Filters and plug-ins are a great way to quickly customize your Photoshop experience.
There are directions at the bottom of this page for installing plug-ins and filters if you need help.
Adobe’s Free Photoshop Plug-Ins
Many are rated, from one to five stars.
Easy to search for and find what you need.
Requires the (free) Creative Cloud program.
Must create an Adobe account if you don’t have one.
What better place to get free Photoshop plug-ins than Adobe’s own website?
These plug-ins are installed differently than the others on this list.
You must have afree Adobe accountand theCreative Cloud programinstalled to use the plug-ins.
To find only the free downloads, be sure to chooseFreefrom the left menu.
Mehdi’s Free Photoshop Filters
Thorough explanation of each plug-in with examples.
Dozens of plug-ins available.
FAQ page and the ability to contact Mehdi for support.
Dated but useable interface.
Windows only, not macOS.
Mehdi offers dozens of free Photoshop filters.
Each download page has a thorough explanation of the filter as well as screenshots.
The Plugin Site’s Free Photoshop Filters
A single download saves time.
Fast access without layers of menus.
Must provide your email address.
There are other downloads as well, including Photoshop actions.
On the download page, scroll past the commercial downloads to find the free options.
Lokas Software’s Free 3D Shadow Filter
A broad range of shadow effects.
Site design is difficult to follow.
Lokas Software has only one free Photoshop filter, called 3D Shadow.
RichardRosenman.com’s Free Photoshop Plug-Ins
Easy to browse through available plug-ins.
Thorough explanation of each plug-in’s function.
No new releases in years.
Each plug-in includes a short description and a sample picture to show you what it does.
All downloads are direct links to ZIP files.
Some filters are installed through an EXE file so that it installs like a regular program.
In those instances, you don’t need to copy any files into any program folder.
Instead, initiate the EXE file like you would any app, and follow any prompts.
How to Install and Use Photoshop Plug-Ins
Some Photoshop plug-ins areZXPfiles.
After installation, access them fromWindow>Extensions.
