Virtual Photographer: Free Filters for Photoshop and Paintshop Pro

I love my graphics program. I can spend hours playing around with PaintShop Pro, using it to touch up and enhance both new digital photos, and the older photos I've scanned into my computer.

Most graphics programs, like Photoshop and Paintshop Pro, already come with lots of cool features and effects that you can use on your images. But there is a way to add even more great effects. And that's by using filters.

What Are Filters?

Filters are plug-ins that you can use to add even more functionality to your graphics programs. And one of the best sets of free filters I've come across is called Virtual Photographer.

What is Virtual Photographer?

Virtual Photographer, which is available from optikVerve Labs, is an incredible set of 50 filters that you can use to do all kinds of fun things to your images. You can add textures, turn color images into Black & White images, give photos an old and worn look (which is a beautiful effect), alter the brightness or contrast of a photo, or simply enhance the look and feel of your images.

The purpose of Virtual Photographer is really to help anyone, even those new to using graphics programs, create professional quality images with ease. Some of the things you can do with Virtual Photographer usually take several minutes, as well as more than a little know-how. But, with Virtual Photographer, you can create these same photo effects with the click of a button.

Which Graphics Programs Does Virtual Photographer Work With?

Virtual Photographer works with many of the most popular graphics programs, like PhotoShop, PaintShop Pro, and others. If you aren't sure Virtual Photographer will work with your program, my advice is to either ask someone at a message board devoted to your graphics program, or try installing the filters yourself and see what happens.

How Easy Is Virtual Photographer to Use?

Virtual Photographer is a pretty simple program to learn and use. And, to help get you started, there's a short, and easy to understand Help page that will teach you the ins and outs of using Virtual Photographer, including installing the program.

When you first install the program, open one of your favorite photos in your graphics program, and spend a few minutes some of Virtual Photographers effects to it. You'll be amazed at the dramatic difference these filters can make. But be careful. Virtual Photographer can be addictive.

Anyone with a graphics program will enjoy using Virtual Photographer. In fact, it won't be long before you wonder how you ever got along without it.