Operating System
- What's new
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Get started
- Technical requirements and installation
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Learn the basics
- Adobe Photoshop on desktop FAQ
- Home screen overview
- Workspace overview
- Access the Discover panel
- Save custom workspaces
- Switch workspaces
- Delete workspaces
- Restore workspaces
- Boost workflows with the Contextual Task Bar
- Rearrange document windows
- Hide or show all panels
- Dock or undock panels
- Move panels
- Add and remove panels
- Stack floating panels
- Expand or collapse panel icons
- Change text size in panels and tooltips
- Use simple math in number fields
- High-density monitor support and per-monitor scaling
- Arrange and group panels
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Photoshop
- Request access to test experimental features
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Set up toolbars and panels
- Customize toolbar
- Tooltips overview
- Create tool presets
- Use spring-loaded shortcuts
- Use Undo and Redo commands
- History panel settings
- Set History Log preferences
- View history logs
- Use snapshots in the History panel
- Paint with image states from the History panel
- Manage image states
- Restore parts of an image to a previous state
- Edit images with AI Assistant
- View and synchronize multiple images
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Settings and preferences
- Adjust preferences
- Backup and restore preferences
- Reset preferences
- View keyboard shortcuts
- Change tool pointers
- Change Photoshop language settings
- Configure Photoshop performance preferences
- Connect social media accounts for Content Credentials (Beta)
- Display file information in the info panel and document status bar
- Photoshop preferences locations
- Migrate presets, actions, and settings
- Generative AI in Photoshop
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Create, open, and import images
- Import files
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Create images
- Generate an image with descriptive text prompts
- Edit images with Generative Fill
- Generate sharper variations with Enhance Detail
- Explore beyond the canvas with Generative Expand
- Use reference images for consistent results
- Generate images guided by a reference image
- Edit images with Prompt to edit
- Use Markup for AI image generation
- Create documents using presets
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Create and manage layers
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Get started with layers
- Layers overview
- Organize layers with layer groups
- Work with the Layers panel
- Video Layers overview
- Convert background and regular layers
- Duplicate layers
- Create document from layer or group
- Change transparency preferences
- Sample from all visible layers
- Rasterize layers
- Organize layers in the Layers panel
- Transform and manipulate layers
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Color adjustment and fill layers
- Adjustment and fill layers overview
- Work with adjustment layers
- Use layer masks to target adjustment or fill layers
- Create adjustment layers
- Merging adjustment or fill layers
- Adjustment presets overview
- Create custom presets
- Correct color balance with Color and vibrance
- Create fill layers
- Adjustment layer options
- Change adjustment and fill layer options
- Adjust contrast with Clarity and Dehaze
- Adjust texture with Grain
- Adjust image lighting with Light
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Apply layer effects
- Add layer styles
- Work with preset styles
- Layer style effects and options overview
- Manage preset styles
- Display or hide layer styles
- Copy and paste layer styles
- Import preset style libraries
- Manage contours
- Set a global lighting angle for all layers
- Scale layer effects
- Remove layer effects
- Work with layer styles
- Convert layer styles to image layers
- Create texture effects with Knockout
- Set layer opacity and blending modes
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Smart objects
- Smart Objects - overview and benefits
- Create embedded Smart Objects
- Create linked Smart Objects
- Update Linked Smart Objects
- View Linked Smart Object properties
- Embed Linked Smart Objects
- Package and locate linked Smart Objects
- Convert embedded Smart Objects to linked
- Filter the Layers panel by Smart Objects
- Duplicate an embedded Smart Object
- Edit the contents of a Smart Object
- Replace the contents of a Smart Object
- Convert Smart Objects to layers
- Rasterize Smart Objects
- Export the contents of an embedded Smart Object
- Reset Smart Object transforms
- Create layer compositions
- Layout and design tools
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Get started with layers
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Crop, resize, and transform
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Resize and adjust resolution
- Printed image resolution
- Set image size and resolution
- Resample option in the Image Size dialog
- Monitor resolution and image display size
- File size
- Printer resolution
- Resolution specs for printing images
- Preserve visual content when scaling images
- Specify content to protect when scaling
- Resize images
- Resampling options in Photoshop
- Change the pixel dimensions of images
- Change print dimensions and resolution
- Manage image file size
- Resizing parameters in Photoshop
