Adobe Photoshop CC offers many technical features and possibilities. But to get our target group (existing Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers and potential subscribers active within the creative field) to paint digitally, we needed to create something with a soul, something unique beyond the technology and software.

In collaboration with the Munch Museum in Oslo, we digitized the over 100-year-old original paintbrushes of Norwegian master painter Edvard Munch, creator of the world-famous painting ’The Scream’. The fragile originals were transformed into an exclusive set of Photoshop brushes to inspire and engage a new generation of artists to paint like a master, using a piece of art history.

The original brushes of Edvard Munch is a custom Photoshop-exclusive brush set that utilizes the already existing brush feature in Photoshop CC.

The custom brushes allows users to paint digitally with a real oil brush feel in Adobe Photoshop CC.

Working closely with the conservation experts at the Munch Museum, each original brush was photographed in 360 degrees using ultra-high-resolution cameras, documenting all angles and details to create an accurate three-dimensional representation. Further, Munch’s artistic style and brushwork were closely analyzed by experts from the Munch Museum, and combined with laboratory data about the brushes’ attributes, including physical properties such as flexibility and bristle type.

The process of turning the data and scans into Photoshop brushes was performed by Kyle T. Webster, regarded by many as the world’s foremost authority on Photoshop brushes. In collaboration with the museum experts, Kyle transformed all the data into digital representations of Munch’s brushes, capturing the exact shape and performance attributes of each brush.

The unique brush set for Photoshop are available for free download and distributed globally via Adobe’s own social media channels, blogs and websites.

The idea and concept of finding and sharing creative treasures with the world is designed to be scalable and applicable on future projects with other famous artists, phenomenas or creative movements. All with the aim to inspire a new generation of artists and digitally eternalizing forgotten parts of our creative heritage.

Further, the concept opens up for future creative partnerships with other companies and institutions.

Results

Target: 1000 brush set downloads.

Result: 40500 brush set downloads. Exceeding target by 3950%.

Target: 12000 new Adobe CC subscribers.

Result: 35000 new Adobe CC subscribers. Exceeding target by 292%.

Target: 250 000 000 gross media impressions.

Result: 1.03 billion gross media impressions. Exceeding target by 401%.

Additional campaign metrics:

– Traffic to Adobe.com exceeded target by 54%

– The number of interactions in Adobes social channels exceeded target by 611%

– Social sentiment showed 100% positive or neutral attitude towards the campaign.

The core unit of the campaign is a unique creative asset that preserves and brings life to a forgotten part of art history by utilizing the progressive features within the product (Adobe Photoshop CC). The campaign is a first of its kind of project that preserves our creative heritage in a completely new way.

The campaign period stretched from June 15 2017 – September 15 2017.

Adobe Creative Cloud is the world-leading producer of digital creative tools. In 2017 they wanted to Inspire a new generation of artists to paint digitally. With the aim to enhance their brand vision of 'thought leadership in creativity, increase active use in Photoshop CC and generate new subscribers.