Adobe is a global leader in developing software across various fields. This includes vector design with print support and exporting to Adobe XD, web prototyping, working with photos, video, and even websites at the code level. Yet, month by month, enthusiasts keep creating and improving these products to suit their own needs. And Photoshop is no exception. That’s why today we’re once again highlighting the best and most convenient plugins for all designers working with mobile apps or website mockups. And it doesn’t matter how much experience you have with Adobe Photoshop.
Three months ago, we already covered this topic, but now we've decided to dedicate another article to it. The reason is simple — there are so many plugins, extensions, and scripts that simplify the designer’s work that you can easily find yourself thinking: “Wait, maybe I actually need THIS one?” Of course, the decision is yours. But all the plugins in this article are completely different from those we mentioned previously. Yes, this is a brand new collection with entirely different goals and features.
Preparation
First, note that the plugins and scripts were tested on Adobe Photoshop CC 2015–2017 and CS6. Typically, installation was done through Adobe Extension Manager CC, but in some cases, manual installation was more reliable — simply copying folders from the archive into Adobe’s directory. That’s why we’ll describe the installation process for each plugin individually — there’s no one-size-fits-all method.
Also worth noting: it doesn’t matter what kind of Photoshop license you have. Our selected plugins will work for you.
There may not be a huge number of extensions here, but we’ll cover each in detail. Even a seemingly simple plugin — like one for renaming layers — can raise some interesting questions for users.
Craft
A powerful, feature-rich, and functional extension from InVisionApp. Technically, it’s more like a suite of mini-scripts and plugins all bundled together.
Installation: go to the product page, enter your email, and receive a download link. Or download the archive from here. Then install the .exe file or copy the folders from the archive to C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CEP\extensions
The plugin will appear under Window → Extensions. Version 1.1 is the latest for Windows, as active development is now focused on Mac OSX.
Description: Craft includes numerous features for quickly building prototypes, automating content workflows, and syncing resources with the cloud. It’s divided into several sections.
On the Photos tab, you can choose an image location and it will be auto-inserted into your canvas. If you’ve selected a shape layer — for instance, an ellipse — Craft will insert a random image from the folder into that shape. This works similarly with cloud storage and even web-based images from Unsplash.com.
If you don’t have many images locally or in your cloud, go to the Stock tab and search for themed content on iStock. Download and use as needed.
The Type tab is also worth exploring. It helps with routine and tedious tasks. Add time, headlines, dates, cities, etc. Just create a blank text layer, select it in the Layers panel, and choose for example Headlines → Motivation. Then create another layer for a name, another for the date, and another for the article. The default font size is 12pt. And just like that, you’ve created a mockup of an article page with a background — fast and simple.
FreeHand lets you sketch and annotate your designs by hand. And under the Sync tab, you can sync data with your InVision account (login required).
You can find detailed documentation on the plugin’s site. And yes — it’s entirely free, despite having so many features. It always will be. Is Craft worth using? Absolutely.
Fontea
Working with fonts, text, headlines, and more is always a challenge for web designers. Sometimes it’s even hard to say what feels more creative — editing photos or designing text. But thanks to the Google Fonts library, it’s possible to create really interesting results without spending hours searching for fancy typefaces. The Fontea plugin integrates directly with Google Web Fonts — and it does so brilliantly.
Installation: download the archive from the author’s website and install the .exe file. Now here’s the tricky and important part. If you launch Photoshop and go to Window → Extensions, the plugin will appear and even open, and fonts will be visible. BUT — in 99% of cases, it won’t work out of the box. That’s because the plugin requires full access to the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Fonts. And not just read access — it needs “Full Control” permissions for the Windows user group.
In short — and this is important: by default, Windows assigns two main entries: Administrator and User (which can have different roles). Most of us use Photoshop under a User account. So go to the path above, open the Fonts folder properties, and in the Security tab, you’ll see that the Administrators group has “Full Control,” while Users usually don’t. Click “Edit,” select “Users,” check “Full Control,” and save. This is safe — and if those boxes are already checked, then you’re all set.
Description: Fontea doesn’t just display Google fonts with samples — it categorizes them, allows search by name, and lets you favorite fonts. Once you select a font, it’s instantly applied to your text layer, so you can browse through options rapidly until you find the perfect one.
