# Photoshop

Standing (still-up). Founded 1990-02-19.
Site: [adobe.com](https://adobe.com)

Thomas and John Knoll, 19 Feb 1990. Still the adult in photo editing, subscription grudges included.

## Why it lasted
- The file format and the verb. 'To photoshop' is the product.
- Print shops, studios, and schools standardised on it. That is a 30-year install base.
- Generative fill made the subscription feel less like a hostage note and more like a lab.

## Near deaths
- The Creative Cloud switch in 2013 was a near-death of goodwill. Pirates and Affinity and Pixelmator took a bite. The verb held.
- GIMP was always free. It was never Photoshop.

## What would finish it
- A default image model in the OS that makes layers feel like accounting. Not yet. Designers still need control.

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