Adobe wins the internet with one-word Photoshop tweet

Sometimes, you just have to laugh. 2020 hasn't been an ideal year for many, but there's been no shortage of jokes, GIFs and memes to help us (sort of) get through it. Everything from mask etiquette to endless video calls has been ripe for mocking this year – but one of the best jokes of 2020 has just emerged from a rather unlikely place.

When Twitter asked users to describe 2020 in one word, an inevitable slew of brands got involved, with YouTube opting for 'Unsubscribe' and UberEats describing the year as 'UberEats' (well done, marketing team). But Adobe's response was perhaps the best of the bunch, offering a design joke for the ages. (By the way, these Creative Cloud discounts are so good, they're almost a joke too). 

Unless you've been living under a rock (not a bad idea in 2020), you'll know that face masks have become the most essential fashion accessory of the year – here's where to buy a face mask if you're not covered already. In Photoshop however, masking is an essential tool that allows the user to control the transparency of layers. And with that, we have explained the joke.

Sure, it's a bit of a Dad joke, but then again,  it does come from the Daddy of all graphic design software (several Photoshop alternatives are available, mind you). And it's gone down a storm on Twitter, with several users calling it the best tweet of the year. 

One user even came up with another Photoshop/Coronavirus joke about flattening the curve (below). We'll refrain from explaining two jokes in one article – if you want to learn more about Curves, head over to our various Photoshop tutorials. 

As the 25 most-viewed GIFs of the year show, there's nothing quite like laughing in the face of adversity. Adobe's little design joke might not be earth-shattering news, but it certainly made us smile – and we'd say that's an achievement in 2020.

Read more: 

• Lightroom vs Photoshop: Which is best?
• The best free graphic design software
• New M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air get huge £100+ price cuts