Happy 30th Birthday, Photoshop! And, to celebrate this milestone, Adobe has introduced updated features to the popular desktop version of the photo editing software and new tools to the iPad version. 

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Version one of Photoshop was introduced on this day in 1990 and since then, we've seen new tools/features added to the software almost annually which includes the introduction of Paths back in 1991, the integration of the Liquify tools at the start of the new Millenium and the Content-Aware Fill tool arriving in 2010. 

"Today is Photoshop’s 30th birthday! For 10,950 days, artists, designers, photographers and many others have inspired the world with their imaginations using the practical magic of Photoshop," Adobe. 

Also, thanks to advances in technology, we've seen the introduction of the iPad version of Photoshop which brought layers and other familiar tools to tablets for editing on-the-go. The iPad version has actually been discussed since 2018 but we didn't see a fully working version of the software until 2019 when a roadmap of what tools we can expect to see added and when was also released. 

With the introduction of the Anniversary edition, Adobe has added new tools to the iPad version and there are also improvements to existing tools in the desktop version of Photoshop. 

Photoshop On Desktop 

Those who use Adobe Photoshop on their Desktop computers will find improvements to the Content-Aware Fill and Lens Blur Workspaces.

Before, the Lens Blur workspace functioned via the CPU but now, the tool uses the GPU so it should be quicker in use (graphics card depending), out of focus foreground objects now have a more realistic, softer edge and you can create bokeh shapes/colour in specular highlights. Also, if you capture an image on a smartphone where lens blur has been applied, you can now edit these images in Photoshop and adjust the lens blur/depth of field after capture. "Lots of research and iteration occurred to make the feature," says Adobe. 

With the Content-Aware Fill Workspace, you can now make multiple selections and apply multiple fills without leaving the workspace - Use the new "apply" button to iterate your fills before committing and click "OK" only when you are finished.

General improvements have also been made so panning, zooming and clicking are quicker. 

Photoshop On iPad

Adobe promised that they would release a continuous stream of new features for the iPad version of Photoshop and today, the first of the new improvements have been introduced. 

The same Object Selection Tool introduced to the desktop version at Max 2019 is now available on iPad and it gives you exactly the same functions, options and settings as the Desktop version. Both use Sensei AI and machine learning to automatically make selections, making it quicker and easier to select specific objects in a photo. With the Object Selection tool, you draw a rectangular region or even a crude lasso around the area you want to select, and the tool automatically finds and selects the primary object inside the defined region. Both versions are compatible with the Apple Pencil, too. 

Type settings in this release bring many of the typographic controls you use in Photoshop on the desktop to the iPad which includes type layer, character and options properties. This includes tracking, leading, scaling, and formatting things like all/small caps, super/subscript. Kerning will ship in a future release.

Photoshop on the iPad is included in all Creative Cloud plans that include Photoshop. If you are already a member, all you have to do to get started is download Photoshop on the iPad and sign in.

Adobe Wants To Hear From You 

Adobe is also wanting to hear what you think of the iPad version of Photoshop and is asking people to give feedback in the Photoshop community forum. 

"We are so happy to get Photoshop on the iPad into your hands! Your experience, feedback and point of view have always been a critical part of our process, and we take that very seriously as we chart a path forward with the iPad," says Adobe.