Last week, Adobe celebrated the 35th anniversary of Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately, due to a calendar conflict, I had to skip the event. But, I’ve been thinking about how Photoshop has affected me over the years.
I first used Photoshop back in 2004/2005, when I first got access to the internet. I had dial-up internet back then and switched to broadband in July 2005.
Photoshop instantly attracted me and I was in awe of how cool it was. I used to design WinAMP skins, posters for my college fest, websites etc. Back then, Photoshop was how one would design a website. It was pretty much THE way to design. I loved it. I got into design and followed hundreds of tutorials to get good at Photoshop. I even started a company and designed a nice logo and cover art for it. That’s a topic for another time.
I’ve been a user of Photoshop for around 21 years. 21 out of the 35 years of its existence. Sure, there have been a few years in between where I briefly switched to using other graphic editors, but I saw myself coming back to Photoshop.
I started using it when Adobe Creative Suite was announced. When I was at WKU, I worked part-time on-campus as a Web Developer for the WKU Office of Diversity Programs. It was quite the learning experience for me, in terms of both culture and tech. Some of my responsibilities included designing their brochures, posters, Annual Black Graduation booklets etc. That was the time I mastered Photoshop in terms of design. I used Adobe InDesign for the books, but the graphics were all done in Photoshop. Up until then, I was learning the techniques of creating various graphics in Photoshop from the scratch, but that was when I learned how to aesthetically create designs.
I followed hundreds of tutorials online. Lynda.com was my favorite source back then. I completed several courses in Design.
After so many years, we now have tools that help fix minor issues in photos with a tap of a finger. I don’t use Photoshop as much anymore, mainly because I don’t take as many photos as I used to or edit any graphics anymore.
I don’t use Photoshop much anymore. I’d say maybe once every 4-6 months. However, it’s always nice to reminisce about its power and beauty.