#39 in a series of background briefs

Five decades of increasing public awareness

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  • 1980s: The public realizes that large image providers can convincingly doctor images

    In this decade, digital manipulation becomes available to the prepress processes of image providers via high-end options like Scitex and Paintbox

    Notable about this decade: In February 1982, one of the largest magazines in the world (National Geographic) digitally doctors its cover photo, the first tip-off to the general public of the capabilities of digital manipulation

  • 1990s: The public realizes that the technology is now available to individual photographers

    In this decade, advanced photographers begin using “digital” in their workflow, usually not with digital cameras but by scanning film images and then working with those scans on a computer

    Notable about this decade: In February 1990, Adobe launches the computer-based software program Photoshop

  • 2000s: The public realizes from firsthand experience how easy it is to digitally manipulate photos

    In this decade, most photographers switch from using film cameras to using digital cameras, often manipulating the resulting photos on their personal computers with Photoshop and similar programs

    Notable about this decade: 2004 is reportedly the first year that digital cameras outsell film cameras

  • 2010s: The public realizes that a computer isn’t necessary to manipulate photos; a smartphone is all that’s needed

    In this decade, smartphones go from playing a relatively small role in photography to becoming a completely dominant force

    Notable about this decade:
    Average annual smartphone sales in the U.S.:
    2005–2010: 6.8 million per year
    2011–2020: 56.5 million per year

  • 2020s: The public realizes that images that look exactly like “photographs” can be created entirely on computers, with no camera or photographer needed

    In this decade, the convincing realism of AI-fabricated images — coupled with the unreality of the scenes depicted — is likely to shake the public’s trust in photographs more than Photoshop ever did.

    More on photo-like AI-fabricated images (plaifis)

    Notable about this decade: Three pioneering examples of text-to-image programs (DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion) are launched in 2021 and 2022.

 

See also FAQ #230

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source of smartphone sales figures (U.S.)

“Photoshop” is a registered
trademark of Adobe Systems Inc.