If you’re one of those photographers who want to add great finishing touches to your street photography shots, read further. Here, we’ll cover 10 different Photoshop plugins that will creatively enhance your street photography shots.
More importantly, these plugins also come as standalone programs for those who don’t use Photoshop. They all offer a free trial if you’re not willing to spend money just yet.
1. Silver Efex Pro 3
Silver Efex Pro 3 is part of DxO’s NIK Collection. For $99.99, you get eight software programs and 250 presets, which is impressive.
Silver Efex Pro 3 is used by hobbyists and professionals to convert their color images into fantastic black-and-white renditions. With tons of presets, it’s a great way to start your editing journey. It offers global and local adjustment controls that enable advanced users to craft their images to perfection.
It’s possible to take your street photography shots beyond the scope of merely de-saturating your images and adding some contrast. This program can add a lot more richness and will help you craft your style.
Silver Efex Pro 3 is for those who do a lot of black and white processing in their editing workflow and need advanced options and creative control. It’s one of the top black-and-white conversion editing software available, and many professionals prefer it.
2. Topaz Studio 2
Topaz Studio 2 is part of Topaz Labs’ suite of editing software that you can purchase for $99.99.
Topaz Studio 2 is a purely creative editor. This app has all the usual looks and filter options but what truly sets it apart from other self-described creative editors is the range of advanced options for lighting, masking, and layers. You can also add textures and other overlays and easily customize them by adjusting a few sliders.
Street photographers looking for creative effects won’t find a more robust and creative photo editor for both quick editing and images requiring a lot of work.
However, Intermediate to advanced users who are bored with Photoshop’s limited creative tools will find value. It’s also the perfect choice for those who do a lot of photo compositing.
3. Smart Photo Editor
Smart Photo Editor is part of the Anthropics editing suite, and it costs just $29.95, making it the cheapest Photoshop plugin on this list.
Smart Photo Editor has many looks to choose from and a library of choices from the Anthropics user community. It’s easy to scroll through the looks in groups or individually to decide which one to select for editing.
Street photographers will find features like sepia (illustrated in the image above) to be a better option than what’s available in most editors out there.
Beginner to intermediate-level photo editors looking for a maximum variety of easily customizable presets will appreciate this app. It’s also a viable option for those already invested in other Anthropics software like Portrait Pro and Landscape Pro because of bundling options and discounts.
4. Color Efex Pro 4
Color Efex Pro 4 is part of DxO’s NIK Collection. For the $99.99 asking price, you get eight software programs, and 250 presets, just like the Silver Efex Pro 3.
Color Efex Pro 4 has a decent-sized filter library with notable film camera effects. You can easily stack effects in layers and preview them by quickly switching on or off the effects in any combination. You’re also able to save your recipes for future use.
Street photographers looking for film effects may likely discover a go-to program when working with their color images.
Photographers who buy Silver Efex Pro 3 will automatically get Color Efex Pro 4 and Analog Efex Pro (mentioned below) in the NIK Collection for $99.99. It’s an excellent value for an all-around creative bundle.
5. Topaz Sharpen AI
Topaz Sharpen AI is part of Topaz Labs’ editing software suite, which you can get for $79.99.
Topaz Sharpen AI is an industry-leading program that can take blurry and soft images and turn them into usable photos that lack the distortion you’re used to seeing with other sharpening apps. That’s because Topaz Sharpen AI offers three different models to choose from that address motion blur, focus issues, and soft images. You can easily adjust the parameters of each model to fine-tune the sharpening effects to your liking.
Read More: How to Use Topaz Sharpen AI to Professionally Sharpen Your Images
Street photographers who photograph a lot of fast action in low-light situations will benefit from Topaz Sharpen AI.
6. Topaz Denoise AI
Next on the list, we have yet another plugin from Topaz Labs’ editing suite, which you can buy for $79.99.
Topaz Denoise AI is another industry-leading denoise editing software that you can consider as a companion to Topaz Sharpen AI. This powerful tool can remove noise from the noisiest images while maintaining much of the image’s essential details. This is probably one of the best programs on the list for all-around photography use.
Denoise AI is a lifesaver for street photographers who regularly shoot in poor lighting scenarios and use high ISOs. It’s the one app to own for anyone bothered by noisy or grainy-looking images and willing to pay for it.
7. PortraitPro 22
Next, we have another program in the Anthropics photo editing suite. You can get it by paying just $54.95, which is far less than most other Photoshop plugins on this list.
PortraitPro 22 is a professional-grade portrait editor designed with working portrait artists in mind. There’s no need to learn any fancy Photoshop techniques. All of the standard tools are there to enhance face and hair features.
PortraitPro may seem like an unlikely tool for street photographers, but it can be beneficial if you photograph many people outdoors in natural light. It’s an instant makeover!
While this would never be a tool for professional retouchers, it’s perfect for those who don’t have time or the money to farm out their work to retouchers. It’s also a great time-saver if you have dozens or even hundreds of images of the same person (batch processing).
8. Exposure7
Exposure7 is part of Exposure Software’s editing suite. At $129, this is the most expensive Photoshop plugin featured in this list.
Exposure7 stands alone on this list as a one-program-for-all editor for those who don’t like subscription models. It includes a RAW editor and uses layers, over 500 presets, and advanced masking features, among many other tools. There are also many light and texture overlays to play with.
This software is worth the money for anyone looking for an all-in-one program. Photo compositors may also enjoy many of the mentioned light and texture overlays that are customizable.
9. Analog Efex Pro 2
Analog Efex Pro 2 is part of DxO’s NIK Collection. You can get your hands on it for $99.99, which comes with eight software programs and 250 presets.
Those street photographers yearning for the film effects of yesteryear may find some useful tools here. There are lighting and plate effects and a whole host of blurring tools. It offers plenty of presets to choose from to get you started.
Street photographers seeking nostalgic film looks will certainly benefit from the Analog Efex Pro 2. Once again, if you’re a SilverEfex Pro user, it’s already included in your bundle. Go for it.
10. Luminar AI
Luminar AI is part of Skylum’s collection of editing software. You can buy it for around $45, making it one of the most affordable plugins we discussed here.
Luminar AI is like the other plugins with AI in the names, using artificial intelligence to make informed choices and better edits. With its range of templates and editing options, Luminar AI aims at the Lightroom audience. The big difference here is that beginners may find value in a standalone app that takes care of all their photo editing needs.
Try out Luminar AI, especially if you’re into sky replacement. Street photographers will enjoy going through their old archives and breathing a new life into images with Luminar AI’s templates and editing suite. This is an all-around crowd-pleaser.
Plugins Are Useful for Finishing Touches
Plugins are excellent photo editing finishers for street photographers and a great way to enhance the features of Photoshop. Since all of these manufacturers offer trials, it’s a pain-free opportunity to experiment with a new set of creative tools for your street photography needs.
