JoeD,
I understand your point of view but have a different one. People who are striving to really become experts in Photoshop are well advised to generally stick within the capacities of the application. In the final analysis much of the time all a plugin will do is use tools which already exist within the app.
However, if you don't care about becoming a technical expert, particularly initially, plugins can be fun and actually draw you into the program through their use. Then there is the personal motivation. If you are interested in creating images and a plugin yields a satisfactory result, go for it I say! Creating is a vastly different goal than learning PS, though they may (and often do) coincide.
Point by point...
a) Yes they can be expensive but that is always relative to your earning capacity. Some people just like new software.
b) Some of them can of course. Try doing what the Digital Element Plugins do, though, or AV Bros, or lots of other ones.
c) True. But I've used literally several thousand programs. Every one is different. You get good at it.
d) Sure some plugins have been used to the point of becoming hackneyed clich?s to those who know what they are. Stay away from them if it bothers you.
e) I've had it happen hundreds of times! Software becomes dated. Not just from Photoshop upgrades but from upgrading operating systems. For example changing from Mac OS 9.x to OS X, every piece of software had to be upgraded or purchased new. It took years! It's worth it, though.
f) That might be true initially, but in the long run, seeing something done with Photoshop's native tools which you recognize from plugin use is a beguiling way of becoming fascinated with the program. I speak from experience.
I like plugins! I own and use dozens of them and am always willing to try out new ones. To me they are toys. When I started using a computer my goal was to craft images. How I got there didn't matter to me at all. Before my understanding of PS was particularly sophisticated I could do 'amazing' stuff with plugins. The WOW factor kept my interest keen and in time led me to seriously study the application. I'm still doing it daily. (Yes, I've read two editions of Photoshop Artistry, one in it's entirety but the second skipping repeats, in addition to a score or more other PS texts.
In my case, plugins were a fun and important aspect of my learning. I think they can be valuable for many of the people who have some interest in Photoshop but never intend, whether interest or time constraints are at issue, to strive for expertise. If people are happy with their own creations that's good enough for me!
Finally, I rather agree with your assessment of the Power Retouche filters. I've been looking at them more closely. I do want the anti-alias one, though. My next plugin purchase will be the Optipix set of filters.
Cheers!
PS. Good grief, before I even get a chance to finish a response to your first missive you've already tried out the plug and written another tome. Sheesh, I can't keep up.
I will say that I already own FocusMagic and think it is quite good. By the way. I'm not a photographer at all. I create images and don't care if there is any photographic data in the image at all. I'll use whatever it takes to get an evocative image.
While technical virtuosity is a drive of some and I applaud it, I don't exactly share that drive but am appreciative that the work of those folks as they stimulate progress toward technical excellence.
Enough already! \:]
