Plugin Galaxy

Plugin Galaxy is a program that can help anyone from the artistically challenged to the most talented of artist make web sites more attractive and, perhaps, give them the edge to draw readers away from the competition.

Plugin Galaxy is an add-on program that provides more than 20 plugins carrying more than 120 basic effects. What sets Galaxy apart from many others is that, while most are designed to work with one application, such as Adobe Photoshop, Galaxy works with more than 20 applications.

Using sliders, check boxes, dialog boxes, color pickers and previews, Galaxy features four interfaces to accomplish its many tasks, and it works on both PC and Macintosh environments.

Here is a look at the various effects buyers get for their $49.95:

• Alpha Tool: Lets users adjust the alpha settings, including inversion and removal.
• Bluuur: An intensity slider enables users to adjust the amount and type of blur they use.
• Breakfast: Not sure about the name, but what it does is make wave effects and enables users to change the amplitude of said waves. Colors can be adjusted and zoomed; effects can be angulated. Useful for making background tiles.
• Colorize: Apply all types of color effects, including cartoon look.
• Cryptology: Select eight numbers to encrypt a photo, then use those same numbers to decrypt it.
• Edge Tool: Great tool for applying those fancy edges to photos by changing the amplitude of the waves.
• Feedback: A way of making swirling patterns on a photo.
• Fusion: Creates good looking chrome, metal, and neon appearances.
• Glass: Makes beveled-appearing glass effects.
• Grid: Creates borderless patterns.
• Instant Mirrors: Users can make vertical, horizontal, quadrant, or crossing mirror looks.
• Noiseee: Nice effects tool, creating appearances of edge detection, color emphasis, and adding simple noise to photos.
• Pop Art: Creates colorful popart type effects for that '60s and '70s "hippie" look.
• Rainbow: Add gradient color effects with the typical rainbow-type colors, and apply them in various angles, blends, and brightness.
• Sunshine: It makes it appear the sun is shining on a portion of the graphic.
• Star: Creates a star effect that emanates from an area of the picture.
• Synthesizer: Makes synthetic patterns such as those created by old video synthesizers.
• Warps: Just what it says - it warps the photos in any number of combinations.
• Zoom: Enables users to zoom in on particular areas of a graphic.

Remember, too, that within each of these effects are a wide variety of options and variations that can be applied. Graphics can be taken to a greater realm by applying multiple features to them.

Plugin Galaxy features a good collection of filters that enable users to cover about any need possible. Added to the filters that come with many of the host applications on which it runs, Galaxy can turn any of those programs into a studio within itself.

Note: At this same site, users can get Plugin Commander to help keep track of all the plugins on their computer. It enables users to turn filters on and off individually, and comes in a free Light Edition and a Pro Edition ($29.95). However, the limitations of the free version (applying Photoshop compatible plugins is not possible, for example) makes the Pro Edition a far better choice.

• What is it called again? Plugin Galaxy
• Where can I get it? http://www.thepluginsite.com
• What's in it? 20 plugins with more than 120 effects
• What are some of the host applications with which it works?
  Macintosh Version: Photoshop 4 or higher; Illustrator 7 or higher; ImageReady 2 or higher; Pagemaker 6.5 or higher; PhotoLine 32 v7 or higher; Canvas 7 or higher; Color It! 4 or higher.
  Windows Version: Photoshop 4 or higher; PageMaker 6 or higher; Illustrator 7 or higher; ImageReady; Corel Draw 7 or higher; Corel PhotoPaint 9; Xara 2; Canvas 6, Paintshop Pro 5 or higher; Freehand 8 or higher; Fireworks 2 or higher; Ulead PhotoImpact 4 or higher. Check the web site for more applications.
• How big is the download? 1.4 MB Windows; 3 MB Macintosh.
• How much does it cost? $49.95.
• Do you recommend it? Yes.