20+ Free Photoshop Plugins Every Designer Should Have

In our previous article, we have discussed top 30 time-saving free Photoshop actions, and today, we are going to tell you about some new and time-tested free Photoshop plugins which every designer should have in his arsenal of auxiliary tools inside of Photoshop.

Photoshop plugins are third-party addons which extend Photoshop possibilities by providing additional image editing and improvement effects.

Photoshop plugins & filters take multiple and diverse functions in the process of design and photography editing. Here are 4 types of Photoshop plugins which perform the most important functions within Photoshop:

Image Retouching & Editing;
Filters & Effects (3D, light effects etc.);
Organization and workflow;
Plugins with access to additional resources (images, fonts, patterns and textures, icons, etc).

We have carefully examined and picked up some new and time-tested free Photoshop plugins for designers and photographers. With these helpful free plugins and filters, your Photoshop will become a powerful full-fledged tool that is able to turn any photo or graphic into a creative piece of art.

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If you have never installed Photoshop plugins before, then here is a detailed explanation on how to install plugin in Photoshop.

Fontea

Type: Access to additional design resources (Fonts).

Cost: Free

This free plugin allows quick access to multiple fonts and allows fitting them on your design prior to applying.

Google NIK Collection

Type: Photo Retouching & Editing, Filters & Effects.

Cost: free 30-day trial ($69 after 30-day trial)

NIK collection of 7 useful plugins for photographers. It was available for free, but after being acquired by DxO you can use it for free no longer than 30 days. These plugins provide a wide range of features for the improvement of colors, light and image quality:

Retro filters & effects;
Monochrome filters;
Noise removal;
Image sharpening;
HDR effects;
Noise removal;
Hue and tone effects.

Renamy

Type: Organization and workflow

Cost: Free (Demo version)

With the help of Renamy plugin, designers can save a lot of time on the giving names to multiple layers you create in the process of design. You can select a lot of layers and rename it in 1 click. Demo version has limitation for name list (only 5 items), while full version (for $9.99) has no limitations.