Bits and Pieces and Easter Eggs

What is a pixel and how big is it?
A pixel is as big as you want it to be.
Photoshop images are made up of digital information in the form of pixels. Pixels have no inherent size because their size will depend on the resolution of the image. With two files of the same dimensions, a file with a resolution of 150 pixels per inch will have larger pixels than a file of 300 pixels per inch. The images in image editing programmes are known as bitmap images, sometimes referred to as raster images.

Drawing programmes, such as Illustrator and Freehand, generate vector graphics which are created mathematically. Vector programmes are best suited for type and strong graphics where sharp edges are required, because when an image is resized, a new mathematical calculation is made and quality is maintained.



Quiz question:
Where does the word pixel come from? A: It's an abbreviation of the expression picture element.



Hidden splash screens

Each edition also has its own hidden splash screen, known as Easter Eggs, used for the Beta test version. On a PC, hold Control the go to Help > About Photoshop.
On a Mac, hold Command and go to Apple > About Photoshop.

These wacky screens started with Photoshop Version 1 and those shown here are for Photoshop from version 4 up to CS2.

With Version 4 on a Mac, you can hold Alt and click on the cat's nose. The cat opens its mouth and burps.

Version 5 was code-named 'Strange Cargo'. Type BURP, the crate opens and the cat looks out and burps. The cat's name is among the lines of text and that does something as well. Marc Pawlinger's face is within the flare; he is one of Photoshop's developers.

Version 7 still has the electric cat.
Version 8 has its own screen and mousing over reveals a couple of extra images.

The Image Ready programme has/had its own hidden splash screens, complete with quacking ducks. Explore with the Control/Command and Alt keys. And there is a duck within the logo.

Plums! Chicks dig it.
Besides, I have freckles.
The streets are cold in Q3, ya know.
Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.
The efficiency of the coconut wireless is not to be underestimated.

They go on forever and I've not yet survived to the end.

The Photoshop developers are just a bunch of old hippies.

The hidden splash screen in CS3 is about the plainest there has been.
The splash screen image can be copied and opened in Photoshop.
Open Levels and drag the Highlight slider to the left to reveal that cat again, inside the pill.
Drag it completely to the left and
there are paw prints behind the text.

Move the Shadow slider to the right and an image of Bruce Fraser appears.
Bruce played an important role in digital imaging and software development and died in 2006.

For the Witticisms in CS3, click just above the credits before they start to scroll.



Merlin lives
With a Photoshop palette open, such as Layers or Paths, click on the arrow in the top right corner. Hold Alt as you select Palette Options. Merlin was the code name for Photoshop 2.

Who started Photoshop and When?
In 1987, Thomas Knoll was a post-graduate student at the University of Michigan. While preparing a thesis, he wrote a computer programme to display greyscale images. His brother John became interested here. At the time, he was working on visual effects for George Lucas films and the two brothers began collaborating on the programme.

Thomas expanded the code to display colour images and installed it on the first of the colour Macs, the Macintosh II. The new computer was sent to John and together they developed new file formats and more processing facilities. Around this time, they named the new programme Photoshop.

Thomas developed new functions like selections, Levels and Hue and Saturation, while John set about finding a market in Silicon Valley.

A short-term deal was made with Barneyscan, a scanner manufacturer, who released a version of the program as Barneyscan XP with their scanners.

Following a demo to Adobe, the parties made a deal in September 1988.
It involved a licence to distribute and the Knoll brothers were on a royalty.
Thomas continued developing the programme's code, while John worked on plug-ins. With input from a few Adobe employees, Photoshop 1.0 was released in February 1990.

Thomas Knoll still works on Photoshop development, particularly on Camera Raw, and his name is first in the list of credits.



No more typing
The typewriter was first invented in 1714, but the first practical machine was made in 1843. The word 'typing' comes from then and is part of history.
The modern word for using a computer keyboard is pidifing or to pidif.
It's an acronym of Positive Interface with Digital Input Facility.



K for Black
Ever wondered why it's K for Black in CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black? Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway.
It is said the practice was started by German printers and stands for 'Kompensation'
(compensation) because the black corrects the inadequacies of the CMY inks; cyan, magenta and yellow inks being insufficient to make a good black on their own. So now you're asking, why not G for Gelb, as in yellow, right? But that would confuse with Rot, Grun, Blau. Similarly, the letter B would have been confusing, because of RGB. So we end up with a bit of an amalgam.



More Eggs
Some of those developers must have a few rather slack moments.
In some earlier versions, choose the Type tool from the toolbox.
Click on the Palettes button in the Options bar to bring up the Character palette.
Pidif in a font name, such as Verdana and continue to put in the name francis or anthony; ignore the beeps.
Click on the Palette button again. The image varies with different versions.

There are Easter Eggs on this site too.
No keys required, just the mouse.

Home Page