Today, we will be reviewing the new Shutterstock plugin for Adobe Photoshop, a PS plugin that will simplify your creative process and let you easily download and license images as you design.
Below, we will review every aspect of this new Photoshop plugin, so you can easily decide if this is the right plugin for you.
Prefer to watch over reading? Check out the video below that explains how this plugin will help you:
What is this plugin useful for?
The simple answer: searching the Shutterstock collection without leaving Adobe Photoshop.
But it’s much more than this. This plugin’s interface makes it easy for you to browse, preview and purchase stock images, without ever leaving Photoshop.
Why is this useful? Because it will save you a lot of precious time when designing. You won’t have to go back and forth on the Shutterstock website, download the images and then get back to your work.
In addition, the Shutterstock Photoshop Plugin makes it easy to deal with watermarked images. Inserting watermarked images doesn’t require you to login but if you want to license and purchase the image, you will get this login form, right in Photoshop. All you have to do is sign in to your Shutterstock account and then it will guide you through the steps for purchasing the photos.
Editing any watermarked image for free.
If you want to test the images before you buy them, to see if they integrate perfectly with your design, you can now do this with the Shutterstock PS plugin.
The great thing is that you can apply filters and edit the image as you please, and if you like the end result, all you have to do is buy the stock image and all the edits will be re-applied to the purchased photo, without going through all the editing steps again.
When you find a photo you like, all you have to do is click on the Insert Preview button. It will automatically insert the photo into your current project. You can then resize it, apply filters to it, or edit it any other way you like. If you think the photo is a good fit, click on the red button, and license the image. All your edits will then be re-applied to the final, purchased image.
Having your stock image browsing history, just a click away.
This feature is particularly useful because you won’t waste any time remembering where you saw that nice image you wanted to add to your design. You are able to keep track of your recent activity and see what photos you have previewed and/or purchased using the plugin.
Browsing by collections.
You can browse stock images by color palettes, utilities, and even emotions! This feature can also be used to inspire you, especially if you don’t have a particular kind of image in mind, but know what you want it to transmit.
Each collection has a series of sub-collections. For Color Palettes you get Green, Yellow, Blue, Red, Purple and Orange, for Emotions you get Love, Joy, Sad, Fear, Surprise, Anger, and for Utilities you have Isolated, Filters, Room for text, Blank Template, Graphic, and Texture.
The purpose of these sub-collections is to help you find the photo you need with as few clicks as possible. If the photo you want doesn’t fit in any of these sub-collections, you can simply Search for it, using the Search bar at the top.
If you found a photo you like but need some similar photos as well, all you have to do is click on the Similar Images tab button, right below the License Image red button. Alternatively, if the stock photo contains a person, you can search by model and use the same person throughout your design.
Who can use this plugin?
This plugin is particularly useful for:
- graphic designers – You can find vectors, textures and other useful graphics for any kind of graphic design project.
- web designers – You can find lots of stock photos you can use in your website designs.
- architects – You will find so many isolated images you can use for renderings. It will save you a lot of time.
Conclusion
Shutterstock’s Adobe Photoshop plugin is a very useful plugin for designers who work a lot with stock photos for their clients. It works for Photoshop CC 2014 and Photoshop CC 2015 and it is available for Mac and PC users in English. You can download it for free, here.
