PixelSugar v4.0 and later comes with a suite of Photoshop add-ons that make it easy to integrate PixelSugar into your Photoshop workflow.
The PixelSugar Bridge plugin for Photoshop allows you to launch PixelSugar from the Photoshop Filter menu, just like any other filter plugin
The PixelSugar Launcher Extension Panel gives you one-click access to PixelSugar, and can setup a new layer or smart object for the filter's output (requires Photoshop CC or later).
Getting Started
In the PixelSugar menu, select PixelSugar -> Connect To Photoshop.
This will launch a MacOS installer to setup the Photoshop add-ons.
Follow the instructions, enter your password when asked, and restart Photoshop when the installation is finished.
Using PixelSugar from the Filter menu
In the Photoshop menu, select Filter -> Totally Rad -> PixelSugar.
A small dialog will open up in Photoshop while the image is transferred to PixelSugar, and a new editing session is started.
You can work with this image in PixelSugar, and press the checkmark button to send the image back to Photoshop
or the X button to cancel.
You can also press Cancel from the dialog in Photoshop to end editing in PixelSugar.
Recording actions with PixelSugar
PixelSugar is fully scripting-aware, meaning you can use PixelSugar in any Photoshop actions you're recording. Just begin recording an action as you normally would, and edit an image in PixelSugar. The recipe you use in the edit will be sent back to Photoshop and recorded as part of the action.
Using the PixelSugar Launcher Extension Panel
To make working with PixelSugar in Photoshop even easier, we've provided a small extension panel for launching PixelSugar, and placing the filter's result in a new layer or smart object.
To launch the panel, in the Photoshop menu, select Window -> Extensions -> PixelSugar Launcher
The big Open PixelSugar button will launch PixelSugar to edit the current document.
Below that are three options that affect the result.
- This Layer behaves just like running PixelSugar from the Filter menu, and applies the filter directly to the current layer.
- New Layer will make a merged copy of your current document into a new layer, and run PixelSugar on the new layer.
- Smart Object will create a new smart object from the merged contents of your document, and run PixelSugar on the new smart object.
Both New Layer and Smart Object will also create a new layer mask, allowing you to selectively remove the PixelSugar filter's effect.
Running PixelSugar as a filter on a Smart Object allows you to change your PixelSugar edit later on, non-destructively, by double-clicking on the PixelSugar text beside the new smart object's icon.
A quick note on how all this works
PixelSugar doesn't operate completely within Photoshop, but rather uses the PixelSugar Bridge plugin to pass image data back and forth between PixelSugar and Photoshop. In that sense, it's not a true Photoshop Plugin, but should behave like one for most purposes. If you find a situation where this integration doesn't work quite right for your needs, please let us know!