Eye Candy

Eye Candy renders realistic effects that are difficult or impossible to achieve in Photoshop alone, such as Fire, Chrome, and the new Lightning. Effects like Animal Fur, Smoke, and Reptile Skin are rendered in exquisite detail down to individual hairs, turbulent wisps, and shiny scales.

It helps you quickly explore and design looks. In the plugin, effects are chosen through easy to recognize icons rather than text menus. Presets are rapidly previewed by simply mousing over them. The theme is less clicking and more visual browsing.

The theme is less clicking and more visual browsing. The app is now a single entry in Photoshop’s filter menu. That means that you can explore all of the effects without leaving the window. Instead of choosing an effect category by reading a text list, you’ll see icons that show typical uses of each effect.

In the preference panel, you can choose how the effect is rendered in a new layer. If you prefer the software approach, you can have the new layer include just the effect and not a copy of your original artwork.

Many effects use transparency, so moved the transparency display control out of the preference panel and put it under the main preview. This lets you quickly switch the background between checkerboard, black, white, or a custom solid color.

Once you choose an effect, you can explore presets fast using the navigator, which is a small preview that instantly updates. You don’t even have to click. Just mouse over preset names and the navigator shows how the effect will look in your design. In the screenshot below you can see the navigator in the lower left.

Features and Highlights

Zillions of Effects
It has grown over 19 years to handle a huge range of graphic design tasks, from subtle extruded edges to glitzy chrome. There are 32 effect categories, over 1000 presets, and controls to let you create an unlimited number of your own styles.

Realistic Effects
Realism sets Eye Candy effects apart from the generic filters built into Photoshop. Effects like Animal Fur, Smoke, and Reptile Skin are rendered in exquisite detail down to individual hairs, turbulent wisps, and shiny scales. It helps designs look natural and organic.

Adaptation
It scales effects to match the size of your current artwork. That makes it less likely that you will have to tweak a preset to make it look good.

Non-Destructive Editing
Effects are drawn into a new layer, leaving your original artwork untouched. It can also work as a Smart Filter, which lets you modify or remove the effect later.

Professional Features
It can handle images in CMYK mode and 16-bits/channel, which are needed for professional print work. And, you can save any look as a preset to consistently recreate it in future projects.

Note: 30 days trial version. Requires Adobe Photoshop.

Also Available: Download Eye Candy for Mac