Those who use Photoshop CS5 (or earlier) are accustomed to the menu tab Filters the entire list of available filters is presented. In general, it is convenient to quickly switch to them and use them. With coming next version- Photoshop CS6 - This menu has been changed resulting in confusion and confusion among users. The fact is that a number of filters from of this menu disappeared altogether.

List of filters in Photoshop CS5:

Changed filter list in Photoshop CS6:

As you can see, the following groups have disappeared without a trace: Artistic, Texture, Brush Strokes and Sketch. In addition to this, we also removed a number of individual filters from the remaining groups.

But don't panic, in fact, the filter group data hasn't gone anywhere. Yes, they are not in the main menu, but from Filter galleries nobody cleaned them! Thus, to apply them, you must first go to Filter - Filter Gallery(Filter Gallery). The familiar dialog box will open, in which you will find what you were looking for:

(Click to enlarge)

As you can see, all missing filters are present here and you can still use them. But the next problem has appeared regarding smart objects and their smart filters.

Smart Objects and Filter Gallery in Photoshop CS6

Let's say we have it and we need to apply a filter to it.

If we choose from those filters that are displayed in the menu, then there are no problems - we see their names, and we understand what we have applied.

But if you need to use filters from the missing list, that is, through the Gallery, then we see that Photoshop does not write their names!

Agree, this is extremely inconvenient. Suppose we applied only one Application, this can still be remembered. And if you add one more filter? And then another one? First, you can forget not just the names, but also in what order they were. Secondly, will you come back to this project in a week or even gave the PSD file to another person, what then?

Of course, you can click through them in order, opening a window with filter settings and, thanks to this, understand what it is. But this is so inconvenient ... It slows down the speed of work ...

Okay, I got carried away with whipping up this problem. The developers left us the right to choose and how to fix everything.

Recovering missing filters in CS6

So, in order to return the missing filters in the menu to their previous appearance, you need to go to the Photoshop settings: Editing(Edit) - Installations(Preferences) — External modules (Plug-Ins).

In the settings window that opens, check the box next to the setting Show all groups and filter gallery names(Show all Filter Gallery groups and names).

After that, you need to apply the changes and restart Photoshop.

Now the missing filter groups will return to the menu, which means that they will show their names in smart objects, just like the others.

If you noticed an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thanks!

Community Photoshop encompassing a huge amount of resources, tutorials, tips and techniques, .psd files and even Actions, it resembles something like a box of good chocolates. But there is one area where all of this is so lacking, namely free plugins and filters. Of course, Photoshop has been around for a long time. the best example in the development of graphic editors, and with each new version(the most recent version of CS4) an infinite number of features and add-ons were added to the program. As a result, it became likely that there is no longer such a strong need for additional free plugins as before. Or did they just stop paying attention to it?

Standard Photoshop plugins are best friends hobby photographers: take a couple of shots, fire up Photoshop, add some filters, and voila, you've got a pretty professional shot. Professional photographers use plugins as a basis and only then adjust and add filters in order to emphasize their own professional nature of photography. Plugins are essentially a very important and overlooked link - which brings us back to our initial conundrum of why there are so few free plugins and filters? Do you know the answer to this question? We are not.

In this article, you will find a few free plugins that are offered to you, they are very old, but you need not be intimidated - they will work great on all versions of Photoshop, and the effect they achieve is as much in demand as when they were developed. If you've spent a lot of time looking for an easy and convenient way to apply effects to your images, then this article is for you.

3D Shadow

With this handy plugin, you can easily create 3D shadows of various objects (letters, numbers, shapes, and so on). All settings for transparency level, perspective, shadow color and position, XYZ direction and many others are placed in one convenient window.
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AAA Buzzer

AAA Buzzer simplifies your image while keeping outlines sharp. Works quickly or slowly, depending on the set parameters.
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Absolute Color

Absolute Color is a palette of shades in the form of a circle, divided into 6 parts of 60 degrees. Select any color segment and it will limit the hue of the image to that color.
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B / W Conversion

