Adobe Photoshop Plugins

A comment I noticed by John Dvorak of PC Mag recently regarding Plug-Ins for Photoshop. "Hail the Plug-in Dept.: The invention of the software plug-in was sheer genius. As you probably know, a plug-in is some code or a script that is "plugged in" to another program to enhance its functionality. Adobe Photoshop popularized this concept, and there probably are now thousands of plug-ins designed to work with Adobe.

I mention this concept because of a plug-in I added to Photoshop that I can highly recommend. It may be the first plug-in for Photoshop I have ever recommended. It's called 55mm, and it's from the Digital Film Tools company. Essentially it's a digital post-production "camera filter." Available on the company's Web site ( www.digitalfilmtools.com ) for $195, this is one of the most powerful packages I've run across and includes digital versions of most of the famous filtering systems, which it has licensed from manufacturers such as Rosco Gels and GAM Products. One of the subsystems allows you to post-produce a polarizing effect on your image. Another lets you dissect the Ansel Adams "zones" and adjust them. If you are serious about your photography, you must own this product.

One thing I realized when playing with 55mm is that, as powerful as Photoshop is, it's a nerdy app, heavy on switches, controls, submenus, and other junk, and it's more art-oriented than photography-oriented. You need this product to understand the difference. Hot stuff."

Anybody want to donate $195 to me , so I can check this out???