Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop

By David Peters

Today is an exciting time for photography. The advances in digital technology have made it easy and accessible for anyone wanting to achieve professional photography editing effects to do so from the comfort of their own home. The internet has provided us with an infinite amount of programs to improve the images we capture, but none can aspire to the status of Adobe Photoshop. The program is so recognised as the editing program of choice for the professional and amateur alike that the phrase 'to Photoshop' is in common use meaning to alter images.

It is possible to 'Photoshop' images to give fantasy the illusion of reality. You can alter images so that figures and objects appear in the image that could never be seen together. Whether it's a party with past presidents, Frankenstein and the Easter Bunny, or a picture of you and a celebrity you've never met, you can make anything appear completely realistic.

Photoshop is also useful and perhaps more infamous for removing aspects of the image you don't want. Physical imperfections can be removed from images of people, as is often done in the advertising industry to sell products. Objects that distract from the main focus of the image can be removed just as easily, and the software is so advanced that you can't tell that the image has been altered.

Photoshop is the software of choice for anyone serious about editing photography. It is popular for a reason, and due to its reputation you may feel like you should familiarise yourself with it. There are many resources to help you learn how to use Photoshop, and if you still feel lost, you can always ask a college or high school student to help you out. Learning Photoshop is useful for so many different applications that it makes sense to invest your time in learning about it.

The birth of Photoshop was in 1989 by the Knoll brothers. The software was being developed for their own use at the time, but the sophistication of the software made it clear that there was a market for Photoshop. They soon founded Adobe and began selling the program in 1990.

The success of Adobe is an outstanding example of the power of the internet. Software designed by Adobe is on nearly every computer in the world, as its free PDF reader has had such widespread popularity. The Adobe Reader is the standard PDF reader, just as Adobe Photoshop is the standard photo editor and is proof of Adobe's unique dominance of media-related software.

To gain experience with Photoshop you should find a copy you can experiment with. Perhaps a friend or relative has one. Go over and explore the program, browsing all the features and adding effects to images. Once you get a feel for how the software operates, ask your friend to show you the more advanced features. Then you'll see why Photoshop has its first-rate reputation. Within no time, you will be addicted to Photoshop.

Downloading a copy for your own use will make it easier to practise using Photoshop. You can get a free trial version, but it will have limited features. The best thing to do is to buy a full version from Adobe as then you don't have to worry anymore and can concentrate on learning how to use the product. Photoshop is used so much, that it makes sense buying a copy. Once you own a copy, you may find that you spend hours experimenting and exploring the features. While this is a great way to get used to the features, specific learning in a Photoshop class can improve your learning curve and make you understand Photoshop faster.

When the time comes that you have mastered Photoshop, the only thing limiting what you can do will be your own creativity. You will have a powerful tool at your hands that can create any image you want, so now you can apply this to personal or business projects and be confident that you can pull anything off.

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