Adobe Photoshop facts for kids
 |
|
|
|
| Original author(s) |
|
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Adobe |
| Initial release | February 19, 1990 |
| Stable release |
26.9
 / July 29, 2025 |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Windows 10 22H2 and later macOS 11.0 and later iPadOS 17.0 and later iOS 17 and later |
| Platform | x86-64, ARM64 |
| Available in | 26 languages |
|
List of languages
|
|
| Type | Raster graphics editor |
| License | Trialware, Proprietary, term |
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful computer program used for editing and creating images. It works with raster graphics, which are images made of tiny dots called pixels. Adobe Inc. develops and publishes Photoshop for computers running Windows and macOS.
Two brothers, Thomas and John Knoll, created Photoshop in 1987. It quickly became the most popular tool for professional digital art, especially for editing photos. People often use "Photoshop" as a verb, like "to photoshop an image," even though Adobe prefers it to be used as a proper name.
Photoshop lets you edit and combine images using many layers. It supports features like masks, which hide or show parts of an image, and different color models. Photoshop uses its own special file formats, PSD and PSB, to save all these features. Besides pixel-based images, Photoshop can also edit text, vector graphics (images made of lines and shapes), 3D graphics, and even video. You can add more features to Photoshop using special programs called plug-ins.
Over the years, Photoshop's name changed. It started with version numbers, then added "CS" (for Creative Suite) in 2002. Later, in 2013, it changed to "CC" (for Creative Cloud) and became a subscription service. Adobe also makes other related programs like Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Lightroom. In 2019, a full version of Photoshop was released for the iPad. All these programs together are known as "The Adobe Photoshop Family."
Contents
How Photoshop Started
Photoshop was created in 1987 by brothers Thomas and John Knoll. Thomas, a student, first wrote a program to show grayscale images on his computer. His brother John, who worked with special effects, saw its potential and suggested making it a full image-editing program.
Thomas took a break from his studies to work with John. He first called the program ImagePro, but that name was already taken. So, he renamed it Photoshop. They made a deal with a company called Barneyscan to give away about 200 copies of Photoshop with their scanners.
John showed the program to engineers at Apple Computer and to Adobe. Both companies were impressed. In September 1988, Adobe decided to buy the license to sell Photoshop. The first official version, Photoshop 1.0, came out on February 19, 1990, only for Macintosh computers. It quickly became the top program for editing digital colors. Back then, professional photo editing was very expensive, costing around $300 an hour. Photoshop 1.0 cost $895, making it much more affordable.
In 1993, Photoshop became available for Microsoft Windows computers. This helped it reach many more people as Windows became very popular. In 1995, Adobe bought all the rights to Photoshop from the Knoll brothers for $34.5 million.
Photoshop File Formats
| Filename extension |
.psd
|
|---|---|
| Internet media type |
image/vnd.adobe.photoshop
|
| Type code | 8BPS |
| Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) | com.adobe.photoshop-image |
| Developed by | Adobe Inc. |
| Initial release | February 19, 1990 |
| Open format? | no |
Photoshop files usually have the extension .PSD, which means "Photoshop Document." A PSD file saves an image with all of Photoshop's special features. This includes layers with masks, transparency, text, and special colors. Other common image formats like .JPG or .GIF don't save all these editable features.
A PSD file can be up to 30,000 pixels wide and tall, and up to two gigabytes in size. Photoshop can also save files in other formats like TIF, JPEG, and GIF. These files are smaller because they don't keep all the editable features of a PSD file.
For very large projects, Photoshop uses the .PSB extension, which stands for "Photoshop Big." PSB files can be much larger, up to 300,000 pixels wide and tall, and around 4 exabytes in size.
Because Photoshop is so popular, many other image editing programs, like GIMP and Affinity Photo, can open and use PSD files. You can also use PSD files with other Adobe programs like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Premiere Pro.
Photoshop Add-ons (Plugins)
Photoshop's abilities can be expanded with extra programs called Photoshop plugins. Adobe makes some of these, like Adobe Camera Raw, but many are created by other companies. Some plugins are free, while others you have to buy.
Most plugins work only with Photoshop or similar programs. However, a few can also run as separate applications. There are different kinds of plugins, such as those for filters, exporting, importing, and color correction. The most popular ones are filter plugins, which you can find under the Filter menu in Photoshop. These can change your image or create new content.
Some popular types of plugins include:
- Color correction plugins, which help you fix or improve colors in your photos.
- Special effects plugins, which add cool visual effects to your images.
- 3D effects plugins, which help you work with three-dimensional objects.
Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) is a special plugin that comes free with Photoshop. It's mainly used to open and process raw image files from cameras. This allows you to edit these high-quality images in Photoshop.
Photoshop's Impact on Culture
The words Photoshop and Photoshopped (or just Shopped) are often used as verbs. People use them to describe images that have been edited, whether they were edited with Photoshop or another program. For example, someone might say, "That picture looks Photoshopped!"
Adobe, the company that makes Photoshop, prefers that people use "Photoshop" only as a proper name, like "I used Adobe Photoshop." This helps protect their brand name.
Photoshop's History of Versions
Photoshop's versions were first named with numbers. For example, version 1.0 came out in February 1990. Adobe released many versions, up to 7.0.1, before changing the naming system.
