For Beginners
Organising Your Plugins
By Shelleyrae Cusbert 2006
Jun 8, 2006, 04:21

Organizing Your Plug-In Filters
By and © Shelleyrae Cusbert

Plug-in filters are small programs that work within software programs to create specific effects. They are valuable tools that are available both as commercial and freeware packages from various online sources. It is easy to amass a large collection of filters that need to be managed in order to locate them quickly and easily.

Here are some simple ideas for organizing your plug-in filter collection.
* Create a folder in which to store the original zipped file that you download and back up this folder onto another media e.g. a CD. Some plug-in filters may disappear from the Internet and having a backup will allow you to reinstall it, if necessary, at any time.
* Create an alternate folder on your hard drive to install plug-in filters into e.g. C:// My Plug In Filters rather than using the default folder of your software program. If you have more than one software program installed on your computer, or you have networked computers, they can then both easily access the filters.
Creating a stand-alone folder may also prevent your program from slowing down unnecessarily. Most software programs that are compatible with plug-ins allow you to browse to or select your own folder when you wish to access the filter so it is not necessary to store them in the default folder of the program.
* Determine a system of subfolders that will help you to access the filters easily. You can create subfolders for:
- Types of filters- e.g. light effects, paint effects, texture effects
- Creator- e.g. Alien Skin, Xero, Flaming Pear, Auto FX
- Usage- e.g. Place the filters you use most in one folder for quick access, those you use occasionally in another, those you use least in another etc.
- Create a subfolder for filters that you have not yet used. When you have successfully used the filter and decide to keep it you can move it to the appropriate folder according to your system. This ensures you do not have filters installed that are not compatible with your program or those that you are very unlikely to use.
- Create a subfolder for filters that are trial or time limited so that you can easily uninstall/delete them once they have expired.

You can of course use a combination of the above systems. I have a folder for the half a dozen filters I use most often for quick access such as EyeCandy 4000 and Xenofex2. The rest of my filters are organized into folders categorized by their type.
Once you have a system established you should find that working with the plug-in filters is much easier.

***First published in Tidbytes August 2004***


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