The best free Photoshop plugins give you simple ways to do specific functions or perform certain edits. Adobe Photoshop is essential to a photographer’s arsenal. With Photoshop’s number of functions, your program knowledge may limit what you can do. That is where Photoshop plugins come in.
Today, we will look at the best Photoshop plugins for photographers. We will look at a range of Adobe Photoshop plugins for photographers that help reduce your time spent editing images. Some of these functions will even give you new techniques to help your creative process.
What are Free Photoshop Plugins?
A Photoshop plugin is a piece of software, often made independently of Adobe, that operates only inside Photoshop. A plugin is designed to integrate into Photoshop’s interface, so its functions (described by the plugin) are readily accessible.
It’s easy to install free Photoshop plugins. Find your Photoshop plugin folder after downloading it. Then it is a simple drag-and-drop action.
You should see your new plugin in the filters menu when you open Photoshop. But each plugin for Photoshop has set instructions for this, so follow them carefully.
In this article, we split the free Photoshop plugins into three sections. Click on the links below to find the section that is most relevant for you:
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Best Free Photoshop Plugins to Help Your Visual Output
Let’s now look at the top free Photoshop plugins that will help produce better visual results. A wide range of options are available, and each plugin produces unique results. Read more below to learn about new options for your Photoshop process.
1. G'MIC
G'MIC is the largest free Photoshop plugin on this list by a wide margin. It is an open-source filter framework that carries hundreds of effects in a single panel. The ones photographers reach for most are its black-and-white conversions, film-style color grades, noise reduction, and artistic stylizing.
You open it from Filters > GMIC > G'MIC-Qt, and it launches its own window with a live preview. There is one limit to check before you download it. The Photoshop build is Windows only and will not install on a Mac, so Mac users have to run G'MIC as a separate app through Homebrew or MacPorts instead.
2. Color Designer
Color Designer is a free Photoshop plugin for anyone who builds a color scheme rather than guessing one. Pick a color and it generates tints, shades, and color harmonies from it, plus a stepped gradient you can drop straight into a layer.
It is also tied into Adobe Stock, so you can search for images that match the color you selected. There is a paid Pro version with a wider color wheel, so expect the free panel to point you toward it now and then. For choosing a palette and grading toward it, the free version does the job.
3. Reflections
Reflections by PanosFX is a free set of Photoshop actions that build a believable reflection under your photo. You get water reflections, rippled reflections, and leaning-mirror reflections, and each action walks you through the steps on screen as it runs.
This is a quick way to add depth to a product shot, an album cover, or a portfolio header. It installs as actions rather than a panel, so you load the ATN file through the Actions palette instead of dropping a file into your plugin folder. If you prefer to build the effect by hand every time, this will feel too automatic.
4. Pixelate
Pixelate is a free Photoshop plugin that places a pixelated aesthetic onto your photographs. There are ways to do this in Photoshop, but this plugin allows you much more control over the final results.
It is easy to change the length and width of each pixel. You can even make the pixels in a rectangle rather than squares. This is a great plugin for this specific effect. One thing to check before you download it. Richard Rosenman builds these filters for Windows only, and they will not install on macOS.
5. Visual Sharpener
The Web Sharpener is a great free Photoshop plugin for any photographer who is using their images for social media. This plugin scales down your images to a brilliant size for web or social media while making them as sharp as possible.
Therefore, the plugin keeps your photos safe from someone copying them and printing them big. But the images will still look great on the phone or the web. You can also add a watermark inside this plugin.
6. 12 Free Overlays
12 Free Overlays from NUUGRAPHICS drops a set of ready-made overlays into Photoshop. The pack covers bokeh, bubbles, smoke, fireworks, glitter, lens flare, skies, and sparklers, so you can add an element to a flat frame without going out to shoot it.
Be clear about what this is. The 12 overlays are a free sample of a 600-overlay bundle the same developer sells, so the panel will point you at the paid set. The samples themselves cost nothing, and once they are installed they stay in Photoshop for as long as you want them.
7. Flaming Pear Freebies
Flaming Pear sells the Flood and LunarCell plugins, but it also gives around thirty smaller ones away. The Freebies page holds tools such as Ornament, Solidify, Sphere Warp, Pixel Trash, Anaglyph Flip, and a full set of color-space converters.
These are single-purpose filters rather than a panel, which is the point of them. Solidify pulls an average color out of an image, Sphere Warp bends a flat texture around a ball, and the Lab and HSL converters move a file between color spaces. Flaming Pear’s headline plugins are paid and only offer a trial, so download from the Freebies page rather than the product pages.
8. Fog Overlays
If you want to add more atmosphere to your photographs, this free Photoshop plugin is a great place to start. The Free Fog Overlays plugin gives you three different fog types you can place onto your Photoshop edits.