In October 2003, version 8.0 was released and called Photoshop CS. "CS" stood for Creative Suite. This version made it easier to find and sort files and introduced the Histogram Palette, which shows changes in an image.
CS2 (Version 9)
Photoshop CS2 came out in May 2005. It added new tools like the Spot Healing Brush, which helps fix blemishes and red-eye. A big new feature was Smart Objects, which let users change the size of images without losing quality.
CS2 also introduced tools like Vanishing Point, which helps clone and paint objects while keeping perspective, and Image Warping, for digitally bending images. The File Browser was upgraded to Adobe Bridge, a central place to manage files across different Adobe programs.
CS3 (Version 10)
CS3 was released in April 2007. It had a simpler look, which made it faster and more efficient. It also improved how it handled Camera RAW files, allowing for quicker processing of high-quality images. New tools included Smart Filters, which let you apply effects without permanently changing the image.
CS3 Extended, a special version, added tools for 3D graphics, video editing, and image analysis.
CS4 (Version 11)
.png){kind=icon}
CS4 was released in October 2008. It made zooming and panning smoother, allowing for faster editing. The interface became even simpler with tabs to organize your work. CS4 also had a new 3D engine, letting users add depth to layers and text. A cool new feature was content-aware scaling, which intelligently resizes images without distorting important parts.
CS5 (Version 12)
Photoshop CS5 launched in April 2010. It introduced exciting new tools like Content-Aware Fill, which can magically remove unwanted objects from an image by filling the space with surrounding content. Other additions included the Mixer Brush and Puppet Warp, which lets you bend and distort parts of an image.
CS6 (Version 13)
Photoshop CS6 was released in May 2012. It brought new creative design tools and a refreshed look. The Content-Aware tool was improved with Content-Aware Patch and Content-Aware Move. CS6 also added video editing tools, allowing users to adjust colors and exposure in video clips. A "straighten" tool was added, making it easy to fix crooked photos.
CS6 was the last version sold with a one-time purchase license. After this, Adobe moved to a subscription model.
CC (Version 14 and beyond)
Photoshop CC (14.0) was released on June 18, 2013. "CC" stands for Creative Cloud, meaning you need a subscription to use it. Key features included Smart Sharpen for clearer images and Camera Shake Reduction to fix blurry photos.
Since then, Adobe has continued to release new versions of Photoshop CC regularly, adding many new features and improvements. Some notable additions include:
- CC 2014 (Version 15): Improved content-aware tools and new blur effects.
- CC 2015 (Versions 16 & 17): Introduced Adobe Stock for images and allowed multiple layer styles.
- CC 2017 (Version 18): New template selector and search function within Photoshop.
- CC 2018 (Version 19): Overhauled brush system, new Curvature Pen tool, and improved selection tools.
- CC 2019 (Version 20): Introduced the Frame Tool for image placeholders and multiple undo mode.
- 2020 (Version 21): New object selection tool, improved transform warp, and animated GIF support. This was also the first version released for the iPad.
- 2021 (Version 22): Continued improvements and native support for Apple silicon Macs.
- 2022 (Version 23): Introduced Content Credentials (Beta) to track editing information.
- 2023 (Version 24): Removed built-in support for Pantone colors, requiring a separate subscription.
- 2024 (Version 25): Added Generative Fill and Generative Expand, which use artificial intelligence to create or expand images.
The Adobe Photoshop Family
The Adobe Photoshop family is a collection of apps and services from Adobe that help with professional image editing. These tools let you manipulate pixels, organize images, and retouch photos.
Current Applications
- Bridge: An app for organizing images and other digital files. It helps you manage your photos but doesn't edit them itself.
- DNG Converter: A tool to change DNG (Digital Negative) files into other image formats.
- Elements Organizer: This app helps you organize photos and video projects for Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements.
- Fresco: A drawing and painting app for mobile devices like iOS and some Windows tablets.
- Photoshop Lightroom: Software for organizing and editing photos, part of the Creative Cloud subscription.
- Lightroom Classic: The desktop version of Lightroom that works offline.
- Photoshop Camera: An app that helps you capture and share photos easily with your phone camera.
- Photoshop Elements: A simpler version of Photoshop for photographers and hobbyists. It has many features of the professional version but is easier to use. It's available for Windows and macOS.
- Photoshop Express: A free mobile app for editing photos and making collages on phones and tablets.
- Photoshop Fix: A mobile app for retouching photos, which can then be sent to the desktop Photoshop for more work.
- Photoshop Mix: A mobile app for tablets and touchscreens, with features like layers and selection tools.
- Photoshop Sketch: A drawing and painting app for mobile devices, where you can create sketches and export them to Photoshop.
Discontinued Applications
- ActiveShare: A photo-sharing platform that was replaced by Photoshop Album.
- Fireworks: An image editor for web designers, used to create interactive web content.
- ImageReady: Another image editor for web designers, later replaced by Fireworks.
- Photoshop Album: An app for importing, organizing, and editing digital photos, replaced by Photoshop Elements.
- Photoshop Limited Edition (LE): A simpler graphics editor for beginners, replaced by Photoshop Elements.
- Preview CC: An app for previewing mobile designs.
See also
In Spanish: Adobe Photoshop para niños
- Comparison of raster graphics editors
- Image editing
