Photoshop guru leaves Adobe for Microsoft

Update 12:11 p.m. PDT: I added a comment from Adobe.

Mark Hamburg worked on Adobe Systems' Photoshop and Lightroom. Lightroom 2.0, in beta now, gets local editing abilities, shown above.

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

Mark Hamburg, a programmer who worked on Photoshop since version 2.0 and helped lead development of the newer Photoshop Lightroom, has left Adobe Systems for a new job at Microsoft.

Martin Evening, a Lightroom expert and author, reported Hamburg's new job on his blog Friday, saying Hamburg will be involved in user experience work. A Microsoft representative confirmed the new hire but didn't share further details.

Adobe praised Hamburg but said there are plenty of other programmers to carry the torch.

"Adobe has reaped tremendous benefit from the leadership of Mark Hamburg and his active role on both the Photoshop and Lightroom teams," the company said. "However, we are confident that the team he leaves behind are equally as talented and innovative. It is really their hard work and effort that has brought us great success with the launch of Lightroom, and it continues with the current Lightroom 2.0 beta."

Hamburg was named inventor of the year by the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association in 1999 and entered the National Association of Photoshop Professionals' Hall of Fame in 2003.

[christopherhester]

"Adobe has reaped tremendous benefit from the leadership of Mark Hamburg and his active role on both the Photoshop and Lightroom teams," the company said. "However, we are confident that the team he leaves behind are equally as talented and innovative. It is really their hard work and effort that has brought us great success with the launch of Lightroom, and it continues with the current Lightroom 2.0 beta."

Isn't that like saying Mark didn't really matter as the rest of the team are responsible for the success of its products? And they can do just fine without him as they're equally as good as he was?