Krita

Key features

• Nine brush engines with stabilizers Pixel, smudge, duplicate, particle, and sketch engines combine with brush stabilizers and over a hundred bundled presets, so linework, washes, and texture each get a purpose-built tool.[1]

• HDR painting with EXR support Wide-gamut and high-dynamic-range painting with OpenEXR file support keeps bright and saturated artwork faithful from canvas to export.[1]

• Wrap-around painting mode A single keypress wraps the canvas edges together, so patterns and game textures tile continuously while they are still being painted.[1]

• Frame-by-frame 2D animation Onion skins, import of audio, and export to video or image sequences turn the painting canvas into a short-animation workspace without leaving the app.[1]

• Vector tools and text layout Vector layers, editable shapes, and the redesigned text engine handle speech balloons, logos, and titles alongside painted layers.[1]

• Drawing assistants and filters Perspective grids, rulers, symmetry guides, built-in filters, and G'Mic integration steady construction lines and finish passes.[1]

• Python scripting with a scripter A documented Python API and built-in scripter automate repetitive tasks and extend the app, with scripting coursework linked from the features page.[1][2]

• PSD-compatible file workflow Import and export across common raster formats including layered PSD keeps Krita usable in mixed-tool pipelines with other editors.[1]

Who will love it

• Illustrators and comic artists Painters, inkers, and colorists get brush choice, stabilizers, assistants, and text balloons in one free canvas with no seat cost.[1][2]

• Solo animators and storyboard artists Artists boarding or animating short sequences can sketch, ink, and preview motion with onion skins and audio without buying a second tool.[1][2]

• Texture and concept artists on a budget Game and concept workflows get wrap-around tiling, HDR color, and PSD exchange while staying on free software.[1][2]

Who should avoid it

• Teams needing a support contract Help comes from the manual, forums, chat channels, and the contributor community rather than a support desk with response guarantees.[1][2]

• Teams wanting a hosted edition Krita ships only as software to install on desktop and mobile; teams wanting a cloud workspace with centralized administration will not find one.[1][2]

• Photo librarians and RAW developers Photographers managing large libraries or developing RAW files need a photo manager or RAW developer, since Krita is a painting canvas rather than a photo workflow.[1][2]

What the reports suggest