This plug in keeps these overlays in your program for you to use at any time. You can use them to get an idea of how your image should look with added atmosphere. If you want more control you can always find a fog brush online and then base it around the overlay.
9. Lens Distortion (Lens FX)
Lens FX is a plugin that provides 8 different distortion types. These distortions can completely transform your image or design. There are different choices of antialiasing to help you fine-tune your desired distortion.
This plugin will be helpful for those who want to experiment with their photography or design. Like the rest of Richard Rosenman’s free filters, it is a Windows-only download.
10. Sub-pixel Diffuse
This free Photoshop plugin allows you more control over the Diffuse Photoshop tool. With this tool, you can apply diffusion values of less than 1.0 pixels. It could be helpful if you want to fine-tune your photograph to get the desired effect.
Photographers can find the Photoshop diffuse tool harsh. This plugin accounts for this and lets you soften up your edges in a subtle manner. It is Windows only, like its two siblings above.
11. The Orange Box HDR Sharpener
You may love the HDR and detailed aesthetic, but you can find it hard to shoot in-camera and then edit it in Photoshop. Do not worry; the Orange Box HDR Sharpener can create this effect for you.
The plugin functions as a simple one-click solution. You will get a slider that adjusts the sharpness amount.
Best Free Photoshop Plugins to Assist Your Workflow
Now we will go through the best free Photoshop plugins that will help you with your workflow. These are tools that can make editing much simpler or integrate external programs directly into Photoshop.
1. Theme Switcher
The Theme Switcher plugin allows you to swap between the different interface brightness in seconds. Normally, you would have to go through Preferences, which is not as convenient. A small action like this is great for providing an ideal workspace.
Professionals will benefit most from this free Photoshop plugin. It allows you to select the best brightness for your editing. You may want a neutral grey for color editing, then a dark tone for black and white editing.
2. OK Color Picker
OK Color Picker is a simple plugin that gives you a larger and more intuitive color picker in Photoshop. A feature like this is helpful for photographers who create color casts to add atmosphere to their photographs.
The plugin lets you fine-tune your desired color through saturation and lightness. The current tone you have created will show up against a neutral grey for an accurate view.
3. TK Luminosity Mask
If you are a photographer who uses luminosity masks, the TK Luminosity Mask plugin is a must-have. It provides every tool you need to make detailed custom luminosity masks in the quickest time possible.
Again, this feature is aimed at professional photographers who understand how to use Photoshop and luminosity masks. Using luminosity masks is a great way to boost the dynamic range in your photographs.
4. Textmarker
If you have created text in Photoshop before, you will understand how difficult it can be to make simple customizations. Textmarker provides a quick and easy way to edit text and provide customisations like highlights or underlines.
This free Photoshop plugin is great for any designer or photographer who will add text to their edits. It speeds up your workflow and means you don’t have to create these elements yourself.
5. Floating Adjustments
The Floating Adjustments plugin is great for Photoshop users who want to see their adjustments more accurately. You can make more accurate edits by blowing up the adjustment dialog box.
A free Photoshop plugin like this would be helpful for beginners and also those who do not like looking at small dialog boxes. Also, your screen size could determine if you need this plugin. Laptop users would benefit from using this plugin.
6. Composition Grid
Composition Grid lays a composition guide over your image as an ordinary Photoshop layer. It draws rule of thirds, golden ratio, and dynamic symmetry grids, and you set the color, thickness, and line style of each one separately.
Because the grid is a layer, you can crop and straighten against it and then switch it off before you export. It earns its place when you are recomposing in post rather than in the viewfinder. The one thing to check first is that it does not work with Artboards.
7. Arranger
Arranger is a useful plugin for designers rather than photographers. It allows you to arrange multiple layers as circles, grids, waves, or honeycombs. This makes creating specialist menus, display graphics, and interfaces much easier.
Photographers could use it to create interesting collages. There is also a Random Order setting that can help you create interesting patterns.
8. Free Stock Search 2
Free Stock Search 2 lets you search through a range of the top stock photo websites to find the image you need. This can be helpful for content creators, illustrators, and even photographers working with collage.
Free Stock Search 2 presents photos, vectors, and videos from Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels, and pulls your pick straight into the open document. Integrating image search directly in Photoshop saves you a lot of time. Especially as you won’t have to swap between websites to find the perfect image.
9. Transform Each
Here is another free Photoshop plugin that is best for designers. Transform Each allows you to choose from different layers and transform them all at the same time and in the same proportions. This means you can scale the width and height and also the rotation.
This is helpful for designers who want all different elements to be uniform. It saves a whole load of time instead of having to adjust each one individually.
