The history of Photoshop (commonly also known as PS) started just over three decades ago. It was developed by the Knoll brothers back in 1987, who were then working on a program for displaying grayscale images on a monochrome monitor.
Thomas and John Knoll decided to stop their project at that time and try their luck at developing a photo editing tool. That is how Display, the predecessor of PS, was born. The brothers sold Display to Adobe Systems Incorporated in 1988. The program was then given its now well-known name and became part of the Adobe Illustrator software package.
The editing program became a success. It went from Photoshop 1.0 in 1990, to Photoshop 24.1.1 now in 2023, and presented dozens of versions along the way. Each release introduced new possibilities, which is what made it a crucial tool for anyone working with images.
Nowadays, the overwhelming majority (90%) of professionals in the creative field use Adobe Photoshop. It allows them to reach spectacular results with their visuals, whether it’s photography or illustration they’re working with.
The nearly endless possibilities for photo editing come in handy not only on the professional level. Photoshop allows its users to take birthday cards to a completely new level and helps amateur-level pictures reach new heights after just a quick brush-up. PS provides numerous ways for people to unleash their creativity.
As with any skill, mastering Photoshop might take a bit of time. And lots of patience. Even though it is fairly beginner-friendly, there are plenty of features to get acquainted with before you start editing. PS boasts around 70 different tools, and once you get the hang of at least the main ones, there’s no way but up from there.
Developing the skills might be quite a fun journey. By trying out different features, you get to create your first “masterpieces”, some of which might not represent the exact image you had in your head. For instance, trying to open one’s eyes in a picture might end up with an additional pair of eyeballs on the forehead. But that’s just a point in the learning curve. It will only improve with time and these funny attempts will become excellent proof of that.
When it comes to mastering Photoshop, the aspect that should be put on the pedestal is attention to detail. The ability to use the tool might not help you if you don’t see what to use it on. For example, a wedding photographer that didn’t notice the tree growing from the groom’s head while taking the picture must spot it when editing the photos later on.
In the same way, it is important to look over the finished edit for any mistakes that might have slipped through. There are many examples of bent door frames following the enhanced shape of the person next to it for people to learn from.
