Photo editing is the changing of images. These images can be digital photographs, illustrations, or prints (photographs on film). Some types of editing, such as airbrushing, are done by hand and others are done using photo editing programs like Photoshop and Microsoft Paint. Photo editing is done for many reasons. Many photos of models are edited to remove blemishes and make the model "sexier". This is usually called retouching, airbrushing or Photoshopping, even if Photoshop is not used to edit the photo. Other reasons to edit a photo include fixing errors (red eye, contrast, brightness, etc.), practical jokes, and tricking people. Photo editing is also used to make completely new images. Photo editing is sometimes called photo manipulation, usually when it is used to trick people.

History

[[File:|thumb|right|Old photo editing tools.]] The first known example of photo editing happened in the 1860s to a photo of President Abraham Lincoln. Before the invention of computers, people had to edit images by hand. Some editing was done by pasting photos together. People also used tools like ink, paint and airbrushes.

In the 1980s, the photo editing computer programs were released. The first version of Adobe Photoshop was released in 1987. Since then, it has become one of the most popular photo editing programs. In fact, it is so popular that many people now use the word "photoshop" to mean photo editing in general.