Photoshop has just turned 25 years old. That’s a lot of history in the world of technology, and has led to the development of a ton of useful features. Here’s a look back at what’s changed through the years.
Photoshop 1.0
Launched Feb 19, 1990 for Mac
Codename: None
Lasso Tool
Crop
Magic Wand
Eyedrop Tool
Smudge Tool
Stretch/Shrink
Hue/Saturation adjustments
Feathered Edges
Blur Tool
Gradient Tool
Photoshop 2.0
June 1991
Codename: Fast Eddie
Added CMYK
Added Paths
Pen Tool
Photoshop 2.5
November 1992
Added Windows version
Added 16-bit support
Palettes
Photoshop 3.0
Sept 1994
Codename: Tiger Mountain
Added Layers
Tabbed Palettes
Photoshop 4.0
Nov 1996
Codename: Big Electric Cat
Added Actions
Added Adjustment Layers
Added rubylith overlays (aka quick mask)
Photoshop 5.0
May 1998
Codename: Strange Cargo
Added History (multiple undos)
Color Management
Magnetic Lasso
Editable type and type layers
Layer Effects
Measure Tool
Photoshop 5.5
Feb 1999
Save for Web
Extract and Image Ready
Image Slicing and Rollover effects for web Graphics
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Richard Harrington is the CEO of ThinkTAP and the Publisher of Photofocus. He is also the founder of RHED Pixel, a visual communications company based in Washington, D.C.
Rich has published over 100 courses on Lynda.com. Rich has authored several books including From Still to Motion, Understanding Photoshop, Professional Web Video, and Creating DSLR Video.
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