10. PathFinder
Pathfinder for Photoshop takes a useful tool in Adobe Illustrator and brings it into Photoshop. This tool allows you to merge shapes so they can be considered and treated like a single shape.
There are ways to do this in Photoshop but this free plugin allows you to do it in one simple click.
11. Free Retouch Panel
This Free Retouch Panel is an excellent free Photoshop plugin that speeds up your retouching process. It gathers many relevant retouching tools into a single section to allow the fastest possible editing.
This would be helpful for fashion photographers who are just starting out in Photoshop.
12. Slack
Many businesses use Slack as their primary communication tool. The free Photoshop plugin allows users to share files and snapshots without leaving the Photoshop application. This helps speed up the workflow between different employees.
The pluging is simple and gives you a few options to customise the file you are sending. You are only able to share JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
13. Chroma Palette
Chroma Palette is a Photoshop plugin that allows you to assign shortcuts for colors to your number pad or any other keypads you may have connected to your computer. A feature like this is helpful for experienced Photoshop users looking to speed up their workflow.
This plugin is especially useful for photographers who will be color grading or graphic designers.
Best Free Photoshop Plugins to Help With Design Elements
This section will cover the best free Photoshop plugins that will help with certain aspects of design.
1. Picture Package
The Picture Package plugin is a brilliant way to manage printing multiple copies of a singular image in Photoshop. It is a simple plugin that lays out your image in an customisable format. An action like this is best for portrait or headshot photographers.
This plugin will save you a lot of time when printing your work. Some photographers may have a document you can easily drag and drop images into. This plugin will even be much quicker than that.
2. Watermark 3
Watermark 3 is a free Photoshop plugin that every photographer should have. It provides a simple but detailed process to apply a watermark to your photos for extra security. You are able to choose from a text or logo watermark, the font, the position, and a few other customisations.
The plugin acts as the final step before exporting, so you will save your image through this plugin. You are even able to apply the watermark to multiple images at the same time.
3. QR Code Maker Pro
This free Photoshop plugin allows you to create your own QR code inside Photoshop and add to your images or designs. A QR code is a great way to share digital information with people in a quick and concise way.
The plugin itself is very simple. It requires little input from the user and you are left with a working QR code to use in your designs.
4. PSDCovers 2.0
PSDCovers 2.0 renders photorealistic product mockups from a flat design. Search the catalogue inside Photoshop by category or keyword, pick a mockup, and the extension wraps your artwork around the product for you.
Photographers use it to show prints, books, and packaging to a client without building the scene first. The free extension gives you over 200 mockups, and the full catalogue sits behind a subscription on the developer’s own site. It runs on Mac and Windows in Photoshop CC 2020 and later.
5. Puzzle Pieces
Puzzle Pieces is a plugin that will turn your photo into a puzzle. It splits up your image based on different aspect ratios. You can then print your image and cut out the pieces for your homemade puzzle.
A plugin like this is a fun way to make customized presents for family and friends. It could also be a great way to promote your photography.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are These Free Photoshop Plugins Really Free?
Every plugin on this list was checked against the developer’s own download page, and none of them needs a subscription to install. A few carry a bigger paid edition alongside the free one. 12 Free Overlays is a sample of a larger paid bundle, PSDCovers gives you 200 of its mockups free, and Color Designer has a paid Pro panel. Each of those entries says so, and the free download works without paying.
How Do I Install a Free Photoshop Plugin?
It depends on which of the two kinds you have downloaded. A modern panel from Adobe Exchange installs itself through the Creative Cloud desktop app once you click Get on the listing. An older filter arrives as a .8bf file that you drop into your Photoshop plugins folder by hand. Actions are a third case, and you load those ATN files from the Actions panel menu.
Where Do I Find a Plugin Once It Is Installed?
Filters that you installed as .8bf files appear at the bottom of the Filters menu, usually under the developer’s name. Panels appear under Plugins in Photoshop 2021 and newer, or under Window > Extensions in older versions. Restart Photoshop first if a new plugin does not show up.
Do These Plugins Work on a Mac?
Most of them do, but not all. The three Richard Rosenman filters on this list, Pixelate, Lens FX, and Sub-pixel Diffuse, are Windows only, and so is the Photoshop build of G'MIC. Mac users can run G'MIC as a separate application through Homebrew or MacPorts. Everything else here runs on both systems.
Conclusion: Best Free Photoshop Plugin
As you can see there is a wide range of free Photoshop plugins. Each plugin solves a particular problem, so if you feel something is missing in Photoshop, search the plugin section on Adobe Exchange.
Adobe Photoshop is a must-have product for any photographer. If you plan to take photography seriously, you should become familiar with this digital editing software.
