20+ Best Photoshop Extensions and Plugins for Designers
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful platform for designers, but sometimes it may seem lacking of features that can help improve productivity and workflow and make life just that much easier. Luckily for us, Photoshop supports using an extension or a plugin, which help extend its capabilities. And lucky for you, we have collected some of the best and free Photoshop plugins available out there.
These plugins help you save time, cut steps, automate tedious processes, and more. They help you work faster and more productively, and they are absolute must-haves in your designer toolkit.
Hexy
Hexy provides you a quicker way to obtain Hex and RGB color code. With this plugin, you can use the eyedropper tool and simply click on the color of the image you want to pick up, and Hexy automatically copies the color to the clipboard for you. That way you can immediately paste it to use it in CSS. It’s a handy tool for color-picking.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 or newer
Size Marks
SizeMark allows you to add labels of object size or the distance between each object using a Marquee tool. SizeMark saves each label created in a new layer so you can customize it whichever way you need e.g. changing the color or adjusting its position. It is essential for when you need to translate PSD into a functional website.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 or newer
Oven
Oven is a nifty plugin that helps you better manage your assets. Photoshop’s Generator allows us to export images in real time but you will have to rename all your layers in order to generate the image correctly and with a proper name. Oven eliminates that hassle.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2020, CC or CS6
Ink
Converting PSD to a functional website is always a tricky process. There is so much detail to examine such as layer styles, font size, font family used, element size and position against other elements. Ink will help you generate this information easily.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2018, CC, or CS6
LayerCraft
LayerCraft is a Photoshop plugin that allows you to export layers into multiple scale. You can export images into @1x, @2x and even @3x (which is required in iOS devices with Retina screen), or mdpi and xhdpi for Android. If your daily job is creating UI for mobile interface, this is the tool that saves you a lot of time.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC and CC 2014
Composer
Composer improves the Photoshop Layer Comps feature. Rather than have multiple separate files to store every design revision, Layer Comps lets you store and manage them all in a single file. Layer Comps acts similar to a Smart Object. Each may contain a couple of properties such layer styles and blending modes. Composer, in this case, provides the easiest way to update these styles with just a single click.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS6, and CC
Duplllicator
Duplllicator provides the fastest way to duplicate Photoshop layers or groups. You can specify the number of copies you want and then set the vertical and horizontal spacing of the duplicated layer.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2018, CC 2022
Random User Generator
When making a mockup design, we waste time looking for random photos of people to put into the mockup. Another time-wasting event is creating a believable username. If these problems plague you, now you can skip through the hassle with the Random User Generator Photoshop Plugin, which does this quickly and easily for you.
You can drag and drop random male or female user images and generate sample names directly into your PSDs. Then just click and drag the profile photo into your Photoshop document or copy and paste the image and name that you want. To go with the flow and generate a new random user, press the “New Random User” button.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CS6, CC 2015
Guideguide
The GuideGuide Photoshop plugin makes it easy to have pixel-accurate columns, rows, midpoints and baselines based on your document or selection. It allows you to save frequently the used guide sets you may need for future use. You can also use multiple types of measurements.
With the plugin, you can measure exactly how wide a navigation element should be to fit evenly across the width of a site, as well as create baseline grids and element padding. You can try it for free or buy it for Photoshop CC or newer for only $10.
- Price: 14-days trial, or $36/year
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2015
Transform Each
The “Transform Each” command is a nice feature from Illustrator that is missing in Photoshop. It allows you to transform groups of layers, as it was transformed individually. It feels great to when you’re able to resize, rotate and reposition multiple elements without having to reposition each one each time.
It also has the option to scale styles and constrain proportions. Keep in mind to always use the Preview button to peek at the end result before clicking the OK button.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS6, CC 2014 or CC 2015
Long Shadow Generator 2
Creating the “Long Shadow Effect” looks easy to do, even for the beginner-level Photoshop user. But it will be a nightmare to edit if your client doesn’t like the end result. To prevent this, try out this Photoshop extension called Long Shadow Generator 2.
As the name implies, this plugin is able to create a long shadow with one click. From its panel setting, you can adjust the shadow length, shadow opacity, flatten or gradient shadow, black or white shadow, and shadow angles.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC
Pixel2Vector
Pixel2Vector is a very impressive tool that can convert any pixel graphic to a fully scalable vector shape with only one click! The Vector Shape function will convert every chosen layer or layer group into a vector shape. When it’s done, you can edit the vector-like every other vector shape, scaled without loss or easily recolored.
Another function is the Custom Shape Tool, which converts every chosen layer or layer group into a Custom Shape Tool. You can find the shape by selecting the Custom Shape Tool at the bottom of the shape palette.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC-2014 or newer
Font Awesome
Another robust icon finder, the Font Awesome plugin, will help you to search and insert an icon right inside Photoshop. This free plugin adds a new panel, which will enable us to search for any icon by typing the desired keyword.
