Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium ErmineDesign

Sketch became famous not only due to its outstanding features and usability, but also thanks to the tons of interesting plugins we love to use too. They can be extremely of use in some special situations. However, it’s not always easy to get to know about a particular extension, which matches your needs right now at best. So, here we are with top 10 best Sketch plugins ever, for you not to waste your time searching the Internet.

Craft

Craft is incredibly functional, taking into account it is actually a suite of plugins rather than a standalone extension. The suit contains such an extensions as Duplicate, Data, Sync, Library, and Freehand. Craft can synchronize with Invision, insert real data from a specific web page, folder or JSON file (its Sync plugin allows quick load of layouts with an ability to view CSS code in Inspect Mode), and duplicate data with the load from the source of the first block. The Data plugin easily inserts ready-made random names, dates, addresses, countries, cities, emails, photos, headlines and articles on the selected topic, and thus saves your time. Freehand, in turn, makes it possible to receive quick feedback in the product development process. Also, it contains the library of its own elements, so there are many things to be of a great use for a savvy designer.

Distributor

One of the most powerful features Distributor has is that the plugin allows you to select a group of layers and set a certain distance in pixels between them. In addition to the automatic alignment settings built into Sketch, it also gives an ability to automatically allocate the intervals between layers. Sometimes you prefer to set a certain distance between layers, and Sketch simply averages the existing space.

Magic Mirror

Magic Mirror is a Sketch plugin, which can transform the proportions of the image from the artboard to the appropriate size of the device screens. In a way, it resembles a simplified version of Embedded Smart Objects from Photoshop, but this time for Sketch app. So, if you switched to Sketch from Photoshop, this extension will help to enjoy free transformation again.

Runner

Runner is something like Spotlight for Sketch. Runner enables quick search of artboards, objects and program commands by name. Thus, it can launch plugins, create files and apply styles easily and quickly. Press the key combination and the search field pops up, which allows you to manage the document of whatever size rapidly.

Spell Check

Spell Check is nothing more than the simplest spell checker, but it is able to check all the layers on the page in Sketch, which make it extremely useful extension. To make use of it, run the check using the Spell Check plugin on the entire page. You will see a list of text parts that contain spelling errors or an incorrect word. The plugin uses the capabilities of the dictionary built into OSX.

Pixel Perfector

Ever wanted your pictures to be pixel-perfect? Well, we also did, and there is a great tool for that: Pixel Perfector. It is a very simple Sketch plugin that helps you find layers with floating values (semi-pixels) X, Y, width, or height. This will help you keep your documents cleaner and rigidly adhere to the design requirements, which will be appreciated by the customers for sure.

Map Generator

With Map Generator plugin, you can quickly create a map view for a mobile application or website without making screenshots of Google Maps or similar resources. All you need is to write a location, and the rest will be made automatically by the plugin. Map Generator will capture the address and scale, and then automatically fill the selected shape with the image of your Google map. Really, there is much less work with this plugin, indeed.

Confetti

Create gorgeous confetti patterns in just one click. Confetti plugin automatically takes a group of layers or characters and blasts them randomly to create a confetti effect. Of course, you can copy and paste a bunch of small tiny layers manually, but it is not so funny, isn’t it?

Appalette

Appalette is one of the rare plugins, so there are few places where you can get to know about it. It is a Sketch extension, which allows you to find the color palette of almost any popular mobile application (Airbnb, Ebay, Facebook, Evernote, and so on). Call the window of the Appalette plugin or from the plugin menu, or via a shortcut. When it opens, simply select the application you need and click the rock it button. The plugin will create a group with the appropriate palette.

Palette Stripes

Palette Stripes generates random strips of different number and widths from pre-selected shapes of the desired color. To use it, create an artboard, then add at least 2 shapes and fill them with colors that you want to see in colored strips. After that, select the shape and click on ‘Plugin> Palette Stripes’ to run the extension.

More Must-Have Sketch Extensions For You

It should be noted that everyone who also works with various programs such as, for instance, Flinto and Zeplin, needs plugins for export and import of images. Usually, they take a file with a design and then generate a style guide, source code, and specifications that developers need. Thanks to such plugins, you do not need to prepare the source code manually, and you don’t even need to think about the specific sizes you need to export or import. Such programs help interface designers and front-end developers to work effectively in a team saving their time, as they can get access to all the necessary sources online in just one click.

And now, another tip for those who are reading so far. Most of the plugins described here can be found directly in the Sketch Toolbox application. Therefore, if you use Sketch and chose the plugin to your liking from our top, download this application and enjoy the most powerful features of the Sketch software. Sincerely hope this article was useful to you.

Top 10 Awesome Sketch Plugins was originally published in prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Top 10 Awesome Sketch Plugins

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