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Krita is a free, open-source digital-painting program for Windows, macOS, Linux, and— with important limitations—Android tablets. It is especially well suited to sketching, illustration, concept art, comics, textures, pixel art, and hand-drawn raster animation. This tutorial takes you from a blank document to a layered drawing you can save and export, then explains the tools and workflows worth learning next.
What is Krita used for?
Krita is primarily an application for creating raster artwork. Its strongest uses include:
- Digital sketching and painting
- Character and environment illustration
- Concept art and matte painting
- Comic and manga production
- Texture creation
- Pixel art
- Hand-drawn 2D raster animation
Krita includes layers, masks, selections, brush engines, stabilizers, assistants, filters, vector tools, animation features, and resource-management tools. However, it is not a universal replacement for Photoshop. Krita’s own manual describes it as optimized for digital painting rather than workflows such as advanced photo stitching and broad image manipulation.
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Choose Krita when your main task is creating artwork with brushes. A photo editor, vector application, desktop-publishing tool, or dedicated animation suite may be a better fit when those are the center of your work.
Is Krita free?
Yes. The official download is free and open source, and the project states that features are not locked behind a paywall. You may also find paid copies through app stores. Those versions can offer convenient installation, updates, or a straightforward way to support development; buying one is not required to use Krita.
The official project also sells optional training, brush resources, merchandise, and supporter products. Treat these as extras, not requirements for learning the application.
Download Krita safely
Download Krita from the official Krita download page or the official store for your platform. Avoid third-party “free download” sites, which may bundle unwanted software or provide an outdated installer. The project publishes file-integrity information such as hashes for users who want to verify a download.
As of the project information available on August 18, 2026, Krita has two active release lines: Krita 5.3.3 and Krita 6.0.3, both released July 29, 2026. The platform details differ:
- Krita 5.3.3: Windows 64-bit, Linux AppImage, macOS, Android APKs, and source code.
- Krita 6.0.3: Windows 64-bit, Linux AppImage, macOS, and source code; the Android version is not yet functional for this release.
Krita 5.3.3 raises the minimum supported macOS version from macOS 10.14 Mojave to 10.15 Catalina. These releases no longer provide 32-bit Windows builds. Check the download page for the correct release and installer rather than assuming the newest version works on every platform. Android support remains beta and is intended for tablets, not a phone-first experience. See the official release announcement for release-specific details.
Understand the Krita workspace
Do not try to learn every docker and brush engine on your first day. Start with these areas:
- Canvas: the document where you draw and paint.
- Toolbar: commonly used controls and tool settings.
- Brush Presets: your available brushes, pencils, erasers, and other presets.
- Layers docker: the stack used to separate and organize artwork.
- Advanced Color Selector: a visual way to choose colors.
- Tool Options: settings for the currently selected tool.
- Status bar: document dimensions, zoom, and related information.
- Workspace controls: saved arrangements for tasks such as painting or animation.
Right-clicking the canvas opens Krita’s Popup Palette, which provides quick access to brushes and common commands. If the interface does not resemble a tutorial, you may be using a different workspace, version, platform layout, or customized arrangement. Use the workspace switcher to change or reset the workspace and re-enable missing dockers through the relevant menu. The official FAQ and reference manual are more reliable than screenshots when labels differ.
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This exercise uses a small fruit or icon because it teaches the essential workflow without requiring a complex portrait. The example canvas is 2,000 × 2,000 pixels—a practical starting point, not a Krita requirement.
1. Create a document
Open Krita and use the New Document command. On Windows and Linux, the default shortcut is usually Ctrl+N; macOS users should check the platform-specific shortcut. Enter 2,000 × 2,000 pixels and create the document.
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2. Pick one dependable brush
Choose a basic opaque or pencil-like preset in Brush Presets. Begin with one sketching brush and one opaque painting brush. Downloading dozens of brush packs before understanding size, opacity, and pressure usually adds confusion rather than control.
Adjust Size and Opacity in the top toolbar. The active preset, brush size, opacity, flow, and pressure response are separate controls: changing the preset does not automatically give you the stroke you want.
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Rename the initial paint layer Sketch. Draw the fruit’s overall silhouette, stem, and a few guidelines. Keep the sketch loose. If the lines are too strong while you ink, reduce the layer’s opacity in the Layers docker.
For common defaults, B selects the freehand brush and E toggles eraser mode. Ctrl+Z undoes on Windows and Linux. Shortcuts can be customized, so verify them in Krita’s shortcut settings if they do not work.