Plugin for converting images to B / W. It gives you complete control over the control of red, yellow, green, cyan, cyan and magenta, as well as intermediate tones. The user can increase the flow of each color, or reduce everything to white or black, without affecting the rest of the colors at all.
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Bad dream

Bad Dream gives you the ability to create color solutions that usually need to be achieved within a few hours. In addition, it is possible to add softness and nebula effect. The end result can be very enjoyable.
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Bas-Relief

The filter transforms the image as if it had been carved with a bas-relief. This effect is achieved by the fact that a certain lighting is set to accentuate the surface relief. You can make the image look like aluminum foil, wrought metal, or edged stone. Also a plugin to convert a photo into a pencil sketch.
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Camouflage

This plugin allows you to create types of colors like army camouflage, or animal skins. This plugin creates solid images, which means you can use them as textures for 3D models or as background images on website pages. You can also use them as a pattern for clothing.
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Caravaggio

With this plugin you can get the effect oil paints... There are only 4 sliders in the plugin control window: Creativity, Exuberance, Attentiveness and something like Moodswing.
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Chalkaholic

Chalkaholic creates a chalk or charcoal effect with a distinct artistic flair. This makes it possible to create unique artistic options for implementation. This plugin will be an essential addition to any artist's collection.
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Circle to square

With this plugin you can turn any circle into a square.
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Cloud 2.2

With this plugin, you can create seamless images like clouds in snapshots. You will be able to control the levels of blur, outlines and lighting tints.
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Color MegaMix

Color MegaMix easily changes the colors of any image. The control is represented by 2 columns of colors: 8 original colors and 8 those to which you want to convert the original color. Taking into account the exposed data, the plug-in converts the entire original color of the image to the one you specified.
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Color replacer

This filter acts as a color replacer. This function similar to the standard with the Replace command Color in Photoshop. However, this plugin is more flexible in use, since you can separately select the source color and also specify the color to which you want to convert the original. Moreover, using this filter, you can fill the gray areas of the image with an arbitrary color, which can serve to restore color in overexposed areas of the image.
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ColorWorks

This plugin comes bundled with 20 effects for editing the color value of images using various methods. You can use it to skillfully fix your digital photographs, or experiment with possible larger transformations. All effects are fairly standard, but they can be useful with regular use.
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Contrast Balance

Contrast Balance enhances the capabilities of a standard luminosity / contrast filter and divides it into 4 constant / contrast parts using these 4 ratios: white-black, red-cyan, green-magenta, cyan-yellow.
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Contrast Mask

This plugin uses a contrast mask to reduce the overall contrast of an image, while simultaneously highlighting details in cases with both bright and dark areas.
The black and white negative of the image is blurred (the blur radius is controlled by the slider) to avoid sharp edges, and then covered with the original image, darkening the light areas and lightening the dark ones. The density level of the surface layer is adjusted with the "Strength" slider.
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Craquelure 3D

A filter with which you can create a rich assortment of effects of age-cracked varnish, which is extremely useful in creating various abstract textures, decorative surfaces and building materials. You can control two separate cracked effect layers and achieve a huge variety of texture effects, from etched metal and silk to fused glass and water ripples.
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Curves Plugin

This plugin can implement 8 predefined and interesting "curves" inside your image. The plugin interface displays several presets with curves - choose one and you will be impressed with how it will affect your image.
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DepthDither

DepthDither uses 3 ways to give your image a look that creates a continuous effect if the color is below 24-bit. Just like Photoshop, it offers a choice of diffusion, and options for applying noise to textures. You can also specify the color depth level, for example 2 bits, 4 bits, and so on up to 18 bits - this is the main difference from Photoshop. The most recent version of Photoshop offers up to 256 color modes to choose from.
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Digitization

This plugin was designed to digitize position data in large images. By clicking on the information received, you save the coordinates in text file(CSV). These coordinates can be used for further analysis. The picture below shows an example of an analysis based on information obtained with this plugin.
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Dreamy Photo

Dreamy Photo gives your photos a soft, romantic feel. This effect is indispensable for enhancing ordinary photographs, pictures from a digital camera, and in general - for any image that you would like to give a warm feeling.
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Edges Fx

This plugin is mainly used to define precise outline algorithm for applying the following effects: Colorize, Erode / Dilate, Sat Boost and Sketch
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EdgeWorks

This plugin comes with 20 effects for making serious contour and color modifications. It is best to use this plugin when experimenting to improve the stylistic appearance photographs. Also interesting to use when creating texture effects.

