Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop - Adobe Style

In the history of photography, there has never been a time that we can achieve such phenomenal results, as has happened in the digital age. While there are a myriad of tools that the computer and internet have made available, that enhance and change the images that come from a photo shoot, none can top the popularity and power of Adobe Photoshop. The program has become so synonymous with editing and creating effects that the term, "to Photoshop" has become a verb that means to enhance or alter an image.

We can "Photoshop in" new outfits, accessories or even people into a picture where it was just not possible before.

Let’s say you want a picture of you shaking hands with the president, well you don’t have to go to Washington anymore to get it, you can just "Photoshop" it in, so it will look as if you were really there.

Similarly, we can Photoshop out things from a picture we don’t want to see there anymore.

If you want to change a physical feature or flaw you can just remove it. Or, if there is something or someone in the background you don’t want in the picture, then you can remove that too. The program is so sophisticated that these images are possible and you really cannot tell the alteration has been made.

Actually now, Photoshop has become the basic standard for new businesses with a photography studio, however for home use then, just like Microsoft word or PowerPoint, you will need to purchase the software for your computer. The good thing about this software is that it is readily accessible and a lot of people know how to use it. If you are not familiar with computer software, it should be no problem to find someone already familiar with Photoshop that can help you get it set up and get started with it, and maybe even show you how the basic features work.

However, Photoshop did not always dominate in this field. In 1989 two brothers, John and Thomas Knoll created this program together. As they worked to creat3 Photoshop, the brothers wanted to use it for some custom projects, but it wasn’t long before they realized it’s marketing potential. So, being smart entrepreneurs, John and Thomas founded a little company called Adobe and began operations in 1990.

Their success was a brilliant example of how people can achieve success in this day and age of computer technology. Today few of us who use the internet are not aware of Adobe. You probably cannot find a personal computer that uses the internet that does not have a free copy of the Adobe reader on it, used to read PDF files.

In order to increase your skills in using Photoshop, you should see if you can practice on another person’s program first. Like most computer applications, you can probably find a copy on a friend’s computer just to tinker with it and get a feel for the controls. But if they are really good at using Photoshop, you should ask them to show you some things on it, and teach you any neat tricks they may have learned themselves.

Picking one afternoon to do this together, could end up getting you addicted to Photoshop.

After you become familiar with it more, then you should purchase your own copy. There are different versions you can choose from and one you should consider first is the evaluation version. However, you only really need the evaluation version if you are still not sure you are going to buy your own copy. Since Photoshop dominates this market, you most certainly should buy a copy, this will help save some frustration, so it’s a good idea to purchase a licensed copy right away. Now, you will probably find yourself playing with the software for long hours just having fun and that’s great. But don’t overlook the value of taking some organized classes in photo editing using Adobe Photoshop software. These classes can show you the shortcuts and how to get the most out of the software.

From there on out, your imagination is the only limit to how you will use this tool to make your photographs better for your customers. You will be able to respond enthusiastically when someone says, "That’s ok, you can just Photoshop and fix it right up".