We still hear talk about people Photoshopping — using Photoshop as a verb. I wouldn t condone that, or at least our lawyers tell us not to, but you know it speaks to the impact that the tool has had, where the brand has become a verb, much like hey, go Google that.
— Stephen Nielson, Adobe project manager, on the legacy of image-editing software Photoshop on its 25th anniversary.
(If you see an Adobe TV commercial during this weekend s Academy Awards — featuring famous film images that were made using Photoshop — you ll know it s because Adobe is celebrating the software s milestone.)
Of course, Photoshopped doesn t always have a positive connotation — think frighteningly thin models on magazine covers. But Nielson tells VentureBeat: The tool can be used for good or bad. The tool is used in overwhelmingly more good scenarios than damaging scenarios. We ve got lots of stories of Photoshop making significant impact in medicine… We ve literally had stories of people using Photoshop to solve crimes. Photoshop, crime fighter?
Photo from Adobe Systems