What’s the next big thing in photography technology?
What’s the next big thing in photography technology?
“The interesting tectonic shift that I saw this year that hasn’t been fully realized, is mobile devices beginning to support RAW capture.” - Tom Hogarty, Director of Product Management, Adobe
Do you think photographers have a love-hate relationship with Photoshop? On the one hand it makes their life easier, but on the other hand it takes out some of the skill of photography.
I think we’ve come along at just the right time. Because the art and craft and mastery of learning every tool has somewhat been eroded by people’s desire for quick and easy. Expectations around user experience and simplicity have decreased tolerance to spend time on the craft for photographers.
It’s subjectively my perception of the industry. But I think our simplification has aligned with people’s desire for a simpler Photoshop, so that people can focus on the business of being a photographer, the creativity of being a photographer and not training on how to use software.
What do you see in the near future for photography then?
The interesting tectonic shift that I saw this year that hasn’t been fully realized, it’s mobile devices beginning to support RAW capture. I think what you’ll start to see in the next year is a regeneration of the conversation we had in 2001 to 2002 on what’s the value of RAW? And why should I shoot RAW versus JPEG?
We’ll see a whole other generation go through that process. And as we saw with the DSLR market, once people who cared about the quality of their images started shooting to the format, they got hooked. Because the latitude and the things you can do with a RAW file is just outstanding.
And the use of 3D over photography?
I think that’s just a natural evolution and we saw it with our own Project Felix. Photographers will probably just pick it up as one more tool; it’s the fundamental knowledge of light and composition that they can apply to video or 3D.
Finally, what’s the one tool in Lightroom that everyone should know?
One tool that everyone should know… I think the targeted adjustment tool is very powerful. I’m assuming everyone knows how to use the basic thing, because the power of the tonal controls is incredible. But the next thing after that – moving hue or saturation a little bit for specific tones or for doing black and white conversions? It’s a really powerful solution.
Text: Marcus Wong / Picture: adobe
