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Post by Lillias on Jul 24, 2015 16:12:13 GMT
My OS is Windows 7 64bit and I have PSE 11 and 13 and also the free version of Perfect Effects 9.5. I see other plugins being mentioned from time to time around the forum. Can anyone give any advice on what plugins would be best for me to get? Preferably either free or not costing too much as I am a relative novice compared to most of you on here and am not sure just how much use I would be able to make of them. Thanks  |
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Post by Sepiana on Jul 24, 2015 16:49:29 GMT
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Post by Lillias on Jul 24, 2015 17:58:12 GMT
Oh gosh thank you Sepiana you have given me plenty to think about. Thanks again.
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Post by Tpgettys on Jul 24, 2015 23:57:46 GMT
Some more relatively low-cost plugins can be found here: jixpixHowever, are you really meaning plugins specifically, or addons in general, including actions? There are some fantastic free actions, such as those offered by Panos. |
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Post by Sepiana on Jul 25, 2015 0:19:21 GMT
If you decide to venture into action "territory", you need to bear in mind the following.
Actions (.atn files) are little scripts which automate the steps for doing something. Actions cannot be created in Elements; only the big brother, Photoshop, can create actions. Elements can use actions created in Photoshop provided they have been written specifically for Elements, i.e., if they use commands that this program "understands". Therefore, it is important to know if a given action was written for Elements before using it in this program.
As a rule of thumb, actions written for Elements 7 will work in Elements 8 through Elements 13.
You need to install actions in the appropriate folder if you are using Elements 10 and earlier.
There is no need to install actions in Elements 11 through 13. You just load them when the need arises.
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Post by Lillias on Jul 25, 2015 11:26:14 GMT
I've had a great time looking through all these sites and have downloaded several plugins now. It will obviously take me some time to acquaint myself with how to use them but I am looking forward to learning.
I forgot to mention in my OP that I do have some of the Panos 'free' actions and also some from the Coffee Shop site. I keep forgetting about them though.
Thanks to both of you for your help and guidance.
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WayneS
Established Forum Member
Posts: 476 
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by WayneS on Aug 3, 2015 1:15:57 GMT
Looking at the list of plug ins, wireworm is just great for removing wires etc., but as mentioned, "32-bit plug-ins don't work in a 64-bit host application such as Elements 13".
So keep Elements 11, and load it on there, to do the removal of wires etc., as it won't work on 13, as I found out! www.vicanek.de/plugins/wireworm.htm |
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Post by Lillias on Aug 3, 2015 9:48:57 GMT
I've seen mention of Elements+ and looked at a couple of videos about it and also come across a plug-in called Elements XXL. The latter appears to be more integrated into the normal menus of PSE.
Can anyone advise which one (if either) is better than the other?
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shaun
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 85
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Post by shaun on Aug 3, 2015 15:04:38 GMT
I've seen mention of Elements+ and looked at a couple of videos about it and also come across a plug-in called Elements XXL. The latter appears to be more integrated into the normal menus of PSE. Can anyone advise which one (if either) is better than the other? Hi Billie Jean I have both elements+ and Elements xxl. Yes Elements XXL does integrate into Elements, its like its always been there, you find it under the different file options and the new features are coloured blue. They both do pretty much the same thing but with elements+ you have several steps to go through via the effects panel, elements xxl is easier and more intuitive. I use XXl all the time but elements+ on the odd occasion for some scripts which they have on font layouts etc. The big difference is the price, Elements+ is a bargain at $12.00 and Elements XXL is not bad at $49.95, don't know what the amount in pounds is.
If you have a few quid to spare i'd also suggest that you buy the Elements bundle which includes Elements XXL, Layers XXL, Metaraw and FilterHub which is on offer until the end of August currently at $79.95. Layers xxl is something that I use often and filterhub on occasions as well and I use the Metaraw to open Raw files in an old version of Elements 5 and more often to open JPG's in the Adobe Raw Converter which is an excellent plugin to adjust photos.
A link to the Plugin site for elements xxl link A link to Elements+ page link
So I would say that if money is tight go for elements+ but if you can stretch to Elements xxl then go for it as I don't think you will regret it.
P.S They are working on elements xxl 3 and they have stated that if you were to buy now you would get elements xxl 3 for free. Its due out at end sept/early oct. They suggest that this will include 175 new features on top of what is in version 2 the current version.
Hope this helps, Im sure others on here may have there recommendations to share on what they think the two products have to offer.
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Post by Sepiana on Aug 3, 2015 16:06:11 GMT
I've seen mention of Elements+ and looked at a couple of videos about it and also come across a plug-in called Elements XXL. The latter appears to be more integrated into the normal menus of PSE. Can anyone advise which one (if either) is better than the other? BillieJean,
I have Elements+; it integrates quite nicely with PSE (and the price is right). Their "partnership" goes back to PSE 1.
As far as to advise you which one is better (Elements+ or Elements XXL), it all depends on your needs and budget. Also, you need to keep in mind that these two add-ons are in a different category by themselves. What I mean is they are not like the Topaz plug-ins, the Google/Nik collection, etc. When PSE was designed, many of the Photoshop features were removed or they were hidden. This is where Elements+ and Elements XXL come into play; they will enable you to access Photoshop functions that are hidden in PSE. Ex.: paths, color range, curves, channel mixer, etc. In short, they will bring these functions out.
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Post by Lillias on Aug 3, 2015 21:37:16 GMT
Thank you shaun and Sepiana for your very full replies. That's appreciated. At the moment I'm feeling more drawn to Elements XXL because of the way it's integrated into the PSE menu system.
I'll have a look at a few more videos on both Elements+ and ElementsXXL before making my final decision on which way to go.
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