Life after Photoshop

Plug-ins

Plug ins are like add-on programs which work from within your regular software. They provide specialised effects or in-depth tools – or simply a an easier way of working – that aren't part of mainstream photo-editing applications.

Probably the best known is the Nik Collection, a suite of plug ins which includes Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Dfine, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro, Silver Efex Pro and Viveza.

Others include Topaz Studio and the MacPhun Creative Kit. Some programs that started out as plug ins now work as standalone applications too, including Alien Skin Exposure X and ON1 Photo RAW.

Plug ins need a 'host' application, usually Photoshop, Lightroom or – for those still using it – Aperture. Other host apps can often work with plug-ins with a little manual configuration.

If you had to characterise these two types of software you might say that 'host' apps offer routine image enhancements and adjustments while plug-ins provide inspiration and ideas, though the boundaries are becoming blurred.

ON1 Photo RAW 2024 regular and Max editions: what’s the difference?

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When ON1 released ON1 Photo RAW 2024 it also switched around the products and license tiers. Previously, you could buy ON1 Photo RAW as a standalone package and individual components like ON1 Effects or Portrait AI as standalone ‘pro’ plug-ins. Now, though, these are all rolled into the Max edition so how does this work?

Lightroom vs Photoshop: which program should you use and when?

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Lightroom vs Photoshop, which is best? It’s not that simple, as anyone who uses them will know, because although there is some crossover (well, a lot of crossover), they have very different roles and very different strengths and weaknesses. One is not better than the other because it depends on what you want to do. […]

Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic: same name, very different workflow

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The name is the same, but despite the apparent similarities, these are two very different programs. So what are the key differences between Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC, and how do you choose which one to use?

How to use Aurora HDR with Lightroom as a plug-in: for single exposures or bracketed sets

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You can use Aurora HDR 2019 as a standalone program, but if you have Lightroom it’s a lot easier and more efficient to launch it from Lightroom as a plug-in. You can use Aurora HDR with Lightroom very easily, but the method is not the same for single images and bracketed exposures.

How Apple Photos Extensions work

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Apple Photos has some useful editing tools already, but with the launch of the El Capitan operating system, Apple has gone a step further with Apple Photos Extensions. These are equivalent to the the image-editing plug-ins used with Photoshop and Lightroom. Software publishers have been keen to make use of this, and already there are a […]

How Photoshop Smart Objects and plug-ins can work together

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Just in case anyone thinks I have something against Photoshop… I don’t! Photoshop is really good at what it does, it just doesn’t do everything I want from a digital imaging application. But it is really good ‘host’ application for plug-ins. One reason is that I’m having a few problems with Aperture and Google Nik […]