As Photoshop Turns 30, Adobe Adds New Features to macOS, iPad Versions

Today marks Photoshop’s thirtieth birthday. To celebrate the anniversary, its maker Adobe released updates to both the desktop and iPad apps range of tasty new features that show how far digital arts have come in the last three decades.

According to a new post on Adobe’s blog, updates to both versions of Photoshop appear substantial and promise to improve the experience of using the app significantly.

The desktop versions of Photoshop are picking up content-aware Fill workspace improvements so that you can make multiple selections and apply multiple fills without leaving the workspace; improvements to the lens blur effect; support for Dark Mode on macOS, and performance improvements.

The iPad version already has more than a million users, and the latest update sees it gain the same Object Selection tool the desktop version of the application gained in fall — and this is an AI-driven feature. The idea behind this is that the AI tries to figure out which object in the image you are attempting to select and then refines your selection for that object.

The iPad version also gains additional type settings tools: layer, character and option tools, such as formatting, tracking and leading-edge controls for text. Adobe says kerning support and a Refine Edge brush will be introduced later on.

So what’s next for the next 30 years? Adobe hinted at continuing to advance machine learning tools, as well as improve performance. Tools for more advanced image processing and adaptive learning, or in-app help tools that adapt to the user’s skill level, are all in the works for the program, Adobe says.