, increase shadow detail, and apply selective color saturation and contrast. List Price: $195.

DIGITAL GEM Pro
Just as photographers had to contend with film grain when they chose to shoot with higher-ISO films, today’s digital photographers have to face the fact that setting their digital camera to higher-ISO settings means an increased presence of noise. These multicolored speckles that appear in an image can dramatically impact an image’s quality, especially when it comes to making big enlargements.

Kodak’s DIGITAL GEM Pro reduces noise and grain while retaining important tonal and color detail, without introducing unwanted artifacts. It offers the choice between an aggressive (coarse noise) or modest (fine grain) noise suppression. It also features a Noise Preview screen, which allows you to view just the noise you’re trying to eliminate, providing a visual reference when you choose to manually control the plug-in using its simple slider controls. List Price: $99.

DxO Optics Pro 3.5
Digital has provided much greater control over image correction that’s beyond simply setting the shutter speed and aperture. In addition to having the ability to manage white balance and sharpness, we have the potential to enhance or correct optical qualities found in individual lenses.

DxO Optics Pro 3.5 Standard is an advanced RAW processor, but it also provides the means to correct for barrel distortion or pincushioning, as well as color fringing that can appear with certain lenses. Rather than a general correction, the compensation provided by the software is designed specifically for individual lenses, each of which has been tested with individual models of cameras. Its advanced Noise Engine also allows you to use your camera’s higher ISO settings and experience significantly less noise when processed through the software. List Price: $149.

Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0
One of the great strengths of digital is the opportunity it provides for experimentation. With traditional photography, you had to invest in an individual optical filter to experiment with a single technique that you might or might not eventually embrace. Software packages that include a multitude of filters offer us the opportunity to “play” and discover exciting new ways to use and present our photographs.

Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 provides a multitude of color, black-and-white, and special-effect and traditional-enhancement filters that can be applied to both 8-bit and 16-bit images. In addition to providing a Preview screen to view the impact of an effect, the filters include individual controls for customizing an effect and saving it for later use. The filters can also be applied selectively when using a Wacom graphics tablet for the ultimate in control. List Price: $329.

 
PhotoTune 20/20 Color MD
When it comes to evaluating and adjusting color, it’s always good to compare “before” and “after” images. Even subtle color changes can benefit greatly from having a reference to judge any changes that one makes to a digital image.

PhotoTune 20/20 Color MD uses this principle with its six-step wizard that walks you through each enhancement for dynamic range, contrast, color and more. With a before and after screen, advanced color-correction algorithms and the ability to fine-tune the effects to your preference, this software reduces the time needed to improve the look of your digital photographs. List Price: $49.

Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0
Every image that comes out of a digital camera requires sharpening, especially when those images are being printed. However, Photoshop’s Unsharp Mask tool, while powerful, leaves many photographers confused and uncertain as to what settings are appropriate for the Amount, Radius and Threshold controls.

Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 helps eliminate the intimidation factor surrounding sharpening by providing a straightforward interface that sharpens images based on resolution, image and print size, as well as the expected viewing distance between the subject and the final photograph. List Price: $329.

Pixel Genius PhotoKit Sharpener
Sharpening an image is often a multistage process that involves applying varying levels of sharpening after an image is imported, during image editing, and finally for output after the image has been resized and is ready to head to the printer. However, understanding how and when to apply such enhancements can be difficult.

Pixel Genius PhotoKit Sharpener takes the guesswork out of this process by creating a workflow for enhancing an image from beginning to end. Its intuitive user interface provides the tools you need to improve images, whether they’ve originated from a digital camera or a scanner. Its Creative Sharpening controls allow for selective sharpening of images so you can isolate the software’s effect to only those areas that you wish to enhance. List Price: $99.