<s>
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugins	I-Operating_System
(	O
or	O
plug-ins	B-Application
)	O
are	O
add-on	O
programs	O
aimed	O
at	O
providing	O
additional	O
image	O
effects	O
or	O
performing	O
tasks	O
that	O
are	O
impossible	O
or	O
hard	O
to	O
fulfill	O
using	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Photoshop	I-Operating_System
alone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plugins	B-Application
can	O
be	O
opened	O
from	O
within	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
and	O
several	O
other	O
image	O
editing	O
programs	O
(	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
appropriate	O
Adobe	O
specifications	O
)	O
and	O
act	O
like	O
mini-editors	O
that	O
modify	O
the	O
image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photoshop-compatible	O
plugins	B-Application
fall	O
into	O
several	O
types	O
,	O
distinguishable	O
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
(	O
and	O
historically	O
in	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
9	I-Operating_System
and	O
earlier	O
)	O
by	O
their	O
filename	O
extensions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Import	O
or	O
acquisition	O
(	O
.8ba	O
)	O
and	O
export	O
(	O
.8be	O
)	O
plugins	B-Application
acquire	O
or	O
write	O
image	O
data	O
from	O
or	O
to	O
certain	O
devices	O
,	O
while	O
file	O
format	O
(	O
.8bi	O
)	O
plugins	B-Application
open	O
and	O
save	O
less	O
common	O
image	O
formats	O
(	O
not	O
natively	O
supported	O
by	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Automation	O
(	O
.8li	O
or	O
.8ly	O
)	O
plugins	B-Application
repeat	O
or	O
streamline	O
certain	O
tasks	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
manner	O
of	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
actions	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugin	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
modern	O
macOS	B-Application
(	O
from	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	O
10.0	O
Cheetah	O
,	O
onward	O
)	O
,	O
all	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugins	I-Operating_System
are	O
distributed	O
as	O
package	O
folders	O
with	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
.plugin	O
(	O
or	O
.lrplugin	O
if	O
they	O
are	O
intended	O
for	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Lightroom	I-Operating_System
only	O
)	O
;	O
the	O
package	O
's	O
Info.plist	O
file	O
includes	O
a	O
CFBundlePackageType	O
code	O
that	O
distinguishes	O
the	O
plugin	B-Application
types	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
upper-case	O
,	O
four-letter	O
codes	O
originally	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
pre-Mac	O
OS	O
X	O
resource	B-Operating_System
forks	I-Operating_System
;	O
these	O
are	O
generally	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	O
extensions	O
but	O
with	O
"	O
M	O
"	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
end	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
Windows	O
.8ba	O
=	O
Mac	O
8BAM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Below	O
is	O
a	O
complete	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
plugin	B-Application
varieties	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
*	O
Only	O
Adobe	O
publishes	O
parser	O
and	O
selection	O
plugins	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Host	O
applications	O
or	O
plugin	B-Application
hosts	O
are	O
graphics	O
applications	O
that	O
are	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
plugins	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
fully	O
supports	O
all	O
available	O
plugin	B-Application
types	O
;	O
certain	O
Adobe	O
hosts	O
,	O
like	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
Elements	I-Operating_System
and	O
Fireworks	B-Operating_System
,	O
support	O
most	O
of	O
them	O
,	O
while	O
Lightroom	B-Operating_System
supports	O
many	O
and	O
also	O
has	O
its	O
own	O
,	O
derived	O
from	O
the	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
non-Adobe	O
commercial	O
graphics	O
applications	O
also	O
support	O
Photoshop-compatible	O
plugins	B-Application
Paint	B-Application
Shop	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
,	O
PhotoImpact	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Corel	B-Application
PhotoPaint	I-Application
are	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
better-known	O
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
dozen	O
more	O
plugin	B-Application
hosts	O
,	O
including	O
lesser-known	O
products	O
like	O
Chasys	B-Application
Draw	I-Application
IES	I-Application
,	O
the	O
free-software	B-Application
image	O
editor	O
GIMP	B-Application
,	O
and	O
viewers	O
like	O
IrfanView	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
non-Adobe	O
hosts	O
support	O
filter	O
plugins	B-Application
only	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
of	O
them	O
do	O
not	O
even	O
support	O
all	O
available	O
filter	O
plugins	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
hosts	O
support	O
the	O
plugins	B-Application
,	O
though	O
an	O
increasing	O
number	O
of	O
Mac	O
applications	O
support	O
the	O
Mac	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugin	I-Operating_System
packages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Third-party	O
support	O
for	O
plugins	B-Application
was	O
fairly	O
broad	O
and	O
rapid	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
SDK	B-Application
and	O
API	B-Application
containing	O
the	O
specifications	O
for	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugins	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-Adobe	O
implementation	O
contracted	O
and	O
fragmented	O
in	O
2002	O
,	O
when	O
Adobe	O
restricted	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
SDK	B-Application
and	O
made	O
the	O
developer	O
license	O
more	O
expensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
of	O
other	O
image	O
applications	O
had	O
limited	O
or	O
no	O
access	O
to	O
it	O
any	O
longer	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
many	O
cases	O
either	O
did	O
not	O
support	O
newer	O
plugin	B-Application
features	O
or	O
simply	O
did	O
not	O
implement	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugin	I-Operating_System
support	O
at	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plugin	B-Application
developers	O
faced	O
a	O
dilemma	O
:	O
