Download AKVIS Sketch Plugin 12.5 in Softonic

It's designed specifically for use with images created in Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements and the latest version has been fully updated to make it compatible with the Adobe CS6 suite.

This means Perfect Resize now features a new scaling technology, faster performance and a completely new user interface.

Perfect Resize allows you to enlarge an image to any size or resolution you need but most importantly, it maintains fine image detail and eliminates what are known as "edge halos". Cropping and resizing is simple and you can do it within Adobe Photoshop CS6.

The only downside to Perfect Resize is that, although it's much simpler than most CS6 apps, it's still not something that beginners will pick up quickly. Fortunately, there are many tutorials on the developer page to help.

Perfect Resize will help you produce accurate and unblemished enlargements and give you professional results.

Download Perfect Resize 7.0.7 in Softonic

If you want an even more precise cut out tool, you can also install the Vertus Fluid Mask plug-in. It is especially effective for photos, and I was really amazed by the increased edge detection, which lets you select complex patterns inside an image.

You can also make exact color selections thanks to the Color Sampler and WorkSpace.

Download Vertus Fluid Mask 3.2.0 in Softonic

Magic Enhancer Lite helps you in these situations by providing you with a quick, easy way to optimize your pictures. This program works as a Photoshop plug-in but don't worry if you're not precisely a Photoshop expert: the plug-in is so easy to use it doesn't require any artistic abilities.

Simply open the photo you want to work with in Photoshop and select the Magic Enhancer Lite option from the plug-ins menu (it's a bit hidden, in Filter > Image Skill). The plug-in will automatically load an optimized version of the photo you just opened, but if you're no happy with it, go ahead and adjust the sliders by yourself until you obtain the result you're looking for.

The difference may not be very noticeable at first sight, but if you click on the image you'll be able to compare the original photo with the optimized one. On the downside, I must say the plug-in has a tendency to close Photoshop once it's done, which I don't know if it's the way it should behave or rather a bug.

With this Photoshop plug-in you don't need to be an expert photo editor to obtain really high quality shots in just a couple of clicks.

Download Magic Enhancer Lite in Softonic

What makes Filter Forge stand out from most average plugins are three main features. The obvious one is that via the simple editor, you can create your own filters. Although it is quite straightforward with an excellent user guide, Filter Forge still requires some knowledge of creating filters to be used effectively. Note that all filters support 16- and 32-bit modes only in Photoshop.

Additionally, Filter Forge is very much a user oriented application. There are thousands of free filters created by other users and if you become a contributor yourself, you receive the full version of Filter Forge absolutely free. It's not clear how good your filters have to be to qualify but it seems like generally anything goes.

Filter Forge is an excellent filter creation tool with a strong community spirit that will enhance your Photoshop creations.

Download Filter Forge 3.0 in Softonic

Now thanks to Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp, you'll be able to make some changes that could mark the difference between you being able to run the program or not. Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp allows you to speed the start up process by personalizing various options - you'll be able to choose the plug-ins you want to load, establish a maximum memory limit and select whether or not you want to load Photoshop's presets.

One of the positive things about Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp is that you0'll be able to turn it off and return to your original presets at any time. On the downside, you can only use Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp with Adobe Photoshop CS4 or below, so it won't be much help with the newest version.

Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp is an excellent tool for users who run Photoshop on less powerful computers.

Download Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp 3.00 in Softonic

There are a lot of Photoshop plugins available right now like this PixPlant plugin. PixPlant is one of them that also has a standalone desktop app available for those who either can't afford Photoshop or prefer some autonomy when they're creating textures.

PixPlant allows users to create normal, displacement, and specular maps that can be used in other 3D modeling applications. You can create these 3D textures from almost any photo because PixPlant boasts advanced straightening and see pattern controls. Its claim to fame is that most basic textures can be created in the span of one to four easy steps.

For beginners, PixPlant will certainly take some getting used to and experimenting around with to get the desired result. You can create these images in high resolution to ensure the best quality possible of the texture. Most people will want to use these images as backgrounds in other images, but other uses include creating basic backgrounds, or even Photoshop brushes. You can start from scratch or use an existing image with PixPlant as well.

PixPlant is an advanced Photoshop plugin for creating high quality 3D textures from scratch or based on pre-existing images.

Download PixPlant (for Photoshop) 2.168 in Softonic

You can achieve some quite stunning visual effects, simulating many types of lenses within an intuitive working environment.

We love the way the program gives you as much or as little control over the effects as you desire.

You can either choose to experiment with the Latitude, Longitude and Spin settings yourself, or roll a dice to achieve random effects. This is a superb tool for getting unique lens effects on the fly as well as creating panoramic views.

Download Flexify 2.73 in Softonic

Normally, you have to pay big bucks for this kind of effect and because Softener is digital, you won't need to reshoot a photo to change the effect. You can undo any changes to an image at anytime. There are also plenty of tweak settings until you've found that perfect skin you are looking for. There's not much to criticise other than the fact that it's obviously not as good as using a proper lens. Sometimes it just seems to simply make the skin more pink rather than soften the image as such.

However, this is an excellent cheap solution for those looking for professional images.

Download Softener Plug-in 1.27 in Softonic

Photoshop users already know the popular graphic design tool already comes with a lot of great filters and effects. Plugins can give you even more options for image customization though, and that's exactly what Melancholytron does.

From Flaming Pear Software, developers of other plugins like Flexify and LunarCell, Melancholytron gives you a lot of different options to change the feel and appearance of your photos.

Users can change the color and tone of images with Melancholytron. You can even subdue an image's color in order to direct a viewer's focus to a specific area in your photo. This is not only an effective marketing tool for creating gorgeous ads but also makes your photo look even more professional, no matter what level of photographic background you possess.

If you want to give your images a nostalgic or subtly melancholic appearance, give Melancholytron a try.

Download Melancholytron 1.64 in Softonic

Download Plugin Commander Light 1.60 in Softonic

Photoshop is an incredibly powerful and popular graphic design tool. Plugins like Hue and Cry only serve to enhance your design experience.

From Flaming Pear Software, developers of other plugins like Flexify and LunarCell, Hue and Cry gives you a lot of different options to explore your creativity.

With Hue and Cry you can create unique and sometimes quirky regions of color. These look great on their own since they can be pretty abstract, although those with some graphic design chops might be able to figure out how to incorporate these regions into digital photos as well.

From imagery that's vivid to pallid, structured to diffuse, the possibilities for unique designs are virtually endless with Hue and Cry.

Hue and Cry is a fun way to create abstract regions of color in Photoshop.

Download Hue and Cry 1.64 in Softonic