4. Add clean line art
Use the layer-add control in the Layers docker to create a new paint layer above Sketch. Rename it Line Art. Draw cleaner contours while using the sketch underneath as a guide. Separating these stages lets you correct the drawing without destroying the rough version.
5. Add flat color beneath the lines
Create another paint layer and rename it Flats. Move it below Line Art by dragging it in the layer stack. Paint the main fruit color there. Keeping line art above the color prevents the fill from obscuring your contours.
If you paint outside the shape, undo, erase the excess, or use a selection to isolate the area. As you become more comfortable, selections and alpha-based workflows can make flat coloring faster and cleaner.
6. Add shadows and highlights
Create a layer above Flats called Shadows. Paint a simple shadow on one side of the fruit, then lower the layer opacity or try an appropriate blending mode. Add a separate Highlights layer for a small light area.
There is no universally correct blending mode. Use the layer’s mode menu to compare results and reduce opacity when the effect is too strong. Separate shading and highlights are easier to revise than permanently painting every effect onto the color layer.
7. Save the editable source
Save the document in Krita’s native format so the layer stack remains editable. Use a meaningful filename and save versions as you work. The source file is not the same thing as the image you share online.
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8. Export a copy
Use the export command to create a distribution copy:
- PNG: best for lossless artwork and transparency.
- JPG: useful when a smaller file is more important and compression is acceptable.
- GIF or video: relevant to animation, with format and codec limitations.
Keep the layered Krita file and exported PNG or JPG as separate files. Exporting is not a substitute for saving the editable source. Krita’s tutorial collection includes further guidance on saving for the web.
Brushes, erasing, and pressure
Brush presets
A brush preset is a saved combination of brush behavior and appearance. The preset docker may contain pencils, ink brushes, textured brushes, airbrushes, and painting brushes. Use tags and search filters to organize a growing collection.
When you find a useful brush, learn how its size, opacity, flow, and pressure settings behave before replacing it. You can open the brush editor—F6 is a documented default in many workflows—to inspect or modify a preset, but brush-engine theory is optional for beginners.
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Eraser mode
Eraser mode changes a brush so its stroke removes pixels rather than adding the selected color. The default E shortcut toggles it in many configurations. For major corrections, a separate layer or mask is often safer than erasing the only copy of your artwork.
Drawing tablets
A mouse can operate Krita, but a pressure-sensitive tablet generally gives better control over line weight and opacity. Install the tablet manufacturer’s driver before troubleshooting Krita, then test pressure with a brush that actually uses pressure for size or opacity.
If pressure does not work on Windows:
- Confirm that the tablet works in the operating system.
- Install or update the manufacturer’s driver.
- Open Krita’s tablet settings.
- Test the available WinTab and Windows Pointer Input options.
- Restart Krita after changing the input mode.
- Try a known pressure-sensitive brush.
If the cursor behaves incorrectly, the driver, input mode, or brush preset may be responsible. Linux and Android can also have hardware-specific compatibility issues. The Krita FAQ documents the main tablet troubleshooting path.
Layers: the foundation of a flexible painting workflow
A new painting normally uses raster paint layers. Each layer is a separate editable surface in the document. Layer order determines what appears above or below; opacity controls how strongly a layer is displayed.
A practical illustration stack might look like this:
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- Highlights
- Line Art
- Shadows
- Flats
- Sketch
- Background
Rename layers as soon as their purpose is clear. Use groups for characters, panels, background elements, or other related sets. Blending modes change how a layer interacts with layers below it, while masks let you hide or modify areas without immediately deleting the underlying pixels.
Krita distinguishes raster and vector layers and also supports transparency, filter, and transform masks. A transform mask can apply a resize, rotation, or other transformation non-destructively as part of the layer stack. Masks are powerful, but learn ordinary layers first so you understand what is being edited.
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Selections, masks, transforms, and stabilizers
Selections
Selections isolate an area so a brush, fill, filter, or transformation affects only that area. They are useful for clean flat colors, controlled highlights, geometric shapes, and corrections. Deselect before continuing if later strokes appear mysteriously restricted.
Masks
Use a mask when you want an edit to remain reversible. A mask can hide part of a layer without permanently removing the pixels. This is especially useful for adjusting shadows, revealing texture, and making corrections to complex artwork.
Transform tools
Transform tools resize, rotate, move, or deform selected content. For important artwork, consider using a separate layer or transform mask so you can revisit the change without repeatedly degrading the original.
Stabilizers
Stabilizers smooth hand-drawn strokes by averaging or delaying your movement. They can help with inking and long contours, but excessive stabilization may make the brush feel unresponsive. Use the tool options for the freehand brush and choose the lowest setting that gives you control.