either	O
support	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
that	O
appeared	O
in	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
7	O
and	O
later	O
versions	O
,	O
like	O
access	O
to	O
layers	O
,	O
but	O
lose	O
compatibility	O
with	O
various	O
other	O
image	O
applications	O
;	O
or	O
use	O
the	O
old	O
SDK	B-Application
version	O
which	O
already	O
included	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
important	O
specifications	O
and	O
make	O
sure	O
their	O
plugins	B-Application
would	O
be	O
supported	O
by	O
all	O
hosts	O
,	O
but	O
at	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
a	O
smaller	O
feature	O
set	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
2005	O
,	O
Adobe	O
changed	O
the	O
policy	O
again	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
developers	O
could	O
make	O
a	O
request	O
for	O
the	O
SDK	B-Application
via	O
a	O
Web-based	O
form	O
,	O
with	O
no	O
fees	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
all	O
requests	O
handled	O
individually	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
unclear	O
what	O
criteria	O
have	O
been	O
applied	O
,	O
though	O
third-party	O
implementation	O
of	O
support	O
for	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugins	I-Operating_System
has	O
increased	O
again	O
,	O
is	O
more	O
consistent	O
(	O
few	O
old	O
plugins	B-Application
have	O
remained	O
viable	O
from	O
the	O
2000s	O
,	O
as	O
operating	O
systems	O
and	O
have	O
changed	O
in	O
the	O
interim	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
feature	O
remains	O
popular	O
and	O
in	O
demand	O
by	O
users	O
of	O
graphic-editing	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
commercial	O
and	O
free	O
projects	O
have	O
also	O
created	O
their	O
own	O
plugin	B-Application
formats	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
general	O
concept	O
(	O
also	O
common	O
among	O
digital	B-General_Concept
audio	I-General_Concept
workstations	I-General_Concept
)	O
has	O
spread	O
to	O
other	O
visual	O
editing	O
applications	O
,	O
including	O
video	O
compositors	O
,	O
3D	O
modeling	O
suites	O
,	O
and	O
CAD	B-Application
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Year	O
Event1991	O
Adobe	O
introduces	O
filters	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
third-party	O
Photoshop-compatible	O
plugins	B-Application
in	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aldus	O
Corporation	O
releases	O
Aldus	O
Gallery	O
Effects	O
,	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
filters	O
including	O
Emboss	O
,	O
Mosaic	O
,	O
Charcoal	O
and	O
other	O
effects	O
,	O
which	O
after	O
Aldus	O
and	O
Adobe	O
merge	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
become	O
a	O
native	O
part	O
of	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
1992	O
Kai	O
Krause	O
releases	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
renowned	O
plugins	B-Application
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
--	O
Kai	B-Operating_System
's	I-Operating_System
Power	I-Operating_System
Tools	I-Operating_System
(	O
a.k.a.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
artists	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
consider	O
it	O
a	O
must-have	O
plugin	B-Application
set	O
for	O
Photoshop.KPT	O
Effects	O
–	O
Corel	O
KPT	O
Collection	O
–	O
Software	O
Review	O
and	O
Rating	O
It	O
features	O
several	O
advanced	O
warp	O
and	O
deformation	O
effects	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
support	O
for	O
bump	O
maps	O
and	O
3D	O
graphics	O
formats	O
(	O
in	O
KPT	O
SceneBuilder	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1994	O
Joe	O
Ternasky	O
releases	O
Filter	O
Factory	O
,	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
filters	O
using	O
an	O
internal	O
programming	O
language	O
resembling	O
C	O
and	O
compile	O
them	O
as	O
separate	O
plugins	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
it	O
requires	O
considerable	O
programming	O
skills	O
is	O
viewed	O
by	O
many	O
as	O
a	O
serious	O
drawback.The	O
Official	O
Filter	O
Factory	O
FAQ	O
1994	O
Alien	O
Skin	O
Software	O
,	O
founded	O
a	O
year	O
earlier	O
,	O
creates	O
the	O
first	O
drop	O
shadow	O
filter	O
for	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
they	O
also	O
release	O
the	O
Black	O
Box	O
filter	O
set	O
,	O
later	O
renamed	O
to	O
Eye	O
Candy	O
,	O
which	O
becomes	O
an	O
all-time	O
favorite	O
among	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
users.Alien	O
Skin	O
Software	O
Web	O
Site	O
1994	O
Auto	O
FX	O
Software	O
is	O
founded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
subsequent	O
years	O
they	O
release	O
a	O
couple	O
of	O
much-noticed	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
plugins	I-Operating_System
and	O
automated	O
effects	O
software	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
much	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
than	O
Filter	O
Factory	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
of	O
today	O
's	O
free	O
and	O
commercial	O
plugins	B-Application
are	O
made	O
in	O
FilterMeister.FilterMeister	O
Web	O
Site	O
2007	O
Filter	B-Operating_System
Forge	I-Operating_System
Inc	I-Operating_System
.	I-Operating_System
brings	O
procedural	O
texturing	O
to	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
by	O
releasing	O
Filter	B-Operating_System
Forge	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
build	O
custom	O
filters	O
without	O
any	O
programming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Filter	B-Operating_System
Forge	I-Operating_System
,	O
filters	O
are	O
assembled	O
in	O
a	O
visual	O
node-based	O
environment.Filter	O
Forge	O
–	O
Features	O
2008	O
YouSendIt	O
Inc	O
.	O
enables	O
delivering	O
files	O
across	O
different	O
users/computers	O
from	O
within	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
2008	O
Adobe	O
introduces	O
their	O
first	O
Flash	O
extension	O
panel	O
SDK	B-Application
for	O
better	O
integration	O
of	O
plugins	B-Application
with	O
the	O
UI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plugins	B-Application
distributed	O
under	O
various	O
licensing	O
models	O
,	O
including	O
"	O
try	O
before	O
buy	O
"	O
commercial	O
software	O
,	O
shareware	B-License
,	O
limited	O
freemium	O
versions	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
free	O
for	O
personal	O
use	O
"	O
freeware	B-License
.	O
</s>
