Adobe << uh DOH bee >> Systems Incorporated publishes a variety of computer software for creating and viewing documents, images, and videos. Adobe’s software has played a major role in shaping how such material is distributed through the internet.
As the internet developed, people began downloading a variety of files. These files contained brochures, maps, artwork, and other media. However, the appearance of such media varied, depending on the program used to open the file, the computer used to view the file, and the printer used to print it. Without a standard way for computers and programs to “interpret” such files, media often appeared different from what its creators intended. Adobe developed software products that provided such a standard. Documents, pictures, and videos look the same on almost any computer when viewed with Adobe software.
Most works created with Adobe products require Adobe programs to view them. Adobe typically provides the viewing programs free of charge over the internet. Adobe Reader, for example, is a free program for viewing Portable Document Formats (PDF’s). People can create such files with the software package Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Reader may function as a plug-in, working in conjunction with a computer’s web browser to display internet content (see Plug-in software).
Among Adobe’s best-known software is a graphics and image editing program called Photoshop. People use Photoshop to create artwork or to change the way photographs look. Photoshop has been used to alter photos in news and advertisements. The popularity of this practice has led people to use the term photoshop as a verb. For example, newspaper editors may “photoshop” a picture to remove bystanders from it, making a more dramatic image. Likewise, a “photoshopped” advertisement may make a model appear thinner than she really is.
Adobe Systems Incorporated was founded in 1982 by two American computer scientists, John Warnock and Charles Geschke. The company’s headquarters are in San Jose, California.