- Change the canvas size
- Image size, resolution, and resampling
- Transform images, shapes, and paths
- Crop and straighten
- Transform, manipulate, and reshape
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Resize and adjust resolution
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Make selections
- Get started with selections
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Automatic and color-based selections
- Improve Select Subject and Remove Background results
- Make precise selections using Select People
- Remove objects with Delete and Fill Selection
- Improve hair selections with the Refine Hair tool
- Mask all objects in a layer
- Detect subject using Select Subject
- Paint a selection with Quick Selection tool
- Select areas by color with the Magic Wand tool
- Freehand selections
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Refine and modify selections
- Move a selection or selection border
- Refine your selection and mask
- Hover layer bounds in the Move tool
- Copy and paste selections
- Create multiple copies of a selection within an image
- Paste one selection into or outside another
- Delete or cut selected pixels
- Control the movement of a selection
- Hide or show selection edges
- Inverse selection
- Adjust a selection manually
- Select only an area intersected by other selections
- Refine and soften selection edges
- Select pixels using anti-aliasing
- Define a feathered edge for a selection tool
- Create a selection around a selection border
- Expand or contract a selection
- Clean up stray pixels in a color-based selection
- Fringe pixels around a selection
- Decrease the fringe on a selection
- Remove a matte from a selection
- Use selections for generative editing
- Select areas and pixels of images in focus
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Create masks
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Layer masks
- Add layer masks
- Create layer masks for all detected objects in a layer
- Unlink layers and masks
- Disable or enable layer masks
- Apply or delete layer masks
- Alpha channels and masks in Photoshop
- Create and manage clipping masks
- Edit and refine existing layer masks
- Mask layers with vector masks
- Position elements with snapping
- Blend images
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Layer masks
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Repair and retouch
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Remove objects and fill space
- Remove background in your images
- Replace background with Generate Background
- Retouch tools overview
- Blend objects and people into any background with Harmonize
- Remove objects and fill the area with Content-Aware Fill
- Adjust Content-Aware Fill settings
- Tools to fine-tune sampling and fill areas
- Apply or cancel Content-Aware fill changes
- View full-resolution preview in the Preview panel
- Remove objects from within the Contextual Task Bar
- Remove tool known issues and workarounds
- Remove tool minimum and recommended hardware requirements
- Remove objects
- Remove wires, people, and general distractions
- Review and refine general distractions
- Fill selections with Multi-Image Content-Aware Fill
- Use the Content-Aware Patch tool
- Heal and clone
- Adjust light and tone
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Clean and restore images
- Enhance image quality with Generative Upscale
- Define planes to adjust perspective
- Manipulate the planes to adjust perspective
- Edit different perspectives in the same image
- Keyboard shortcuts to adjust perspective
- Get started with Photomerge
- Create panoramic images with Photomerge
- Create 360-degree panoramas
- Remove imperfections with the Spot Healing Brush
- Retouch a large area with the Healing Brush tool
- Repair an area with the Patch tool
- Remove red eye in flash photos
- Define an image as a preset pattern
- Erase parts of an image with the Eraser tool
- Auto Erase with the Pencil tool
- Create smoother brush strokes using stroke smoothing
- Change pixels to transparent with the Background Eraser tool
- Remove similar pixels with the Magic Eraser tool
- Remove reflections
- Remove small spots with the Spot Healing Brush
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Remove objects and fill space
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Adjust color
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Color profiles
- About color profiles
- Embed color profiles
- Change color profile for documents
- Color management in Photoshop
- Color management in video layers
- Color profiles
- Work with OpenColorIO color management
- Set up color management in Photoshop
- Manage document colors for online viewing
- Add swatches from HTML CSS and SVG
- Download Adobe Color Management Module
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Choose colors
- Set foreground and background colors
- Choose colors with the Adobe Color Picker
- Choose a color while painting
- Choose web-safe colors
- Choose a CMYK equivalent for a non-printable color
- Choose a spot color
- Spot color libraries
- Manage color profiles when opening images
- Choose colors in the Color panel
- Change the color picker
- Color modes in Photoshop
- Color profiles for imported images
- Color modes
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Color corrections
- Apply a Hue or Saturation adjustment
- Colorize a grayscale image or create a monotone effect
- Adjust color and tone with Curves
