UXP sounds like a Star Wars droid class, but it’s not. It’s Adobe’s new method of creating plugins for
Photoshop and other Creative Cloud apps. UXP stands for Unified eXtensibility Platform. It sounds com-
plex, but really it’s just a mix of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: the very bones of the web as we know it.
You may have noticed a new top-level menu item in Photoshop called “Plugins.” That’s right, Adobe
thought this important enough to give it a prime position in the program.PHOTOSHOP 2021 PLUGINS: A NEW WAY
SEAN MCCORMACK
MAXIMUM WORKFLOW
As part of Adobe MAX last October, we saw the launch
of Photoshop 2021. At the same time, the UXP informa-
tion was presented. And boy, is there a lot of it! For the
average user with zero interest in developer tools, it’s
great knowing that Adobe is invested in third-party tools
that bring added value and, hopefully, faster workflows.
Why should you care? Well...UXP PLUGIN ADVANTAGES- Simpler installation process: With the new menu,
it’s easy to find, install, and manage your plugins. - Native process: Older plugins run on a separate
thread to Photoshop, whereas new UXP ones
run in the main thread, giving the potential for
faster speeds.- Updated JavaScript: With a newer underlying
system you can have cross-platform plugins.
This is useful if you depend on a plugin and want
to change systems, or you have to work across
a range of computers. - Modern interfaces: Easier to have clean-looking,
up-to-date plugins.
The most convenient part of the new UXP plugin
architecture is probably the new Plugins menu, so let’s
take a look at that first.