Krita

Key Features of Krita

• Free & Open Source
  Licensed under GNU GPL, Krita is completely free with no restrictions.

• Professional Brush Engines
  Over 100 preloaded brushes with 9+ customizable brush engines for unique effects.

• Brush Stabilizers
  Stabilize shaky lines with 3 different smoothing techniques, including a dynamic brush tool for drag and weight.

• Vector Tools & Text
  Built-in vector tools for comic panels, SVG-based text and shape editing.

• Wrap-around Mode
  Create seamless textures and patterns with live references updating along both axes.

• Animation Features
  Full animation workspace, timeline with thousands of frames, onion skinning, audio support, and export options.

• Layer Management
  Supports multiple layer types, including vector, filter, group, and file layers.

• Advanced Selection & Transformation
  Modify selections, feather and invert them, and apply the Global Selection Mask to paint specific areas.

• Full Color Management
  Incorporates full color management support, compatible with ICC and OpenColor IO for precise color workflows.

• Performance Enhancements
  GPU-accelerated canvas rotation and zooming for smoother interactions.

• PSD Support
  Open and save PSD files, even those that Photoshop can’t open.

• HDR Painting
  Manipulate and create HDR (high dynamic range) images, supporting OpenEXR and OCIO.

• Python Scripting
  Extend Krita’s functionality with custom widgets and plugins using PyQt and Krita’s own API.

• Extensive Training Resources
  Access official and community-driven training materials to quickly master Krita’s tools.

Krita isn’t just another digital art tool, it’s a community-powered, open source canvas for creativity. Built on KDE and Qt frameworks, Krita delivers a full-featured, professional painting experience entirely for free. Whether you're just starting out or you've been painting digitally for years, Krita is worth a look.

Designed by Artists, for Artists

At its heart, Krita is built by people who use it, artists who know what it takes to bring ideas to life on a digital canvas. That sense of practicality is embedded in everything, from the tool layout to the feature set. The interface is intuitive and unobtrusive, letting you stay focused on creating. You can move panels, save custom workspaces, and set up shortcuts for a workflow that truly feels like your own.

A Deep Toolset Without the Price Tag

Out of the box, Krita comes packed with over 100 professionally designed brushes, each offering unique effects. But it doesn’t stop there, you can customize every brush using more than nine different brush engines. Need smoother lines? Krita’s brush stabilizers help reduce jitter, even including a dynamic brush tool that mimics drag and weight.

The software also includes tools for vector graphics and text, ideal for comic creation. Vector libraries offer ready-to-use templates, like speech bubbles, and Krita’s SVG-based system makes editing a breeze.

For those into pattern and texture creation, Krita’s wrap-around mode is a revelation. No more clunky offset tricks, just paint and watch your seamless design come to life.

Beyond Static Images: Bring Your Work to Life

Animation isn't an afterthought in Krita. With its dedicated workspace, you can layer frames, import audio, scrub through a timeline, and export finished clips to video or image sequences. Features like onion skinning and timeline shortcuts give you the control and fluidity you'd expect from specialized animation tools.

Krita supports thousands of frames, making it surprisingly capable even for longer projects. Tweens, opacity fades, and drag-and-drop timeline editing help keep your animation process smooth and flexible.

A Resource-Rich Ecosystem

One of Krita’s greatest strengths is its community. Users actively share brush packs, templates, textures, and plugins, all easily importable via Krita’s built-in resource manager. If you’ve made tools of your own, you can bundle and share them too.

And if you're ever stuck, there’s always someone to turn to. Krita’s community forums and social spaces are full of people sharing tips, art critiques, bug reports, and even feedback on new features in development.

Built for Performance and Compatibility

Krita doesn’t just look good, it runs fast. With GPU acceleration through OpenGL or Direct3D, you’ll notice smoother zooming and canvas rotation. Full PSD file support means you can jump between Krita and Photoshop when needed, and advanced color management (including HDR and OpenColor IO support) makes it a fit for professional pipelines.

Python scripting adds another layer of power, allowing you to automate, customize, and even build your own plugins using Krita’s API and PyQt.

Always Free. Always Evolving.

What makes Krita really special? It’s free. Not trial-version, not freemium, not "free with a watermark", truly, permanently free under the GNU GPL license. The team behind Krita believes that powerful art tools should be accessible to everyone.

With regular updates, a vibrant user base, and a feature set that rivals (and sometimes surpasses) paid programs, Krita is more than just a tool, it’s a movement toward open creativity.

Ready to try it? Download Krita and see what it’s like to work with software that actually works for you.