- Adjust color saturation using a Vibrance adjustment layer
- Adjust color and tone with Levels and Curves eyedroppers
- Adjust tonal range and color balance using Levels
- Apply the Brightness/Contrast adjustment
- Apply Color Balance adjustment in Photoshop
- Color adjustment basics in Photoshop
- Use Auto Tone, Auto Contrast, and Auto Color
- Use the Histogram panel
- Adjust image color and tone
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Selective color adjustments
- Match color in different images
- Match color between two images
- Match color of two layers in the same image
- Save and apply settings in Match Color
- Replace Object Colors by Applying a Hue or Saturation Adjustment
- Customize indexed color tables
- Make selective color adjustments
- Mix color channels with Channel Mixer
- Color effects and techniques
- HDR and channel manipulation
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Color profiles
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Apply painting techniques
- Fill objects, selections, and layers
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Create and fill with patterns
- Pattern Preview best practices
- Create a new pattern
- Fill paths with color
- Generate patterns with Pattern Maker
- Paint symmetrical patterns
- Paint with the Mixer Brush
- Manage patterns in the Patterns panel
- Use the Pattern Stamp tool for a hand-painted look
- Paint stylized strokes with the Art History Brush
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Brushes and presets
- Get started with brush presets
- Display the Brush Settings panel and brush options
- Create a brush tip from an image
- Create a brush and set painting options
- Select a preset brush
- Create a new preset brush
- Create preset brush groups
- Rename preset brushes
- Delete preset brushes
- Import brushes and brush packs
- Create a textured brush in Photoshop
- Migrate presets from earlier Photoshop versions
- Paint with the Brush or Pencil tool
- Sync presets on multiple devices
- Improve painting and cloning performance
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Draw shapes and paths
- Create shapes
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Draw lines and curves
- Draw a circle, square, or rectangle
- Draw lines and line segments
- Shape, path, and pixel mode options
- Draw an arrow
- Trace images with the Content-Aware Tracing tool
- Draw curves and straight segments
- Draw paths with the Pen tool
- Overview of Pen tool settings
- Understand shapes, paths, and drawing modes
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Text and typography
- Get started with text
- Select and manage fonts
- Type layers and creation
- Text on paths and shapes
- Characters and glyphs
- International text and languages
- Work with Dynamic Text
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Effects and filters
- Get started with filters
- Smart filters
- Blur and sharpen filters
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Artistic and stylize filters
- Reshape and distort images with Transform Warp
- Warp a Layer with Cylindrical Transform
- Get precise distortions with Split Warp
- Distort specific image areas with Puppet Warp
- Overview of Liquify filter
- Overview of distortion tools
- Use Liquify to distort an image
- Freeze or thaw areas
- Work with meshes
- Work with backdrops
- Reconstruct distortions
- Replace the sky in images
- Select and manage sky presets
- Enhance images with generative AI filters
- Apply texture and surface effects to filters
- Correct lens distortion and perspective
- Correct wide-angle lens distortion
- Vanishing Point in Photoshop
- Oil Paint filter settings
- Neural filters
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Use grids and measurement guides
- Alignment grids and guides
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Measure and scale
- Manage measurement scales
- Manage scale markers
- Use the measurement log for performing measurements
- Measurement data points overview
- Create, edit, and delete data point presets
- Manage measurement logs
- About the measurement scale and scale markers
- Use rulers in Photoshop
- Measure and position with the Ruler tool
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Add video and animation
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Create animation frames
- Create frame-based animations
- Add frames to animations
- Select animation frames
- Edit animation frames
- Unify layer properties in animation frames
- Copy frames with layer properties
- Create frames using tweening
- Manage layer visibility in animation frames
- Specify a delay time in frame animations
- Choose a frame disposal method
- Specify looping in frame animations
- Delete animations
- Create and manage video layers
- Create images for videos
- Video layers in Photoshop
- Use keyframes
- Organize and manage video groups
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Create animation frames
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Automate tasks
- Create and record actions
- Process a batch of files
- Automation settings and presets
- Data-driven graphics
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Save and export
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Save files
- Save your work
- Save large documents
- Revert to legacy Save As options
- File saving properties and preferences
- macOS image preview options
- Common questions on Photoshop cloud documents
