Okay, so I had gimp 2.6.11 for windows and I tryed to get the pspi...the download was successfull but when I went to install the topaz filters I got an error message so I uninstalled it and re-installed it still had trouble...any tips on what to do?

make sure you open Gimp and go to Filters/Photoshop plugin settings.
click that and a dialog will open for you to set a path (similar to folders with gimp).
create the path to where the 8bfs reside.The 8bfs must be showing in the folder list.
now click ok and restart Gimp.The filters should be there.

I have used Topaz in Gimp before but not 2.6.11
2.6.11 is kind of buggy with 8bf's (just a few).

Also make sure the plugins.dll file is in the gimp plugins folder (the plugins.dll in ps)
OR - you can dl the portable version of PS CS3 free
OR - you can dl the program DeepPaint (also free)
both work with 8bf files.

I believe also xnview can use 8bf's.

Good luck with it.

Thankyou so much...but I think I already screwed it up because I made the path in the PS settings: to just my program files and one other place I cant remember and now everytime I try to open gimp it gives me an error message unless I delete the pspi files and download....I tryed restoring my computer but that did not work either soo...I guess Im screwed ......

Just wait to gimp to open and delete the paths

and yes xnview (or irfanview but xnview keep them more organized) support very well PS filter usually better then gimp (gimp may cripple the preview )

BUT no much hope for Topaz i believe was created no as generic PS filter but specifically for Photoshop CS and in that cases there is nothing to do

PS
May i suggest you to never use posting in help forums such titles as "help" or "please help" ?
Folks here are very kind but in many other forum messages with a similar titles are ignored or just get as reply sarcastic remarks

All new messages in help forum are help request, title must clear for WHAT PROBLEM the help is needed, so other with the similar problem may use Forum search to solve, without asking again and again the same thing

I fixed the title for you. Yes you will get a much quicker response with a brief explanation in the topic. =)

Thanks

OK thanks you I will try again....(so just ignore the error message?) and thank you for changing the title for me Im new here didnt really learn the ropes yet...

I know the answer and you won't like it. When they released 2.6.11, it suddenly hated PS filters (at least the ones created by FilterMeister which is around 80% of them). Some still work like the ones created by the team at Flaming Pear. The only solution was to uninstall 2.6.11 and install 2.6.10 back. Very unfortunate and angry I am, but doubt I will get any sympathy from the developers to fix this one (time will tell). More details concerning this can be found at the link below.

http://registry.gimp.org/node/24819 and scroll to the discussion concerning 2.6.11.

I really found much more convenient use Xnview (even in linux with Wine) than Gimp to run PS filter

Also because Windows as out of the box really miss a decent image viewer and converter and xnview much more than decent is excellent and works in perfect synergy with Gimp:
i would not like have to use gimp to browse,organize, convert,resize, or do all the trivial edit that xnview may do on the fly and even in batch mode (while batch in gimp require be scripted, 1 different script for each type of batch )

I might sound a little illiterate asking this question lol but.....what is Xnview used for? can it be used as like the pspi in gimp or is it another manip. program? sorry Im alittle new at this

XNView will open GIMP files and you can copy/paste between applications, but the problem is when you copy/paste, you loose alpha channel information, so, if you want to use a PS filter with embeded alpha channel, you need to save the file and re-open it in XNView and then do the converse. A pain for sure. Most of the time, you don't need to worry about alpha channel though. I actually use Irfanview to run some of the PS filters that don't work in GIMP. To eaches own.

is a program to view, organize, and convert between any possible graphic format images
It can create slideshow on the fly, open graphic files that almost no any other program may open (as example for mistyped estensions as a image saved as"image. pong" instead than image.png

and resize, rename and do on the fly when browsing all the trivial edits (automatic contrast, correction of luminosity,hue ,saturation, gamma, level , convertion to greyscale and so on ) that don't require a complex graphic editor as gimp or photoshop

for more info www.xnview.com

@ lylejk
i reported again that alpha issues, they know well and are still looking for a fix
I know is relevant for you (and me ) but i believe most of users will never notice

At least XNView supports transparancies better then Irfanview. Also cool that it opens XCF files (not sure how it handles layers if at all though; really haven't played too much with it since I installed it).

Here is a link to free XnView.... http://filepig.org/download/xnview/

to browse with ease xcf files you should put on top a "new layer from visible"
It doesn't handle layers at all even if somehow respect them (= if you use to rescale all layers will be correctly rescaled)

I use Imagine to view my XCF's while Gimp is closed.
I use Deep Paint and Xnview for most of my Adobe plug-ins.
Just a few (about 9), ps filters run through my Gimp 2.6.11 software.

you mind listing some good PS plugin filters that I can use in gimp 2.6.11

Not sure how many, but the few I tested from Flaming Pear worked fine. Better solution is to either do copy/paste using a surrogate like PC does (and for some PS filter I do too), or uninstall 2.6.11 and install 2.6.10 and at least be able to run a bigger gamut of filters. Link to Flaming Pear's filters (many are free but not all) below.

http://www.flamingpear.com/

Direct link to the freebies:
http://www.flamingpear.com/dl/freebies.zip

Thank you!...I got the pspi to work now and I have the topaz filters in gimp 2.6.11 now I just was looking for more filters..thank you guys so much for the help

Good deal! =)
Just google free photo-shop filters, you'll get tons of hits.
Try this one for starters
http://mehdiplugins.com/

All work in my 2.6.11 version.

Medhi would get a crippled preview RendeerGraphic has some cool plugins that works well on Gimp

and one precious one is FilterUnlimeted that many sides offer for free (should be shareware but seems dicontinued from long Gimp has something similar (Filter Factory convertor ) but FilterUnlimeted has as extra some cool filters built in
(some of the glass frames are very cool )

and preview works well