I like most of the products from Extensis, esp. pixelsmartscale.
It's great for adjusting images for getting the proper print ratios and resampling so they look decent.
Flaming Pear,, another favourite. Love the flood filter.
Kai's power tools,, lightening being the fave there. Great flexibility with those plug ins.
I think NeatImage is so over used here on DPC. It makes many photos look flat and overdone. Personally I wouldn't touch it.
My favourite is Extensis PhotoFrame. You can design your own fancy photoedges and then load them through the plugin. Too bad they are illegal here on DPC.
The Auto FX Dreamy Photo plug-in that inspzil references is available for free from Auto FX. It is definitely a cool plug-in, but like any other filter, is easy to "over do" (and of course is not legal for challenge submissions!)
The Auto FX Dreamy Photo plug-in that inspzil references is available for free from Auto FX. It is definitely a cool plug-in, but like any other filter, is easy to "over do" (and of course is not legal for challenge submissions!)
Over doing this filter is really easy to do. I've found the best results on this for PS7 is use it, then look at it in PS and use the fade control in the edit menu. When I first started using it, all my subjects look like they are in a heavy fog. Occasionally I get a little too rambunctious with it, but for the most part I try to moderate my use to portraits.
Another benefit of this plug in is that it can be a near-miss saver. By that I mean if you have a picture that's just a little out of focus, use this effect and the softening effect will make it look like you intended it that way. //www.pbase.com/image/18388741 This was not a clear photo. I really liked the shot but I thought it was pretty much lost. The lack of sharpness is kind of absorbed by the diffusion of the light and color which is what the effect does. I had a few pictures that were pretty good, but not focused real well. After applying the effect though, I consider them saved from the recycle bin.