Built-in Photoshop filters very good, but many users prefer to diversify standard features unique filters from third-party manufacturers. Many interesting effects are paid, but there are also a huge number of free filters that can make even the most successful photo unique. Here are the best Photoshop filters you can use for free.

Glitch

Glitch - an unusual and stylish filter that applies a recognizable effect of color interference from an old VHS cassette to the photo. The filter will surely appeal to fans of retro photography and videotapes from the 80s. On the filter download page, you will find a detailed video instruction on how to use it. We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the site, there are many more interesting and free things on it.

Weekend B / W

Black and white portrait photography enthusiasts know that software bleached color photographs are very different from photographs originally taken on black and white film. Filter Weekend B / W imitates just such highly artistic pictures. The effect works with latest version Photoshop CS6 or Creative Cloud (CC).

Halftone photo effect

Halftone Photo Effect Filter allows you to stylize a photo so that it looks like a bitmap print product. All in all, if you want your photo to look like a comic book page, be sure to try out this fancy filter. He works with versions of Photoshop CS3-CS6 and CC.

Free Vintage Retro Circle Effect does not just make the photograph in black and white, but imitates the style of an old engraving. The filter works with Photoshop CS3-CS6 and CC versions.

Old film

Cold nightmare

Cold nightmare - another filter with a self-explanatory name. Even neutral photos after processing with this filter start to look alarming and frightening. Borders are sharper, shadows are darker, and colors are colder. The filter is compatible with Photoshop CS3-CS6 and Photoshop CC.

Silver

Silver - another good filter for lovers of black and white photography. While Weekend B / W is good for portraits, Silver makes any shot look like a shot from an old black and white movie. It is compatible with Photoshop CS4-CS6 and CC versions, and Photoshop Elements 11 and newer.

Lomo

Lomo filter can be called the antipode of the aforementioned Cold Nightmare. It adds softness and warm colors to pictures. Interestingly, the filter imitates photographs taken with an old Soviet LOMO Compact-Avtomat camera. The filter is compatible with Photoshop CS4-CS6 and CC versions.

Vintage light leak

There was a time when partial film flare was considered a gross defect. But today when digital cameras no longer know the problem of light exposure, people begin to miss partially spoiled pictures. Vintage light leak corrects the color gamut, and also adds the effect of the blown film to the photo. The filter is compatible with Photoshop CS4-CS6 and CC.

Desert Dust

Desert Dust adds a desert heat effect to the photo. You might have seen a similar color scheme in Hollywood films about Texas or Mexico. In general, use this filter if you want to add a piece of western to your photo.

Blue evening

Blue evening transforms the gamut of a photo, making the frame bluer. According to the authors, the filter works well for photos taken outdoors. It is compatible with Photoshop CS4-CS6 and CC, and there is also a version for Photoshop Elements 11.

Summer haze

Summer haze - another good filter for street photography. Portraits shot in natural summer light look especially good in its processing. The filter is compatible with Photoshop CS4-CS6 and CC versions.

Google Nik Collection

Google Nik Collection - a whole set of great tools. Previously, it was sold for a lot of money, but not so long ago, the rights to it were bought Google and then placed the entire collection in open access... Unlike most of the above filters, which need to be applied through the action window, Nik Collection plug-ins integrate directly into the body of Photoshop and significantly expand the toolkit of the program. The collection is a must-try for everyone who has anything to do with photography.

Photoshop is a popular graphics editor with a wide range of functions.

For designers, artists, photographers, there are unique tools that open up almost endless possibilities for working with raster graphics.

V Photoshop there are already a number of preset filters that are used to change the palette or image. Often standard set filters are not enough, it becomes necessary to install additional ones. A filter is also called a plug-in, that is, it is a small third-party program that is built into the main program.

