Photoshop Developer, GPUImaging
San Francisco, CA - USA
Job Summary
At Adobe we give people the tools to bring their ideas to life. We help creators turn imagination into content that moves the world and we help businesses turn data into insight and insight into action. We build a culture where people grow as leaders wherever they sit in the org chart. If you want to do meaningful work inside an open diverse and collaborative team wed love to meet you.
Photoshop is 35 years old. Its rendering engine is not.
Were rebuilding the core that draws every pixel in Photoshop replacing decades of accumulated architecture with a modern GPU-first engine called NGE (NextGen Engine). This is a full rebuild not an incremental extension and it unlocks things that werent possible before: live non-destructive on-canvas filters natural media brushing and image quality built for professional video film and VFX work.
Youd be joining the team building this engine and bringing it into Photoshop Desktop a multi-year effort spanning filters adjustments layer effects blend modes and every existing tool in Photoshop. Its the kind of ground-up rebuild most engineers only get to work on once in a career.
- Design build and optimize GPU-based imaging and rendering features using modern C WebGPU and WGSL
- Write and tune GPU shaders and compute kernels for real-time image processing
- Profile and optimize performance across the rendering pipeline GPU occupancy memory latency submit batching and frame time across a range of hardware from integrated to discrete GPUs
- Help extend the engines compositing and color pipeline (blending color spaces precision)
- Write automated tests for the rendering and imaging code you build
- Use AI tools thoughtfully to speed up development debugging and testing
- Make architectural calls when specs are open-ended or still forming
- Write clear self-documenting code that your teammates can easily read and extend
- Contribute to engineering docs and design reviews and take part in regular code reviews
You:
- Enjoy working close to the hardware squeezing performance out of GPUs and low-level rendering code
- Like contributing to something bigger than your own individual output
- Can make steady progress even when a problem is ambiguous or not fully prioritized yet
- Bring strong analytical and debugging skills especially for tricky performance or correctness issues
- Care about precision and craftsmanship down to the pixel and the frame
- Communicate clearly and can distill complex technical tradeoffs for different audiences
- Stay steady and adaptable when plans shift or setbacks come up
- Treat challenges as opportunities to learn something new
- Enjoy solving problems in ways that are both elegant and durable
Were hiring across levels for this role from early-career through senior so requirements scale with level:
- A bachelors or masters degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience in the field
- Solid grounding in graphics and GPU programming fundamentals pipelines shaders memory and performance tradeoffs
- Familiarity with GPU hardware architecture across vendors (e.g. integrated vs. discrete GPUs)
- Experience with one or more graphics APIs such as Metal DirectX Vulkan or WebGPU
- Experience building applications in modern C (years of experience scale with the level youre hired at)
- Comfort writing asynchronous production-quality code
- A plus not a requirement: experience with image-processing pipelines WebAssembly or large-scale codebases like Photoshops
If youre earlier in your career and dont check every box wed still like to hear from you this role is built to grow engineers into this work not just hire people whove already done it.
Adobe is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin gender sexual orientation age marital status veteran status or disability status.
About Adobe
Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobes industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio Adobe Express Adobe Firefly Creative Cloud Adobe Experience Platform Adobe Experience Manager and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.
Our 30000 employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. Were on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.
Lets Adobe together
At Adobe we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life including our values and culture focus on people purpose and community Adobe for All comprehensive benefits programs the stories we tell the customers we serve and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.
Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender race or color ethnicity or national origin age disability religion sexual orientation gender identity or expression veteran status or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.
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AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:
Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work your application may not move forward in the process.
At Adobe we empower employees to innovate with AI and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where its restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.
Expected Pay Range:
Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this positionis $$257550 annually. Paywithin this range varies by work locationand may also depend on job-related knowledge skillsand experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.In California the pay range for this position is $177900 - $257550 In New York the pay range for this position is $177900 - $257550 In Washington the pay range for this position is $161700 - $234150
At Adobe for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC base commission) and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).
In addition certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.
State-Specific Notices:
California:
Fair Chance Ordinances
Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and fair chance ordinances.
Colorado:
Application Window Notice
Aug:00 AMIf this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting) the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location no specific application window applies and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.
Massachusetts:
Massachusetts Legal Notice
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Required Experience:
IC