Who here remembers when dial-up internet connections, floppy disks, the first PostScript laser printers, and desktop publishing tools were the cutting edge innovations for modern graphic designers? Back in 1994, as a 24-year-old IT support person for graphic designers, I knew mastering the latest version of Adobe Photoshop 2.5 was essential for my career. I began to publicly learn and write about this game-changing tool, leading to the creation of the Photoshop Techniques monthly newsletter.
Publishing and Learning in Public:
With my background in newspaper publishing, I understood that setting a recurring weekly publishing deadline was one of the best ways for me to master a new subject. I started writing Photoshop Techniques to share tips, tricks, and techniques with clients who also wanted to improve their skills. As the public “expert learner,” I listened to my clients’ struggles, found solutions, and distilled them into easy step-by-step instructions.
A Decade Before CreativeLive:
The Photoshop Techniques library was created a decade before Jason Hoppe led the first 10-Week Photoshop Course at CreativeTechs, which was the prototype for CreativeLive. This early weekly publishing played a crucial role in attracting a worldwide audience and establishing the credibility and experience on which the livestreaming world of CreativeLive was built.
A Not-So-Thinly-Veiled Analogy about Today’s AI Revolution:
Throughout my career, I’ve ridden the wave of analog-to-digital transformation across numerous industries: typography and laser printers in the late 1980s, graphic design with Photoshop and PageMaker in the 1990s, digital video and non-linear editing systems in the 2000s, and education and livestreaming in the 2010s. Now, in the 2020s, that wave of analog-to-digital transformation feels closer to home and more impactful than ever as we’re experiencing the reinvention of business and entrepreneurship through the new wave of AI.
Public Learning in the Age of AI:
What I’m witnessing today with AI is one of the most significant industry-impacting events I’ve seen in my career. If you’ve been following me recently, you may have noticed that my publishing cadence has increased. At every stage of my career, my response to world-impacting technical shifts has been to move into “public learning mode,” embracing and sharing what I discover as an expert learner.
Photoshop Techniques PDF Collection:
Meanwhile, enjoy a trip back in time to when Photoshop was the big disrupter of the creative world. Remember when a beveled edge took four pages of detailed step-by-step instruction??
Browse the individual issues below, or download the whole collection as a ZIP: Photoshop Techniques.zip
