PhotoTools is probably for only the more avid Photoshop user. It is also a great tool for professional designers, as it has many effects that may take a while to create in Photoshop. To begin, lets start with a rundown of the features.
1)Textures
A great subcomponent of this set is the texturizing tool. This tool can help you create lively text effects by adding a seamless pattern to them. For all web designers who are looking for an easy way to have seamless capability this is a must!! It comes with many pre-defined styles, but it is easily customizable via the selection interface.
2)PhotoAnimator
I don't know about you, but this tool seems totally pointless to me. I don't do enough animation in Photoshop to truly take advantage of it, so I have nothing to say about it. All that I know is that it is supposed to simplify the animation process within photoshop, but, to the best of my knowledge, it is already possible in Imageready.
3)PhotoGroove
PhotoGroove is basically a stronger/better designed plugin. Photoshop comes with the default contour and texture plugins which are a pain to use, so PhotoGroove simplifies it. It is a good plugin if you are making buttons. Which leads us to the next feature.
4)PhotoButton
PhotoButton is a a nice tool that creates (unfortunately) very simple buttons. It is possible to create some nice looking ones, but for the most part, they suck. Still, they are a time saver, and after you pull and stretch them a little, they come out pretty cool looking!!
5)PhotoEmboss and PhotoGlow
These are two simple tools. The emboss embosses things (i think it looks nicer that the one that comes with photoshop, nicer touches) and the glow tool adds a VERY nice glow. The default glow effect in Photoshop cannot compare.
Overall
Overall, this is a great tool, but at the price of $150, it comes pretty steep to newcomers!

Recommended: Yes