Using plug-in modules

Using plug-in modules

Plug-in modules are software programs developed by Adobe Systems and by other software developers in conjunction with Adobe Systems to add features to Photoshop and ImageReady A number of importing exporting and special-effects plug-ins come with your program they are automatically installed in folders inside the Photoshop Plug-ins folder.

You can select an additional plug-ins folder to use compatible plug-ins stored with another application. You can also create a shortcut ( Windows) or an alias (Mac OS) for a plug-in stored in another folder on your system. You can then add the shortcut or alias to the Plug-ins folder to use that plug-in with Photoshop and ImageReady.

Once installed plug-in modules appear as options added to the Import or Export menu; as file formats in the Open Save As and Export Original (ImageReady) dialog boxes or as filters in the Filter submenus Photoshop and ImageReady can accommodate a large number of plug-ins However if the number of installed plug-in modules becomes great enough Photoshop or ImageReady may not be able to list all the plug-ins in their appro- priate menus Newly installed plug-ins will then appear in the Filter > Other submenu.

To install an Adobe Systems plug-in module:

Do one of the following:

Use the plug-in installer if provided.

(Windows) Copy the module into the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the Photoshop program folder Make sure that the files are uncompressed.

(Mac OS) Drag a copy of the module to the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the Photoshop program folder Make sure that the files are uncompressed.

Important: For Macintosh the plug-ins that come with Photoshop 7.0 are compatible with both Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS X However any plug-in originally intended to work on Mac OS 9 such as plug-ins from previous versions of Photoshop and some third-party plug-ins can only be used on Mac OS 9.x or in the Classic environment on Mac OS X. You can place such plug-ins in the Plug-ins folder for the Mac OS X version of Photoshop but they will not appear unless you launch Photoshop in the Classic environment.

To install a third-party plug-in module:

Follow the installation instructions that came with the plug-in module.

If you cannot run a third-party plug-in the plug-in may require a legacy Photoshop serial number.

To specify a legacy serial number (Photoshop):

Do one of the following:

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

In Mac OS X choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

Enter the serial number from Photoshop 6.0 or earlier in the Legacy Photoshop Serial

Number text box.

To select an additional plug-ins folder:

Do one of the following:

In Windows and Mac OS 9.x choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X choose ImageReady > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.

Select Additional Plug-ins Folder.

Click Choose and select a folder or directory from the list Make sure that you do not select a location inside the Plug-ins folder. To display the contents of a folder double-click the directory ( Windows) or click Open (Mac OS).

When you have highlighted the additional plug-ins folder click OK ( Windows) Select

(Mac OS) or Choose (Mac OS 9.0 and later).

Restart Photoshop or ImageReady for the plug-ins to take effect.

To suppress the loading of a plug-in or folder of plug-ins:

Add a tilde "~ character at the beginning of the plug-in name folder or directory. That file

(or all files in the folder) will be ignored by the application.

To view information about installed plug-ins:

Do one of the following:

In Windows choose Help > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.

In Mac OS 9.x choose Apple menu > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.

(Photoshop) In Mac OS X choose Photoshop > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.

(ImageReady) In Mac OS X choose ImageReady > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.

To load a plug-in in only Photoshop or ImageReady:

Install the plug-in either the Adobe Photoshop Only folder or the Adobe ImageReady Only folder inside the Plug-ins folder.

Note: Use this procedure when you want to use a plug-in within only Photoshop or

ImageReady or when a plug-in may only be compatible with one of the two applications.