- Save as Photoshop PDF
- Save for Web
- Customize the file format list
- Save and open WebP files in Photoshop
- Save images in TIFF format
- Slices overview
- PDF does not open automatically after saving on a Mac
- Manage slices in Photoshop
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Export files to different formats
- Video and animation export formats
- Enhance animation frames
- Flatten frames into layers
- Export video files or image sequences
- Photoshop file formats overview
- File compression in Photoshop
- Supported file formats in Photoshop
- Image file formats supported in Photoshop
- Export your work using the Quick Export as option
- Fine-tune export settings with Export As
- Export settings and export location preferences
- Export files in different sizes
- Export layers as files
- Export artboards as PDF
- Export artboards as files
- Save and export to cloud
- Export color lookup tables
- Metadata, CSS, and content credentials
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Save files
- Share and collaborate
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App integrations
- Access Adobe Express Templates
- Refine Firefly-generated images
- Transform image to video
- Open Photoshop files in Illustrator
- Work with optional extensions
- Install and manage Marketplace plugins
- Install the ScriptingListener plug-in
- Set up MATLAB to work with Photoshop
- Share images to Slack from Photoshop
- Share Photoshop work to Trello
- Save and manage cloud documents
- Install and manage plugins using the Plugin Marketplace
- Create a contact sheet
- Paste Illustrator artwork as layers
- Use Photoshop images in Adobe Illustrator
- Photoshop file behavior in InDesign
- Photoshop cloud documents overview
- Photoshop plugins and extensions
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Troubleshoot
- Tools and resources
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Performance and stability issues
- Known issues in Adobe Photoshop on desktop
- Resolve graphics processor (GPU) and graphics driver issues
- Troubleshoot scratch disk full errors in Photoshop
- Memory allocation in Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Photoshop crashes or freezes on startup
- Fix Adobe Photoshop lag, freezing, and slow performance
- Fix the Generator error when launching Adobe Photoshop
- File and format issues
- Tool and feature issues
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Quick actions
- Blur image backgrounds
- Add duotone effect to images
- Adjust lighting in images
- Apply Charcoal filter to images
- Apply diffuse glow to images
- Swirling night sky filter
- Woodcut print filter
- Colorize old photographs
- Desaturate image backgrounds to black and white
- Convert images to black and white
- Select backgrounds in images
- Select skies in images
- Select subject in images
- Smooth skin in your images
- Remove JPEG artifacts from images
Plug-in folder locations in Photoshop
Last updated on
Oct 4, 2026
Learn to find version-specific and shared Creative Cloud plug-in folder paths in Adobe Photoshop on macOS and Windows.
Consult this reference when troubleshooting plug-in issues or manually installing plug-ins. Knowing where Photoshop stores plug-in files helps you verify installations, remove problematic plug-ins, or understand why certain plug-ins load only in specific versions.
Plug-ins can be installed to either version-specific locations that load only for a particular Photoshop release, or to shared Creative Cloud locations that automatically load across all installed Photoshop versions.
Version-specific plug-in folders
Plug-ins installed in these locations load only for the specific Photoshop version indicated in the path.
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Path |
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macOS |
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Plug-ins |
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Windows |
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version]\Plug-ins |
Replace [version] with your installed version identifier (for example, "Adobe Photoshop 2024").
Shared Creative Cloud plug-in folders
Plug-ins installed in these locations automatically load in all installed Photoshop versions without requiring reinstallation when you update to a new major version.
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Operating System |
Path |
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macOS |
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC |
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Windows |
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC |
Note
Third-party plug-in developers are encouraged to use the shared Creative Cloud location so plug-ins remain available when you update Photoshop to a new major version.
Camera Raw plug-in location
The Camera Raw plug-in uses a common location shared by Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, and Adobe Photoshop Elements.
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Operating System |
Path |
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macOS |
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/[version]/File Formats |
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Windows |
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\[version] |
Replace [version] with your Photoshop version number (for example, "2024").
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