And then I discovered plug-ins.

A lot of plug-ins. Apparently Photoshop was not the be all, end all. It was just the beginning, the first step in a long journey of third-party software that promises to make images better, faster.

The two that I plan to purchase are Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Exposure 2.0. Both programs have massive amounts of filters and presets to play with. I know that someone with real chops can get the same effects using Photoshop alone, without purchasing additional software.

But not everyone has those chops. And even if you do have the chops, it takes a lot of time. Time that could be better spent in other ways. Time, money . . . you get the idea.

Color Efex Pro offers a free 15 day trial, and Exposure offers a 30 day trial. Both demos are fully functional. I find the software to be a little bit on the pricey side, but if you (or someone you know) is a student or educator, both programs can be purchased through the Academic Superstore at a considerable discount. The value of education!