1. You taught your first Photoshop class in 1990, only three weeks after Photoshop itself was released. When a completely new program emerges and almost everyone is learning it at the same time, how does someone become the person teaching everyone else? How did that happen for you?

I had been teaching other “desktop publishing” software so when Photoshop came along and it was clear that people would want classes on that, I immersed myself into trying to figure it out. Of course there were no resources to learn from other than the printed manual, so it took a fair bit of trial and error to understand it.

2. In 2009, you were inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. What did that recognition mean to you personally, and did it change the way you looked at your own contribution to the industry?

I was very honored to be inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame as an educator. The organizers flew in my family to watch the presentation so it was a very proud moment to share with them. I’ve always felt that the best reward was seeing the light bulb moments of students “getting it” and the thank yous for them, so Hall of Fame recognition was icing on the cake.

3. The Hall of Fame recognises not only technical excellence, but contribution to the Photoshop community and industry. Why do you think professional recognition like this matters?

I think that while recognition like this is important, it’s the journey of helping others that is most important.

4. Photography has countless international competitions and awards, yet retouching — despite being such an important part of professional image-making — has very little dedicated recognition. Why do you think retouching has remained largely outside that awards culture?

That's a good question without a good answer. Perhaps it’s because retouching has often been looked at as part of the photography process as opposed to a separate skill that deserves its own recognition? And maybe part of the challenge is unlike photography where you might look at an image and say, “what a wonderful photo”, a great retouching job might be harder to judge because the retoucher has done a great job of not making the retouch too obvious?

5. Today, almost anything someone wants to learn about Photoshop can be found for free on YouTube. Why do people still choose to attend something like the Photoshop Virtual Summit? What can a curated learning experience offer that individual tutorials cannot?

The key word there is “curated”. Rather than spending a lot of time trying to find a tutorial from someone who you hope knows what they are doing, we’ve tried to assemble the world’s best instructors and design a curriculum that we know works.

6. With so much information available, has the challenge shifted from finding information to knowing who to learn from, what to trust and what is actually worth learning?

I think that is exactly the point: who to learn from, what to trust and what is actually worth learning

7. You bring together an incredible range of artists and educators for the Summit. What do you look for when choosing who will teach? Is being exceptional at Photoshop enough to make someone an exceptional educator?

Most of the instructors for the Summit are people I know personally, and have had the pleasure of watching them teach - in some cases for years. I look for people who know Photoshop inside-out and/or are wonderful artists, but it’s just as important that they know how to explain things and simplify potentially difficult concepts.

8. Each Summit has its own focus, and this year you chose Project Photoshop. Why did you feel that showing complete, real-world projects was particularly important right now?

It seemed to be the next logical progression for us, as we’ve always had great feedback when an instructor makes their class files available to VIP members.

9. There is a big difference between knowing individual Photoshop techniques and knowing how to bring them together to solve a real creative brief. Is that something you feel is missing from the way Photoshop is often taught?

I think that of course it’s important to know what the tools do, but even more useful to see those tools in action.

10. When we watch an expert complete an entire project, we also see the decisions, experimentation, mistakes and changes of direction that usually disappear from the polished final result. How valuable is seeing that part of the process for someone who is learning?

That’s exactly why I think people appreciate watching someone work through a project: you can see the instructor’s thought process, their experiments, and the things they try in order to get to their desired result. I think that's much more valuable than a “rehearsed” demonstration.

11. You’ve watched Photoshop evolve through more than three decades of technological change. Does AI feel fundamentally different from the major changes you’ve witnessed before — and where do you think it is taking the profession?

There's no question that AI is the biggest change/addition to Photoshop in many years, but there are still many projects that cannot rely on AI alone. Over time this may change as AI continues to develop, but I think it’s still important to build confidence in the core Photoshop skills.

12. At a time when AI can produce technically impressive results almost instantly, why is it still important for artists to learn the fundamentals and understand how to create and retouch an image themselves?

No question! The AI tools offer some great possibilities, but it’s still very important to know how to do things “traditionally”, because there will be times – currently many times – when the AI tools do not give you the results you want.

13. One concern I have is what happens at the beginning of a career. Junior retouchers and designers traditionally developed their skills by doing the smaller production tasks that AI can increasingly perform. If those opportunities disappear, how do we ensure the next generation can develop into highly skilled senior professionals?

I share that concern. I suppose that to some degree it will be up to the individuals to invest their own time in learning the fundamentals?

14. I speak with professional retouchers who genuinely worry that their profession may not exist in a few years. What would you say to someone questioning whether it is still worth investing the time to develop these skills?

I believe that the reality is that Ai is here to stay, and will continue to play an important role in retouching. So rather than viewing AI as something to fear, perhaps it’s time to embrace how the AI tools can enhance your skills.

15. After more than three decades of teaching and watching Photoshop and the creative industry evolve, what still excites you about it — and what makes you optimistic about the next generation of artists?

The one thing that AI cannot replace is true creativity, so I can’t wait to see what the next generation of artists make when they combine their creativity with AI tools.

About Dave Cross

Dave Cross is a Photoshop educator, author and creator of the Photoshop Virtual Summit. He has been teaching Photoshop since the early years of the software and was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2009 in recognition of his contribution as an educator.

Through his training, events and online education, Dave has spent more than three decades helping photographers, designers and creative professionals understand Photoshop and develop practical creative workflows.

Known for: Photoshop education, Photoshop Virtual Summit, creative workflows
Industry: Photoshop, photography and creative education
Recognition: Photoshop Hall of Fame, 2009
Current project: Project Photoshop