Various companies are engaged in the production of plugins for this graphics editor, and as a rule, best filters for Photoshop are paid, and some are completely free to download.

Where is the filter in Photoshop

Image Tools - Filters are used to sharpen, blur, stylize and create other effects. It is easy to find a list of standard filters - they are located in the "Filter" section of the menu.

Let's consider the most popular plugins for Photoshop and the features of their use.

1. Artistic Filters - Allows you to simulate different methods drawing. When selected, a window for additional settings appears. Among the most popular are Noise (noise), Blur (blur), Sharpen (sharpness) and others.
2. Noteworthy in Photoshop filters for photos for example, plugins for sharpening. They are useful if the picture was taken with an inexpensive camera, or, for example, if the subject moved during shooting and the background blurred due to this.
3. The opposite of this group of plugins are blur filters. Indispensable if you need to smooth a separate area of ​​the image or soften the result of using a particular tool.

The use of plug-ins not only allows you to improve the quality of the image taken with a modern camera, but also to restore pictures with partially lost fragments, faded shades, convert black and white pictures into color ones and vice versa.

The number of additional plugins produced by different companies is incredibly huge, and you can choose the tools for any task.

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

How to add a filter in Photoshop 5s and 6 - instructions

1. The installation of the filter begins with its download, for example, on the specialized website www.adobe.com. After free registration it will be possible to download the plugins you like. You can also download filters for Photoshop on other resources with tools for graphic editors. Select and download free filters forphotoshopcs5 are offered by many Internet resources, but you should be careful not to install a virus along with the plugin.
2. If the plugin was downloaded in the .exe format, you just need to launch it with the left mouse button. Files in 8bf format must be manually copied to the Plug-ins directory, it is located in the folder with the installed graphical editor. Find desired folder you can use the shortcut in the menu item that starts the graphics editor. It is enough to click on the icon in the menu or on the desktop with the right mouse button and select "Properties" in the context menu that appears. Another window will appear, where in the lower left corner there will be a button "File Location". After clicking on it, "Explorer" will open and the root folder with installed Photoshop... And now it remains to find the required Plug-ins in the list of folders, where you need to copy the plug-in in 8bf format. The file in the .exe format must be launched by double-clicking on it. In most cases, the installer will find the necessary folder by itself and place the plug-in in it, and in some cases, in the dialog box mode, you will need to help it manually.
3. After that, it remains to restart Photoshop and make sure that the new tool appears at the end of the list in the "Filters" section of the menu.
4. You can also install other useful tools and plugins. To do this, the downloaded file is placed in a folder at C: \ ProgramFiles \ Adobe \ AdobePhotoshop \ Plug-Ins \ Filters. After restarting the graphical editor, the tool should appear. An important point- during the installation of the plugin, Photoshop must be closed.

Why Photoshop filters don't work - what to do

Often after installing filters for photoshop, as well as during their use, various difficulties arise.

• So, if after installation the plugin does not work, first of all, you need to make sure that it matches your version of Photoshop. If it still works, it's worth checking the folder where it was installed. This should be the Plugins folder. If everything is correct here, it may be the installer file itself, and it is recommended to download the filter from another source. Do not forget to reload the graphics editor after loading the plugin.
• Difficulties in using plugins are often encountered by those who use an unlicensed version of Photoshop. In this case, no one will undertake to guarantee the stable operation of his tools. If you are serious about using this program for a long time, purchase a full license.
• Particular problems can arise with each filter separately. So, after installing the "Plastic" filter, many people note that after applying the tool to the image, no changes are observed, and they are triggered only after pressing the "OK" button. To configure the plug-in, you need to uncheck the box “ Additional settings”Or select zero opacity. After that, the plugin should work as expected.
• Difficulties in working with filters also arise for those who are just mastering Photoshop, which means they violate the order of working with images, and the plugin does not work just because the user incorrectly uses this tool. On the Internet on specialized sites you can find a lot useful information, including step by step instructions on the use of certain plug-ins for the graphics editor Photoshop, which will help you master complex tools.