Photoshop Turns 25: A Brief Look At The History Of Our Favorite Picture Editing Software

Before Adobe's ubiquitous Photoshop program existed, people had no recourse but to look ugly, and “shopping” meant buying stuff. When it launched 25 years ago, it revolutionized the way we work with images. The internet would be almost unrecognizable without this piece of software: from prettying up models to doctoring images to actually producing art, its impact is unmistakable.

“Jennifer in Paradise.tif” is the picture that started it all. It was taken by John Knoll, one of the creators behind Photoshop, when he was visiting Tahiti with his then-girlfriend Jennifer (legend says he proposed to her that very day). Inspired by what he had seen during his work in Industrial Light and Magic, he started pestering his brother, Thomas Knoll, to make easier, more accessible image editing software.

“Jennifer in Paradise.tif” was the picture he scanned to have material for his presentations - he even bundled it with the software. And now you know the history of the first official ‘shopped’ image!

Today, Photoshop is still going strong, so, like they say, “…and many more!”

More info: adobe.com | theguardian.com (h/t: petapixel)

This is the first image to be photoshopped, titled "Jennifer in Paradise.tif"

John Knoll, co-creator of Photoshop, made and used this picture for demonstrations. This is his then girlfriend Jennifer in Tahiti - John supposedly proposed to her on the same day the picture was taken.

Adobe celebrates 25 years of Photoshop

A collection showing how Photoshop desktop icon changed over the years

Here's how Photoshop Toolbar changed over the 25 years

Photoshop splash screen greets users when they turn on the program, here's how it changed

John Knoll recreating the first Photoshop demo