10 Photoshop Plug-ins and Downloads for 2010 |

Working in Photoshop is not just about doing. It’s also about doing the work efficiently and effectively. These are some helpful plug-ins (some are free) to get you working more efficiently in the 2010 New Year.

1. Adobe Photoshop CS4 Optional plug-ins

With CS4, Adobe moved some of the standard plug-ins into the Goodies folder on the DVD, or alternatively, you can download them from their website. Some of the plug-ins are old standbys that I personally wouldn’t want to be without. Download for Windows here, or for Mac here.

Contact Sheet II
PhotomergeUI
PatternMaker
Web Photo Gallery

2. Eye Candy 6

Add beautiful, realistic looking effects to your digital artwork. Some of these effects can take hours to produce on your own. With a few clicks and tweaks, create them swiftly with Eye Candy. I especially love using distortion tools on these effects to make them look even more realistic (like Liquify, Warp, etc). Download a demo here. Some of the great effects:

Smoke
Water Drops
Fire
Drip
Glass
Icicles
Perspective Shadow

3. Xenofex 2

Also from Alien Skin Software, create dazzling effects such as Lightning, Clouds, and Crumpled paper.

Download a demo here.

4. Backdrop Designer

When you’ve got a great portrait, but need a more fitting or simplistic background, you don’t have to settle for white.

Get the demo here.

5. Foto Edge FX

Create interesting borders for your photos. These can be used well for publication layouts and websites.

Download and learn more about it here.

6. Dreamy Photo

A free plug-in from Auto FX Software. I think it simulates the diffusion print process quite nicely. Get your download here.

7. Grunge Textures

Since everything seems to re-emerge every 20 years, I’m expecting a resurgence of grunge. Here’s some nice free textures to get you started on the trend. Download here.