Krita
ActiveOverview
Krita is a digital painting application designed for artists, supporting raster graphics editing, animation, and photo manipulation. It handles HDR and scene-referred images, full color management with ICC and OpenColor IO, and provides tools for brush-based painting, layer management, and file operations3456. It stands out with native support for advanced color workflows and extensibility via API3.
Key Features
- HDR and Scene-Referred Image Support - Opens, saves, edits, and authors HDR images with OCIO and OpenEXR view manipulation3.
- Full Color Management - Uses LCMS for ICC profiles and OpenColor IO for EXR, with bundled ICC working space profiles356.
- Brush Preset Docker - Provides quick access to favorite brushes, erasers, and illustration tools4.
- Toolbox Docker - Offers tools for formatting, editing, selection, and warping images4.
- Author Profile Settings - Stores contact info into images via customizable profiles1.
- Powerful API - Enables creation of custom widgets and extensions using PyQt and Krita's API3.
- File Menu Core Functionality - Handles creating documents, loading, saving, and program settings4.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | Free | Full feature set including HDR support, color management, brushes, and API |
Platforms & Requirements
Krita runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux desktops. It leverages multicore processors and Intel HT Technology for performance gains up to 2X on supported hardware2. No mobile or web versions; requires configuration for display color profiles on Linux7.
Integrations & Ecosystem
- ICC profiles (LCMS2)
- OpenColor IO (OCIO) for EXR and LUTs
- OpenEXR image format
- PyQt for extensions
- Krita API for plugins
- Color profiles from Gimp, Inkscape, digiKam, Scribus
Alternatives
| App | Difference |
|---|---|
| GIMP | More general-purpose image editor with strong photo retouching but less specialized painting brushes than Krita6. |
| Photoshop | Commercial app with broader ecosystem but lacks native free HDR authoring and requires subscription3. |
| Krita alternatives like MyPaint | Focuses on brush simulation but misses Krita's advanced color management and animation tools. |
| Clip Studio Paint | Specialized for comics/manga with vector tools, unlike Krita's raster painting emphasis. |
Reputation
Krita is recognized for its robust free painting tools, advanced color management, and HDR capabilities, appealing to digital artists seeking open-source alternatives to paid software356. Users praise its brush system and extensibility but note occasional complexity in color profile setup, especially on Linux7. Performance optimizations for multicore systems enhance its appeal for professional workflows2.
Sources (9)
- https://docs.krita.org/en/reference_manual/preferences/author_settings.html
- https://www.intel.com/content/dam/develop/external/us/en/documents/enhancing-user-experience-krita-application.pdf
- https://krita.org/en/features/
- https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/business-and-other/9781801071765/2/ch02lvl1sec07/breaking-down-the-krita-ui
- https://docs.krita.org/en/general_concepts/colors/profiling_and_callibration.html
- https://docs.krita.org/sl/general_concepts/colors/color_managed_workflow.html
- https://krita-artists.org/t/help-me-understand-krita-display-profiles/28021
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dxRuXmRChs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XWBpIJu3L0