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From YourSITE.com *Program Basic Plug in filters are small programs that extend the capabilities of a software program. Plug in filters will allow you to apply more effects, textures and manipulation to your photos and projects. Several tutorials you can find here on SBB use plug–in filters to create specific effects that are not available, or perhaps as effective, using Digital Image Pro’s built in filter and tool collections, particularly for creating elements.
Digital Image Pro versions 7 to 2006 Suite have plug-in use capability where PictureIt! Product versions do not. Plug-ins must have an .8bf extension, which are known as Photoshop native filters, however even then some will not work correctly. This is due to the differences between how Photoshop and Digital Image works with images. Generally the filters that are least successful are those that require selections, yet there is often a work around to get the result you want it simply takes a little bit of experimentation.
There are plenty of free filters available online so I suggest taking advantage of these. Use any search engine and words such as ‘free’, ‘filters’, ‘plug ins’, ‘8bf’, ‘Photoshop’. If you decide to purchase any collections ensure that you take advantage of free trials of the software first to make sure they work correctly.
The plug in filters I tend to use most are only available at a cost but I recommend the following: http://www.alienskin.com Eye Candy 5 Series; Xenofex2; Splat http://www.redfieldplugins.com Plasteroid http://www.autofx.com DreamSuite Series; Photo/Graphic Edges; Mystical Series http://www.nikmultimedia.com/index/usa/entry.php
In addition these filters, though used rarely, provide specific effects that can be useful in digital scrapping. http://www.avbros.com/ Page Curl; Puzzle Pro http://www.flamingpear.com/ Super Blade Pro – success with this filter varies http://www.stoik.com/rubberpi/rub_frm.html
Some free plug-ins: http://www.optikvervelabs.com/download.asp http://www.redfieldplugins.com/ http://www.vizros.com/ http://www.xero-graphics.co.uk/index.htm http://www.dixielady.com/tutorials/SusanH/Texturiz.8bf http://www.photo-plugins.com/Plugins/Plugins/ http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-downloads/Free-Photoshop-plugins/clics/1
HOW TO INSTALL THE FILTERS FOR USE IN
DIGITAL IMAGE PRO (ANY VERSION) Create a folder on your computer or network to store the plug-in filters – nay location is fine as long as you know where it is. I created a folder under C: Drive > My Documents and called it Filters. You can also choose to install the plug-ins into C:\Program Files\Microsoft Digital Image Pro \Plug-Ins but I recommend you create your own folder. 
Most plug-ins are downloaded in zip format so you first need to unzip them. You can use Windows built in extract tool or a tool like Winzip. 
Unzip them into the folder you have
created. They are now available for use. 
In the Plug-in filters folder box, enter the path where your plug-in filters are
located OR Click Browse, and then locate the folder where your plug-in filters
are located.
Click OK, and then click OK again. This results in the folder you have chosen as
being the default folder that DIP will search for plug ins’ in.HOW TO APPLY A FILTER To apply a plug-in filter: Select the object including shapes, selection, pictures, photos, text boxes, lines, or animations, that can be edited individually ( you can also apply a filter to a grouped image but not multiple selections) to which you want to apply a plug-in filter. On the Effects menu, click Plug-in Filters. 
Under Select a Plug-in filter, select
the plug-in filter you want. Scroll if necessary.
Click Launch plug-in filter.
The interface for the plug-in will launch. Follow the instructions on the screen
and play with the settings to create the effect you want. Filters work
differently to each other so you will need to experiment. Click Done to apply your final choices. THINGS TO NOTE
* You can also elect to choose any
other folder where a plug-in may be at any time by choosing Change plug-ins
folder and then browsing to the folder you wish. * You can apply only one plug-in filter each time you complete this task. If you apply a plug-in filter, and then apply a new one before completing the task, the second filter effect replaces the first. * To apply multiple plug-in filters, repeat the procedure above for each filter. * Plug-ins’ are particularly RAM (memory) hungry and you will notice a slowing of DIP’s performance with repeated usage. Simply reboot DIP, or ideally your computer. If you leave it too long you may experience ‘hanging’ or ‘freezing’. Don’t forget to save your work regularly to avoid losing any work! * To get an idea what a filter does look for a Random feature on the plug in interface that generates random effects. * Generally the filters that are least successful are those that require selections. There are ‘work arounds’ for some filters, if you need assistance with a particular filter please post in the Digital Image Pro thread in the SBB Forum
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