In this video, I share my five favorite plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom. Those are tools I don't want to live without, and the best part is: two of those are totally free.
The extensions help to fulfill fundamental tasks like sharpening for the web and focus stacking but also simplify the more creative areas of photo editing.
The first extension is the Web Sharpener by Andreas Resch, which I have used for many years. It's free and will ensure your images look perfect on the web.
Number two is also free - at least the old version of the extension. The Nik Collection was purchased by Google some years ago and made freely available. Since then, a lot has changed, and it's now maintained and developed by DXO, making sure it works on the latest systems and improving its features. If you don't need the latest version, you can still download and install version 4. I explain how the installation works for Photoshop CC in the feature video. You can also find a step-by-step guide here.
For creating detailed masks in Photoshop and tuning them to certain areas of your images - be it based on their luminosity or the colors - Lumenzia might be the right add-on for you.
Helicon Focus is an awesome extension for Lightroom. If you find yourself regularly stacking your photos, this software can save you a lot of time.
The last of the bunch is Luminar NEO. It's not just a plugin, but a full-featured standalone software for editing your images, starting with the raw photos. But it also works great as an extension for Photoshop and Lightroom and helps to further elevate your photos.
I have never used Web Sharpener mentioned. I do use Web Sharpen Pro, not free but worth the small price. I run all customer photos through the Photoshop plugin before they are sent.
Thanks for that great article. Besides Lumenzia, there is also the TK panel and Raya Pro, all similar just named to fill the gap.
greetings to Franken!