Adobe Photoshop: Happy 20th Birthday!

Twenty years on, so much has changed, but so much has remained the same. Adobe Photoshop (and its spin-offs Lightroom, and Elements) is still the leader in the field of digital image editing. Computer workstations have, for so many, replaced wet darkrooms as the primary locale for image adjustments, tweaks, and processing.  It's been a great first twenty years, and we can't wait to see what Photoshop and the digital photography landscape looks like in another twenty years!

Here's a quick look back at some cool history and other fun links about this amazing program for photographers:

• Our friends at NAPP have a Photoshop Quiz to see just how deep your knowledge  of the various versions goes. (I scored in the "You know your Photoshop, but not in a creepy way" band. I can't remember if it was v4 or v5.5 where this subcommand was added!) And of course you know, NAPP members get free shipping from Adorama!

• WebDesignerDepot has a nice piece showcasing the history of Adobe Photoshop including key updates, videos, and more.

• PhotoshopNews.com has a cool piece about various Splash Screens and prerelease code-name Splash Screens through the years. (Hold down Alt/Apple and click on the program's About menu to see the code name screens. At left are the code name titles for Adobe Photoshop CS4, Lightroom 2, and Lightroom 3 Beta.)

• Adobe's John Nack shares a link to a funny mocked-up magazine concept for brand new users.

• And our friend Aaron Johnson, cartoonist of What the Duck, shares the potential of this program pretty succintly with this T-Shirt design!    

  Congrats to our friends at Adobe on reaching this remarkable program milestone, and best of luck for continued success!

Shortly after celebrating its 20th Birthday, Adobe unveiled Photoshop CS5. Check out our Learning Center coverage of the newest version of this great program!