Adobe Photoshop Turns 20!
One of the Revolutionary Software Programs from Digital Enthusiast and Professionals

(Wednesday February 17th) On Friday, Adobe Photoshop hits the 20 year mark which leaves us at TechtalkRadio to ponder on the leaps and bounds this software program has made for capturing, preserving and creating digital images.

Photoshop has found itself in just about every type of business from the Professional Photographer, to the Graphic Designer, Web Developer, Advertising, Education, Broadcast as well as community organizations to government. Not only has the program become rather easy to use but the features have grown incredibly. The latest Adobe Photoshop CS4 had so many new and intuitive features it literally made our heads spin (although that is something we might create with Adobe After Effects!)

The Community of users is strong as well with many Photoshop clubs and organizations around the globe sharing ideas, designs and tools to use with the powerful program. We've attended many of the Photoshop Conferences from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals along with the twice annual Photoshop World Conference. The "NAPP" will also be celebrating in style with some familiar faces to the TechtalkRadio family, John Loiacono - Adobe's Senior vice president of Creative Solutions, Kevin Connor - Vice President of Photoshop Product Management, Photoshop, Thomas Knoll - Co Creator of Photoshop and Russell Brown - Adobe creative director and Photoshop Evangelist. They will all gather at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco with what is estimated to be over a thousand attending to be a part of the celebration. A Live Web cast can be viewed at www.photoshopuser.com/photoshop20th.

For those feeling ultra nostalgic, and photoshop has some great filters for that, the original "team" will be seen in a special presentation on Adobe TV reuniting for the first time in 18 years and demonstrating Photoshop 1.0 on a rebuilt Macintosh. Adobe was gracious enough to send us over a history of the Photoshop Program. We at TechtalkRadio wish Photoshop a very happy "birthday" and look forward to continued innovation and features for the home and professional user.

THE HISTORY
Courtesy of Adobe Systems

How It All Began

In 1987, Thomas Knoll developed a pixel imaging program called Display. It was a simple program to showcase grayscale images on a black-and-white monitor. However, after collaborating with his brother John Knoll, the two began adding features that made it possible to process digital image files. The program eventually caught the attention of industry influencers, and in 1988, Adobe made the decision to license the software, naming it Photoshop, and shipping the first version in 1990.

"Twenty years ago, Adobe predicted that it would sell 500 copies of Photoshop per month," said Thomas Knoll, co-creator of Photoshop at Adobe. "I guess you could say, we beat those projections! It's amazing to think that millions of people use this software today. We knew we had a groundbreaking technology on our hands, but we never anticipated how much it would impact the images we see all around us. The ability to seamlessly place someone within an image was just the beginning of Photoshop's magic."

Over its 20-year history, Photoshop has evolved significantly from a simple original display program to a wildly popular application that has over 10 million users worldwide. With each release, Adobe has introduced technological innovations that defy the impossible. Layers, introduced in Photoshop 3.0, gave designers the ability to create complex compositions easier than ever before. The Healing Brush, another groundbreaking feature introduced in Photoshop 7.0, allowed users to magically retouch images by seamlessly removing blemishes and wrinkles, while preserving lighting and texture. Photoshop tools like crop, eraser, blur and dodge and burn have become part of the creative vernacular worldwide.

Helpful Links

Photoshop Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Photoshop
Photoshop Twitter: http://twitter.com/photoshop        
Photoshop Family Page: www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family