Creator of Photoshop to speak at Adrian College

Posted Wednesday, February 06, 2019

The original creator of Photoshop, Thomas Knoll, will be speaking at Adrian College at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 1, in Downs Hall.

Photographers and graphic designers from all over the world see Knoll’s name at the top of a splash screen when opening any version of Adobe Photoshop. Knoll’s brother, John, helped him create imaging processing routines in 1988. The following year, they sold the program to Adobe Systems.

The brothers were inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2001. The organization said without them, “the visual aspects of the communication age would be vastly different, and certainly much less exciting and dramatic than it is today.”

When informed he would be one of the first inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame, Thomas was quoted as humbly asking, “Why would you want to induct me? I didn’t do anything special. Writing Photoshop was just something we did for fun back then — it was basically a hobby.”

Adobe Photoshop has evolved over the years and is currently being used by graphic designers, photographers, web professionals, video professionals, and 3D artists and designers.

“If you can think of it, you can make it with Photoshop CC, the world’s best imaging and graphic design software,” Adobe notes on its website. “Create and enhance photographs, illustrations and 3D artwork. Design websites and mobile apps. Edit videos, simulate real-life paintings and more. It’s everything you need to make any idea real.”

Knoll is currently working as a developer on Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw. During his visit to Adrian College, the Ann Arbor, Mich. native will discuss the creation of Photoshop and how he uses it to enhance his own photography. He will also have some of his large format prints on display. A reception is planned following the presentation.

The event is free of charge and open to the public. For more information, email Carissa Massey at cmassey@adrian.edu.