Photoshop is an image editing program, currently developed by Adobe Systems, which has become extremely popular not only among professionals in the field, but also by amateurs and even those who do not work with photography or graphic design.

The popularity of the software was due to its ease of editing images at a time when this type of work was very complex and costly.

But what exactly was Photoshop designed like? What was the impact of your creation on the market, the arts, and society?

In this article, we tell you a bit about the history of Photoshop and what influences it had on various sectors of society.

The origin of Photoshop

Although Photoshop is currently under the umbrella of Adobe Systems, this was not always the case.

The origin of the software was not exactly thought out and calculated. It was the result of an observation and Identifying an opportunity.

Thomas Knoll was working on his doctoral thesis in the late 80s. Thomas was a student at the University of Michigan and was studying image editing programs and developed a code, called Display, who could see the gray tones of the images on his Mac with a monochrome bitmap monitor.

However, Thomas's code was not directly linked to his doctoral thesis and was thus set aside by its creator.

It was his brother, John Knoll, who supervised visual effects at the time, who saw the potential of the code written by Thomas.

John insisted that the two brothers work together and to develop a program for editing images based on that first code created by Thomas.

Based on this joint work, the Display, in 1988, became ImagePro and was then renamed to Photoshop.

That same year, John took the show to Silicon Valley and presented it to, among others, Russel Brown, the art director of Adobe.

Photoshop was so impressive that in September 1988, Adobe acquired the rights to distribute the software and continued its development.

In 1995, Adobe effectively purchased Photoshop from the Knoll brothers for about U$34.5 million.

From that moment on, the image editing software, which began as a doctoral thesis study, began its journey to be one of the most memorable programs in history.

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A Killer App

When Adobe bought the distribution rights in 1988, Photoshop was expected to sell only a few hundred copies. The software, in addition to being expensive, required a Most advanced configuration of the computers of the time.

However, what happened was a positive surprise.

Photoshop was so successful that it even encouraged the sale of more powerful computers that could run the program.

This feat made Photoshop one of the first Killer App existing.

Killer App is a term used for software that becomes so Essentials for people who justify the purchase of a computer or device solely for their use.

The evolution of the versions

At over 30 years of age, it's natural for Photoshop to accumulate several versions and improvements in its history.

The software is currently in its 23rd version (2022), among its new features we can list:

• support for WebP formats;
• support for new cameras and lenses;
• improvement of filters;
• easier for sharing.

Until reaching that level, Photoshop underwent several changes, accompanied by other technological innovations such as digital cameras, smartphones, and cloud storage.

In addition, of course, to increasingly improving the image editing process, adding features that facilitate the work of photography, design, marketing and several others.

As a curiosity, we leave here the names of the versions and the main features of each of them:

Beta Project (1990): many of the original tools still remain in the software, but have been improved.

Fast Eddy (1991): first version compatible with Windows and inclusion of features such as pen, masks, and CMYK support.

Tiger Mountain (1994): emergence of layers and palette guides.

Big Electric Cat (1996): creation of support for macros and the possibility of adjusting the layers.

Strange Cargo (1998/99): it became possible to undo actions, export to the web, and the magnetic loop, color management, and text editing were created.

Venus in Furs (2000): introduction of the Liquify tool.

Liquid Sky (2002): launch of the Camera Raw plug-in and the Healing Brush tool.

Dark Matter (2003): Photoshop Creative Suit (CS) creation, shadows, highlights, layer grouping and filters.

Space Monkey (2005): introduction of the HDR image, simultaneous adjustments to the layers, and tools such as red-eye-tool, vanishing point and smart sharpen.

Red Pill (2007): emergence of the console for black and white adjustment, improvement in several tools.

Stonehenge (2008): 3D image editing, screen rotation, and Dodge and Burn adjustments.

White Rabbit (2010): intelligent selection, warp tool, and desktop management created.

Superstition (2012): the emergence of face detection, more advanced color palettes, and support for videos.

