• RGB color model
• Lab color model
• CMYK color model
• Grayscale
• Bitmap
• Duotone

The most recent major version, released in 2005, is version 9. This iteration of the program is marketed as "Photoshop CS2." "CS" reflects its integration with "Adobe's Creative Suite" and a number "2" because it is the second version released since Adobe rebranded their products under the CS umbrella. Photoshop CS2 features important new additions such as multiple layer selecting and "warp," a curve-friendly version of the transform tool as well as a colour replacement tool, which was only previously available as a plug-in. For the digital photography enthusiasts, the "reduce grain" filter can help to improve pictures taken in low light. In an effort to break away from previous versions of the application and to reinforce its belonging with the new line of products, Photoshop even dropped one classic graphic feature from its packaging: the Photoshop eye icon, which was present in different manifestations from versions 3 to 7. Photoshop CS and CS2 now use feather icons as a form of identification.

The latest version comes with Adobe Camera RAW, a plugin developed by Thomas Knoll which can read several RAW file formats from various digital cameras and import them directly into Photoshop. A preliminary version of the RAW plugin was also available for Photoshop 7.0.1 as a $99 USD optional purchase.

While Photoshop is the industry standard image editing program for professional raster graphics, its relatively high suggested retail price (US $600, approximately) has led to a number of competing graphics tools being made available at lower prices. To compete in this market, and to counter unusually high rates of piracy of their professional products, Adobe has introduced a Photoshop Elements, a version of Photoshop with many professional features removed, for under $100 US; this is aimed firmly at the general consumer market since the feature cuts make it less desirable for prepress work.

Photoshop has the ability to read and write many common raster and vector image formats such as .png, .gif, .jpeg, etc. It also has several native file formats:

• The PSD (Photoshop Document) format stores an image as a set of layers, including text, masks, opacity, blend modes, color channels, alpha channels, clipping paths, and duotone settings. Photoshop's popularity means that the PSD format is widely used, and it is supported to some extent by most competing software.
• The PSB format is a newer version of PSD designed for files over 2 GB.
• The PDD format is a version of PSD that only supports the features found in the discontinued PhotoDeluxe software.

The development of digital image manipulation redefined the photographic post-production industry. It revolutionized the art of photo retouching and processing by streamlining workflows: intricate procedures which took hours or days, and could only be performed by skilled photographers, now became relatively easy even for amateur artists. Digital image manipulation has contributed greatly to the world of photography by enabling manipulations that were previously difficult or impossible, and by allowing non-destructive and easily reversible changes to images. As the market leader throughout this history, Photoshop was responsible for many of the innovations that are now commonplace.

During the digital photography revolution of the 1990s, Photoshop became even more entrenched as the industry standard. Many photographers used the software to migrate to all-digital workflows, greatly increasing the quality of the finished image. Photoshop was one of the first image processors that could prepare images for the World Wide Web,^{[citation needed]} which effectively opened up the Internet as a new medium for graphic artists and photographers.

With the rise of graphics tablets, most notably from Wacom, programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter have been used more and more to create original pieces of art. Using the pressure sensitive tablet can greatly improve the effects of the paint brush, eraser, or other tools. Tablets are used worldwide by professional comic book illustrators, architects, studio artists, etc. Even ILM, the special effects company that worked for the Star Wars films, used tablets combined with Photoshop in post-production.

The term photoshopping is a neologism, meaning "editing an image", regardless of the program used (compare with Google used as a verb). Adobe discourages use of the term ^[1] out of fear that it will undermine the company's trademark; an alternate term which leaves out the Photoshop reference is "photochop". The term photoshop is also used as a noun referring to the altered image. This is especially popular amongst members of websites such as Something Awful and Fark where photoshopping is an institution. The goal of altering an image, subtly or blatantly, is to make it humorous or clever, often via the use of obscure in-jokes and pop culture references. Another widespread practice is putting the face of a celebrity onto a nude or pornographic image. Photoshop competitions in all these varieties have become a favorite pastime for many professional and amateur users of the software.

The term is sometimes used with a derogatory intent by artists to refer to images that have been retouched instead of originally produced. A common issue amongst users of all skill levels is the ability to avoid in one's work what is referred to as "the Photoshop look" (although such an issue is intrinsic to many graphics programs).

Even more recent is the so-called "sport" of Photoshop Tennis. A match in this hobby consists of two Photoshop artists passing back and forth (usually via email) a Photoshop image file. Each player will make changes to the file and send it back. After a predetermined number of turns an independent judge will review the edits made and declare a winner. This allows artists to both showcase and hone their Photoshop skills.

In the vein of Photoshop Tennis, artists also engage in collaboration. This hobby consists of two Photoshop artists passing back and forth (usually via email) a Photoshop image file (.psd). Each artist adds elements to the composition, working with the other to create an image. There is not usually an element of competition involved with such an activity.

The brothers Thomas Knoll and John Knoll began development on Photoshop in 1987. Version 1 was released by Adobe in 1990.

• File:Photoshop 1.0.png
• File:Photoshop 2.0.png
• File:Photoshop 3.0.png
• File:Photoshop 4.0.png
• File:Photoshop 5.0.jpg
• File:Photoshop 6.0.jpg
• File:Photoshop 7.0.jpg
• File:Photoshop 8.0 - CS.gif
• File:Adobephotoshopcs2logo.jpg

There are many other bitmap-graphics editors available, but none have come close to Photoshop's popularity among professionals. The most popular competitors in other markets are the commercial packages Macromedia Fireworks, Corel Photo-Paint (bundled with CorelDRAW), Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI and Ulead PhotoImpact. Less well-known alternatives include the open source GIMP, the open source Paint.NET (although it bills itself as a replacement for Microsoft Paint), Helicon Filter, and the commercial Pixel image editor.

In cinema, CinePaint (a fork of GIMP) has gained significant market share.

• Photoshopping
• Photoshop tennis
• Photoshop contest
• List of raster graphics editors
• Comparison of raster graphics editors
• Digital image editing
• Digital Negative Specification

• 2D computer graphics
• Color
• Color theory
• Digital image
• Digital watermark
• Gamut
• Graphics file format
• Image gradient

• Adobe Photoshop Official Page
• Adobe Camera RAW
• Photoshop's Works
• For other external links, see Template:Dmoz.