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 appropriate 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: In Mac OS, you cannot launch Photoshop in the Classic environment. Plug-ins originally intended to work on Mac OS 9 won't appear.

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):

1. Do one of the following:
• In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.
• In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.
2. 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:

1. Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.
• (ImageReady) In Mac OS, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disk.
2. Select Additional Plug-ins Folder.
3. 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).
4. When you have highlighted the additional plug-ins folder, click OK (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
5. 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.
• (Photoshop) In Mac OS, choose Photoshop > About Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.
• (ImageReady) In Mac OS, 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.