Creative Cloud (2014-): Adobe launched Creative Cloud in 2014 and all its software received a CC version thereafter. Photoshop is constantly being updated and its editing tools are improving more and more.

The first photo edited in Photoshop

In the late 80s and early 90s, it wasn't so easy to have a digital photo in your hands. Nowadays, with smartphones, we can take photos of any object at any time.

In that sense, how could the Knoll brothers demonstrate the features of their newly created Photoshop without the ease of digital photos?

Luckily, John Knoll had a Private photo when they had access to a desktop scanner to be able to scan an image and demonstrate their software.

The image was of his girlfriend - now wife - on a beach in Bora Bora.

By coincidence and necessity, this became the first photo edited in Photoshop and one of the most viewed in the world at the time.

In this video, John Knoll demonstrates what resources he demonstrated in the presentations, using the photo above:

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The impact on the market

As we mentioned at the beginning of this text, Photoshop became the The world's most popular image editing program everything, practically.

Even those who are not in the area, have an idea of the purpose of the software and what it aims to do.

Because of this, knowledge in Photoshop has become a prerequisite for certain professions, such as Graphic Designer, for example.

Companies already expect professionals to know the minimum knowledge of working with the software to be able to edit, manipulate, and create illustrations, photos, posters, advertising campaigns, etc.

Photography and advertising professionals are also welcomed if they know how to use Photoshop.

The demand for this Hard Skill led to the creation of several free Photoshop courses. It's not hard to find this type of specialization, with certification, on the internet.

In addition, the creation of Photoshop had an effect of encouraging the development of other cheaper and simpler editing programs. Today, there are several image editing software, both for desktop and mobile, for both professional and amateur use.

However, Photoshop's sovereignty remains intact. Since its creation, the software has consolidated its space and strengthened as an essential tool in the market

Photoshop and the arts

It's undeniable that Photoshop had a great impact on the artistic field. The ease of editing and manipulating images creates the opportunity to create conceptual arts for games and movies, for example.

In addition, the software is widely used in cinema, in animations and of course, in photography.

The greatness of Photoshop is such that people can often fall into the mistake of thinking that the program replaces the artist, or even that “real artists” do not use this type of technological resource.

But in truth, Photoshop should be viewed as a tool that supports creativity of people, removing obstacles so that work flows better.

At no time does this software replace artists' vision and creative ability. Perhaps that's why its impact was so great, and still is, on the artistic environment.

Impacts on society

If, on the one hand, Photoshop had positive impacts in relation to creation and art, on the other, it provided ethical debates deep, especially in the fashion and beauty market.

With Photoshop features it's very easy Manipulate body parts, stretch legs, narrow waists, enlarge the eyes and narrow the nose.

These devices had a great impact on the concept of beauty and on people's search for the perfect body, which triggered several cases of depression and other types of illness such as anorexia and bulimia.

The video below demonstrates the ease of manipulating beauty:

Indiscriminate and unethical use is still the subject of groups that pressure companies and the market to stop this type of manipulation. Many companies have already adhered to more ethical practices, but there is still something to worry about when it comes to images and manipulation.

Fake News

Another point of concern regarding image manipulation is the ease of creating Fake News.

With Photoshop resources, it is also possible to edit images of politicians, celebrities, and other famous people to create photos of situations that are intended Manipulate the population.

As an example, we can cite the case of Italian Prime Minister Sílvio Berlusconi. At the time, they used the manipulation of images to “increase the audience” that watched the politician. The purpose was to make people think that Sílvio had more support than he actually had at the time of the photo.

Therefore, the more advanced the features of Photoshop when it comes to image manipulation, it is also necessary create ways to identify and stop the creation of false images, both to exalt an impossible standard of beauty and to manipulate public opinion.

Perhaps, today, Photoshop's great challenge is no longer the editing of the images themselves, but how people use its resources. Whether for better or for worse.

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