I use PSPI to get access to .8bf plug-ins.
As everybody knows, PSPI does not support all .8bf plug-ins, and I read that currently, if somebody likes to have access to almost all .8bf plug-ins, it's better to link those under Irfanview (for instance) then use the shellout capability of Gimp.
I wonder whether somebody could be interested in writing a new PSPI to get access directly from Gimp.
I wrote to the author (Tor) to know whether he was planning to enhance PSPI, but I got this answer:
"Sorry but I have practically zero interest in PSPI any longer... The
source code is available for anybody to "adopt" it. (But successfully
"adopting" it requires having an old Photoshop 6 SDK, which I guess
few people have these days...) (And no, its license does not allow me
to redistribute it.)

--tml"
Anybody interested?

nope, that is wasting of time
there are hundreds native GIMP-Plugins out there and for the one superdoopereveryonecouldntlivewithout PS-Plugin try shellout, it's even better than PSPI

there are different opinions, even among many gimp-chatters.
About shellout, I mentioned it in my post, other packages like Irfanview or Xnview are more "tolerant" towards .8bf plug-ins, I guess because PSPI is old, while their interfaces are kept up-to-date.

That and the fact that Exporting to Xnview would allow you to use many more available Adobe filters.
However PSPI can handle newer plugins. For instance i have both AV Brothers "Page Curl" and "Puzzle Maker" and both work flawlessly in GIMP. So does Engraver 2 Pro and Redfields plugins. Growsoft (newer GML Matting).
I like to use Xnview for some and GIMP for others. Just depends.

For 64 bit systems the best option is Irfanview. In XnView all filters PSI does not work. Can it be that I do not have installed the dll libraries used with PSPI.
MSVCRT.DLL, MSVCRT10.DLL and PLUGIN.DLL (look for them here)

By contrast, in Linux Mint 15 32-bit, I have installed PSPI with the libraries required in system32 folder windows in wine and PS filters folder in Gimp plugins folder. Works.

Furthermore, Irfanview accurates the mfc42.dll windows library that we must install in the system 32 folder.

At this point in the development of Gimp and plugins that have been created, many of the PS filters would be unnecessary. Everything depends on what we want to create. I need because of PS tutorials undrestanble, I installed a portable CS5. Sometimes I like to open it with ShellOut, so why would I need PSPI or Irfanview or XnView?.

As for the other "challenge" I posted concerning Fake-HDR under G'MIC, my hope is always to have -whenever possible- the "functions" available directly under Gimp, without "entering" another software package...

As I recall the story, PSPI used all non-Adobe techniques to interpret 8bf plugins and for a reason (to get around licensing issues). As for GIMP 64-bit (via Shellout) and XNView, XNView works quite well Jama. Not sure what issue your having since I don't have any other then some EyeCandy plugins when using transparent embeded targets.

#lylejk:

I don't know how Xn works in Windows when it is invokated.
In all my Linux the problem is the same.
If I open Xn alone, filters work properly, while Xn is invokated from Gimp some of them don't work.

top left: original pic
top right: accented edges filter in Xn invokated
bottom left: infanview invokated, accented edges filter
bottom right: accented edges, Xnview running alone.

This happens in different OS.
I don't understand this problem with XnView.

I've not updated XNView is a little while; don't see the accented edges preset. Other XNView presets work fine for me though.

Accented edges belongs to this filter group.
I linked the site in my first reply in this thread.

OK; turns out I did have those plugins (under the Brushstrokes folder in XNView PS filters). I also know exactly what your problem is. As I sort of mentioned before, a lot of plugins do not like layers with embedded alpha channel in them. You need to send XNView a flattened layer (no alpha channel) and your problem will be resolved. Some filters work fine with alpha channels but way to many do not. This plugin does not unfortunately (got the same result like you when I sent it a layer with an alpha channel). Eye Candy (as mentioned earlier) also don't play right with alpha channels at least in GIMP and XNView (want to say in PS, it works fine, but won't open PS to verify this; lol). Before running XNView via Shellout, right-click on your layer and remove the alpha channel and you will be happy.

Perhaps Rob could update the Shellout export functions and allow for flatten image as an option?

That would be a good addition to Shellout, but again make it an option since more then sometimes you want the alpha-channel like when sending results to Inkscape for instance.

GIMP: 2.8.10
OS: Windows XP
I installed Shellout.py in the folder plug-ins but it doesn't appear at the menu. What can I do?

Carlos, are you running windows or Linux. It has to be given permissions in Linux. right click on the plug-in and click preferences, then click permissions and allow. You will find it at the bottom of the filters tab in gimp if you have it.

Make sure it is Shellout.py and NOT Shellout.py.txt
In Windows XP it will be found under the Filters menu also.

Molly and Rod. I'm running Windows XP. My problem is: after installing shellout.py (not shellout.py.txt) and starting GIMP I can't see shellout under the filter menu.

Strange, it shows in the help , plugin browser under filters at very bottom

I'm probably asking a really stupid question here but do you have python installed on your computer?

I remember that Gimp, lately, staying the adds in a hidden folder, as windows7 does. The path would be c:> users> your_user> .gimp-2.8.

It could be also a problem with the python libraries, but gimp 2.8 includes its own python files, if there was a previous installation python to work with gimp 2.6 could be possible any conflict. I'm not sure about this last I say.

lylejk:
You are right about XnView problems to work with alpha channel. Thanks!