A clean coloring workflow
For a character or illustration, this sequence scales better than painting everything on one layer:
- Sketch the pose and proportions.
- Lower the sketch opacity.
- Ink on a separate layer.
- Place flat colors below the ink.
- Use selections or an alpha-based workflow to keep color inside shapes.
- Add shadows on separate layers.
- Add highlights and texture separately.
- Keep the original sketch and source layers until the work is complete.
This structure makes experimentation safer. You can recolor the flats, change the shadow opacity, transform one element, or hide the sketch without repainting the entire image.
Krita for comics
Krita can support comic and manga workflows through page templates, guides, text tools, layers, and export options. Start by choosing a page size and resolution appropriate for the intended destination; do not assume a web comic, print page, and social-media image need identical settings.
For each page, keep a consistent structure such as:
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- Guides or construction
- Sketch
- Inks
- Flats
- Shadows
- Lettering and text
- Background elements
Use panels and guides to maintain alignment, and keep lettering separate from the artwork so it can be edited. Export pages in the format required by the printer, publisher, or website. Krita’s manual includes comic-related workflows, while the official shop lists optional comics training.
Krita for animation
Krita supports hand-drawn raster animation. It provides a timeline, animation and onion-skin dockers, raster paint layers, and workflows for rendering or exporting movies and GIFs. It is well suited to exercises such as a bouncing ball, short hand-drawn loop, or walk-cycle fragment.
- Open the workspace controls and choose the Animation workspace, or enable the Animation Timeline docker manually.
- Create a raster paint layer.
- Use the timeline to create and edit frames.
- Enable onion skinning to compare neighboring drawings.
- Draw a short exercise, adding key poses before in-between frames.
- Render or export using the animation-rendering workflow for your version.
Krita is not automatically the best choice for every animation production. If you need sophisticated tweening, rigging, compositing, audio editing, or studio asset management, dedicated animation software may be more appropriate. Export behavior can also vary by version and FFmpeg setup. The July 2026 release notes mention fixes involving FFmpeg 7.0+ HDR animation rendering and animation playback, so follow the animation documentation for your installed release rather than assuming every export setup behaves identically.
Common problems and fixes
The interface looks different
Different release lines, workspaces, operating systems, dockers, and customized shortcuts can all change the appearance. Switch or reset the workspace, re-enable missing dockers, and use the reference manual instead of following a screenshot blindly.
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Confirm that the resource was imported, remove restrictive tags or search filters, and look in the Brush Presets docker. The bundle may be incompatible with your version or may require a restart. Use official or trusted resources.
The document is slow or huge
Reduce canvas dimensions when appropriate, avoid unnecessarily oversized layers, close unused documents, and use a simpler brush preset if the system is struggling. Organize layers with groups rather than duplicating large artwork repeatedly. There is no universal best canvas size or hardware requirement: performance depends on the document, version, operating system, and computer.
An animation exports incorrectly
Check the version-specific rendering instructions, FFmpeg installation, export settings, and the compatibility of the player used to open the result. If the file plays in one application but not another, the codec or container may be the issue rather than the drawings.
What to learn next
Follow this order:
- Canvas navigation, zoom, rotation, brush size, opacity, colors, undo, and saving.
- Layers, groups, layer opacity, and blending modes.
- Tablet pressure, brush presets, and stabilizers.
- Selections, masks, and transforms.
- Inking, flat coloring, shading, and color management.
- Comics, pixel art, textures, or animation according to your goal.
- Advanced brush engines, resource bundles, assistants, and Python plugins.
Krita’s post-download learning hub links to getting-started material, basic concepts, tutorials, tablet documentation, animation resources, and community resources. Use the Basic Concepts guide for foundations, the Tutorials and How-tos section for guided projects, and the Reference Manual when you need a precise explanation.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsOptional ways to support Krita
You can simply use the free official download. If you want to support development, you can buy an official store version for installation convenience, purchase training or brush resources after learning the basics, or choose official merchandise and bundled training where it is genuinely useful.
The project’s June 2026 USB-card announcement described a 32 GB USB A+C keycard containing Krita and training packs, including Comics with Krita, Muses, Secrets of Krita, and Animate with Krita. The announcement listed €34.95 for the manually updated version and €19.95 for an empty card at that time. Prices and availability can change, so check the official announcement and shop.
The shop also lists optional Digital Atelier brush and training bundles and other courses. Regional VAT, currency, formats, and availability may affect the displayed price. None of these purchases is necessary for the core application.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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