10 Best Free and Paid Photoshop Plugins for PC and Mac Users
Last Updated on November 11, 2021 by Peter Wood
If you have used Adobe Create Suite for a while, sooner you will need Photoshop plugins. Adobe Photoshop CC is a powerful image editor. But there is still room to add more features or enhance existing features. Fortunately, there are many extensions on the market to expand the features that are not part of the core abilities of photographers and designers. Here is a top list of the ten best Photoshop plugins.
Part 1: 5 Free Photoshop Plugins
Top 1: Layers Control 2
It is well-known that Photoshop lets you edit photos on layers. That makes photo editing easier. However, it is hard to manage the layers. This Photoshop plugin helps you to streamline layer management. With it, you can organize and clean the layer palette in a simple way.
Top 2: Pexels Photoshop Plugin
Pexels is not only a free Photoshop plugin but also a stock photo site on the internet. It offers a collection of high-quality photos for free. Once you install the plugin, you can access the entire photo database in Photoshop directly.
Top 3: ON1 Effects
ON1 Effects is a Photoshop plugin that helps you to enhance your photos quickly. It contains a large package of different presets for photo enhancement. So that beginners can produce high-quality pictures.
Top 4: Camera Raw
As its name indicated, Camera Raw is a Photoshop plugin to edit and touch up RAW photo files. But it is also available in JPG, TIFF, and other photo formats. If you are using a digital camera, it is an extension you must have.
Top 5: HDR Sharpener
Creating HDR effects with photos can be a tough job, especially for beginners. But this Photoshop plugin allows you to get it with just one click. Moreover, it also provides a slider to adjust the strength of the effect.
Part 2: 5 Paid Photoshop Plugins
Top 1: Aurora HDR
Aurora HDR is a professional Photoshop plugin to add HDR effects to regular images. Moreover, it is available to both PC and Mac. The user-friendly interface combines plentiful advanced editing options.
Top 2: Luminar 4
Luminar 4 is an independent photo editor as well as the Photoshop plugin. You can use all features of the extension in your Photoshop directly. But, Luminar is not freeware.
Top 3: Noiseless
Noiseless is a Photoshop plugin to help you correct photos and remove noise from images. Though Photoshop can de-noise, this extension will simplify the job. It is an extension for both beginners and professionals.
Top 4: Fluid Mask 3
Fluid Mask 3 is a Photoshop plugin to create a mask and make the selection. Many Photoshop users already have this plugin to select objects in photos for editing separately. It is also an option to make a color splash with photos.
Top 5: Infinite Color
If you prefer to use a color grading tool, this Photoshop plugin is necessary. Though it costs $99, you can save a lot of time from a sophisticated job, especially when you want to create a great effect with color grading.
Part 3: Best Photoshop Plugin Alternative
Photoshop is expensive. And most of its plugins are not free to use. Therefore, you may want to get an alternative solution. From this point, we recommend WidsMob Portrait Pro. Its main features include:
- Touch up photos with a single click.
- Support almost all photo formats include RAW files.
- Detect faces in your photos using AI technology.
- Protect image quality while editing.
Moreover, it can meet your basic and advanced needs about photo editing without extra plugins.
How to Touch up Photos without Photoshop Plugins
Step 1: Import photos
Launch the best alternative to Photoshop and plugins once you install it on your computer. Click on the Select Photos button in the home interface to import the photos you want to edit without the Photoshop plugin. Then it will detect your face in the pictures automatically.
Step 2: Touch up photos
There are two ways to touch up your portraits. For beginners, go to the Preset tab on the right-hand column, and select the option you want to use on the portrait image, such as Medium Smoothing skin. Plus, the sub-options in the preset are all adjustable. If you try to touch up photos manually, go to the Edit tab and modify each option until you get the desired effect. To compare with the original image, click View -> Before/After on the top menu bar. Also, you can view the photo in detail by hitting View -> Zoom In.
Step 3: Save or share photos
After photo editing, you have two methods to output the results:
Save photos to computer: Click the Save button at the upper right corner to trigger the Save As dialog. Enter the filename in the Save As box, type in tags, and set the location folder in the Where option. Then set the photo format in the Format option and adjust the photo quality by moving the Quality slider. Finally, click on the Save button to export the photo to your hard drive.
Share photos on social media: If you want to share the image on a social network or send it to your friend via email, click on the Share button alternative. Pick the target channel and follow the onscreen instructions to do it directly.
Conclusion
Based on the sharing above, you should understand why you need a Photoshop plugin and top 10 extensions. Some of them are free of charge, and others require payment. You can find and download the proper plugins for your photo editor. If Photoshop and the plugins are too expensive or complicated, you can try an alternative, WidsMob Portrait Pro. It is an easy-to-use photo editor that offers many advanced features, such as AI detection, skin smoothness, and more. Moreover, it allows you to share results directly. We hope that our guide and recommendations are helpful to you.