Search for an icon and click to create a new layer shape that you can easily edit. It’s a real-time-saver, highly recommended if your daily routine revolves around working with icons.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC
Chameleon Adaptive Palette
A smart palette ideal for digital artists and concept designers, Chameleon Adaptive Palette is a swatch system that adapts to your requirements to keep you in a flow. You can select colour from any source and the palette will intelligently provide you with colour swatches based on that.
There are plenty of other features that you can find in the Chameleon Palette including a flexible UI that adapts to your preferences, DTones panel where you can set the tone of your colours, colour lock for ideal swatches, nearest colour indicator, and slider mode for swatches.
- Price: $16
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC
BrushBox
Brush Box is an intuitive brush manager for all you Photoshop brushes, and tool presets. It allows you to colour code your brushes, arrange them into groups, tag your favourites, and import brushes into it. Plus, when you want to use any brush, just drag-and-drop it on the layer.
- Price: $15
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 or newer
AD Brutus Symmetry
If you struggle with symmetry in your designs, then AD Brutus Symmetry is for you. It is a Photoshop Creative Cloud panel offering an array of tools that let you work with real-time symmetry. Apart from using Photoshop’s basic vertical and horizontal guides, it also works with sections of your design.
Another cool technique that Brutus uses is the mirror layer that lets you create symmetry and you can save either only the active layer as PNG or both layers as merged. This panel is especially useful in making character designs that you can flip, rotate, and merge with just one click.
- Price: $10
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC to CC 2017
RH Color Nudger
RH Color Nudger is a colour picker tool for Adobe Photoshop. It offers a clean and modern interface that prominently presents sliders and colour widgets. It is light-weight and slides out of your work panel when you’re done using it but you can also customize it to stay on your screen unless minimised automatically.
- Price: $16
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC
Fontself
You don’t need calligraphy pens to create new fonts as Fontself can easily take care of that. It is font maker tool for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that lets you turn any letter into OpenType font. You can turn any shape into a character, generate alternates, adjust spacing and kerning, and edit everything through drag-and-drop editor.
Once you create a font, you can export it to OpenType fonts or OpenType SVG as per your needs. Moreover, you can find thousands of amazing fonts created by different users on their website.
- Price: $59
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 or newer
ParticleShop
ParticleShop is a Photoshop brush plugin that allows you to enhance images into amazing pieces. It has a collection of amazing brushes that are easy to use on desktop, as well as pressure-sensitive tablets.
Through a simple interface, you can control every aspect of your artwork. Its range of interesting brushes include Particle brushes, Dynamic Speckles, and Natural Media brushes that give you pronounced strokes and creative effects.
- Price: $49.99
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS6, or CC 2014
ON1 Resize
An AI-powered photo enlargement tool for Photoshop, ON1 Resize can enlarge your photos to highest resolution without compromising on their quality. Designers and photographers can use this tool to get detailed images with any amount of sharpness. you can batch-process your images and get images in print quality of any size.
- Price: 14-days trial, or $36/year
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2021
FilterForge
Get loads of photo effects, textures, and patterns with FilterForge. It is a multi-purpose graphics software that integrates with your Photoshop app and gives you a wide library of filters and other graphic elements.
- Price: $29
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2022
Eye Candy
A huge collection of realistic effects for Photoshop, Eye Candy 7 helps you in achieving the design effects that Photoshop alone cannot. With a user-friendly interface that gives a preview of the effects through small icons, you can simply drag and place it on a new layer in your project.
With Eye Candy you can get a range of realistic effects for natural look, effect adaptation to match your needs, smart filter that lets you remove the effect later, and ability to work in CMYK mode ideal for printing.
- Price: 30-days trial, or $100
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 or newer
Pexels
Pexels is an already-popular free resource with thousands of creative and high quality stock images. Now you can get Pexels extension for your Photoshop app so you can have access to more than 3 million photos right through your PS project screen.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop 5 or newer
Layrs Control 2
Photoshop is all about layers and how to manage them. Layers Control 2 is a versatile Photoshop extension that gives you greater control over your layers. You can edit layer name, remove unused effects, delete unwanted or empty layers, and rasterise smart objects.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC and CC 2014
Blow Up
Blow Up is an image enhancer tool that integrates seamlessly with your Photoshop app. It makes your images sharper and larger without affecting their quality. Though a simple interface, you can set a paper size and adjust some setting to get enlarged images quickly. Plus, it supports Lightroom and CMYK images with output sharpening feature.
- Price: 30-days trial, or $200
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CS6 or, CC 2015 or newer
Browser Mockup Builder
Ideal for web designers and developers, BrowserBee is a browser mockup builder plugin for Photoshop. You can get one-click browser preview for 15 different browser variants. Plus, there is also an option to get editable favicons, web URL, page name, and background color to better present your designs.
- Price: Free
- Compatible for: Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 or newer