Of course, not all fonts support Cyrillic characters, and searching manually can take a while. Here’s what we suggest… Go to the Google Web Fonts project, and select Languages → Cyrillic on the right. You’ll see many fonts with preview samples. Say we pick Ubuntu. Open Photoshop, type “Ubuntu” in the Fontea search, and you’ll see three variants. Apply the one you like — the text gets a fresh new look. You can also sort fonts this way and add Cyrillic ones to your favorites.
Why does it need access to that folder? When you select a font, it’s downloaded to your computer for future use. If you don’t click on it in the plugin list, the font won’t exist locally. That’s why the plugin needs permission — to save files for reuse.
Copio
A small script that makes it easier to work with layers across different documents. If you want to duplicate a layer, you can do it with a couple of mouse clicks. But copying a single layer from one document to another? That’s not so straightforward. You end up aligning canvases side by side, dragging layers to icons, and so on. Tedious.
Copio offers a completely different — and simpler — approach. This free plugin allows you to copy and paste layers using just two commands. And it doesn’t matter how many layers you’ve selected.
Installation: go to the script’s page, click Download, enter your email, and a link will be sent to you. Unzip the .zip archive and copy the Copio folder into /Presets/Scripts/
Description: in Photoshop, go to File → Scripts and you’ll see two items: Copio Paste and Copio Copy. For convenience, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to these scripts under Keyboard Shortcuts.
Now say you have two documents, and you want to copy an ellipse with an image into a new one. Select both layers, run Copio Copy, switch to the new document, and run Copio Paste. You’ll briefly see all layers flash by, then only the ones you selected will remain active. Done — fast and easy. If you’re working with multiple canvases and mockups, this is a huge timesaver.
Long Shadow Generator 2
Another small yet interesting plugin. Material Design often uses long shadows for icons. Some designers draw them by hand, others look for pre-made options. We found this plugin — maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe not.
Installation: on the project page, download the Photoshop CC version and install the .zxp file using Adobe Extension Manager CC. Or rename the .zxp to .zip, extract it, and copy the resulting folder to C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\CEP\extensions. Then open Photoshop — the plugin will appear under Window → Extensions.
Description: Shadow creation happens in one click. You can customize the length, opacity, color, and direction of the shadow. It works with any shape — and yes, the shadow will match the shape. Simple, fast, effective. Here's the result.
Font Awesome PS
No plugin roundup would be complete without this one. Font Awesome is well-known — especially when it comes to using icons as symbols or even replacing letters. All icons are vector-based, meaning they look great on Retina and high-res screens.
And of course, you’ll want to use these icons when designing mockups in Photoshop — not just for live websites.
Installation: visit the plugin author’s site (Creative Do), fill out the form, and download the free extension. Install the .zxp file using Adobe Extension Manager CC — or rename it to .zip and extract the contents to C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\CEP\extensions.
Description: just create a canvas and pick the desired icon from the full Font Awesome collection. Icons are placed on separate layers and appear small at first, but you can scale them up, change their color, add shadows, glows, and more. And since they’re vector — they stay crisp.
You don’t need to install the actual Font Awesome font on your system to use this.
Layers Control 2
Another big, useful, and free extension. It helps you manage large numbers of layers in a document. The developer combined seven different scripts into one panel — speeding up and simplifying your workflow.
Installation: download the archive from the project’s page. If your system doesn’t recognize the archive, right-click it, choose “Open with”, and open with WinRAR or any other archiver. Inside, you’ll find a .zxp installer. Use the same installation method as with other extensions, then launch Photoshop.
Description: the extension allows you to rename one or multiple layers (with different presets), rasterize or convert smart objects, delete empty layers, and merge layers with effects. Fast, handy, simple.
Normally we’d do all this manually or look for separate scripts. Now designers and illustrators can automate it all without worrying about complexity.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the plugins that make web design easier. There are always new and better ones emerging. In fact, Adobe itself might be considering incorporating some of these ideas into future updates. Either way, we hope the extensions above will be useful and make your Photoshop workflow a bit smoother — freeing up more time and energy for creativity, ideas, and experimentation.