Genuine Fractals

This plug-in is a necessity if you intend to rescale images that you have scanned or imported from a digital camera. It enables you to save files at low resolution and then repurpose them as needed in high resolution, with no loss of quality. I can work at a comfortable 72 ppi, rescale to 300 ppi for a high-quality Iris print, and most viewers would never be able to spot that the file wasn't always high resolution. You can download a demo of the Genuine Fractals PrintPro plug-inespecially designed for printers and graphics prosat http://altamira- group .com/download/dl_options.php?page=gf and judge for yourself.

Andromeda

Andromeda's filters, unlike some, are technically useful rather than just for fun. LensDoc fixes lens distortions so that straight lines don't appear to curve or slant inward. Perspective works like Photoshop's Skew, Distort, and Perspective commands, only it's easier and has a more flexible interface. Check it out in Figure 19.12.

Figure 19.12. This filter really puts things into perspective.

And there are more. Velociraptor puts motion trails behind moving objects; the Shadow Filter does the best drop shadows yet. I could go on. Instead, go download some demos from these nice folks and see for yourself. Find them at http://www.andromeda.com/.

Digimarc

You already have this one. It comes with Photoshop, but you might not know what it does. It's not exactly a filter because it doesn't change your picture. Instead, it protects your work by placing a digital watermark on it, and a copyright symbol in the title bar. When you register with Digimarc, they'll send you an ID that will let you embed the digital copyright information into the file. When someone views a Digimarc watermarked file in Photoshop, they'll see a dialog box like the one in Figure 19.13, directing them to the website for more information. No one should use your work without your permission.

Figure 19.13. Prevent theft of copyrighted materials.

Summary

In this hour , you checked out some of the cool third-party filters you can use with Photoshop. The most versatile and complete package is still Kai's Power Tools (KPT 6.0), although it's probably not the easiest to use. My personal favorite, Alien Skin's Eye Candy filter set, includes a great many really odd filters, such as Fur and Fire, as well as very simple-to-apply drop shadow and glow filters. Genuine Fractals makes image scaling simple. Andromeda's lens filters and perspective should be in your repair kit. And more filters are coming out practically every day. Keep informed by checking in regularly at Photoshop Paradise (http://desktoppublishing.com/photoshop.html). It's a wonderful Web stop for all Photoshop users.

Workshop

Q&A

Q1:	Is there a way to design my own Photoshop filters?
A1:	There's an old plug-in called Filter Factory, which supposedly lets you do so. I've found it on the Web, but haven't really tried to do anything with it. It's a fairly complicated procedure, and the documentation is lacking. If you're really good at programming, Adobe makes specifications available for software developers who want to create plug-ins for Adobe products. Visit http:// partners .adobe.com/public/developer/photoshop/sdk/topic_sdk.html for more information. You will need to supply your name and email address to access this site.
Q2:	Do these weird filters, such as Fur and Squint and Water Drops, have any practical uses?
A2:	Just today, I saw a sign that featured a frosty bottle of Coca-Cola on a red background. The entire image was made to look wet with Alien Skin's Water Drops filter. Anything's practical if you have enough imagination to make it work.

Quiz

Where do plug-ins appear?

On the Plug-ins palette
At the bottom of the Filter menu
At the top of the Window menu

Which of the following is not an Eye Candy effect?

Fur
Fire
Squint
Slime

Quiz Answers

A1:	b. If you have many plug-ins, you might have to scroll down to see them all.
A2:	d. But if you start with Green Glass, you can create a reasonably slimy effect.

Exercise

Download demos of some of the great plug-ins from Flaming Pear and Alien Skin at http://www.flamingpear.com and http://www.alienskin.com. See which ones you can't live without.