# Art Programs!



## Coffee_Geek

*Hello Artists!

          As stated in the title, I am going to recommend art programs that I have tried out or what others have tried out (comment in the thread!). I will add others' experiences/art programs here!

Firealpaca*
     Very much like Paint Tool Sai, it does not come with vector tools (Mouse Users.) Easy to understand and is free.


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[expired image]



*Sketchbook Express/Pro*
      It's best to get the free version. Comes in various medias, Easier to understand and is pressure sensitive.


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*Gimp*
     Has vectors and is free


A-Link said:


> My favorite of all the time. Very simple to use, available on every operating system. Another cool feature is that you can write plugins if you know how to program in Python. It's open source and 100% free.





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*Paint Tool Sai*
     Commonly used, same dynamics as FireAlpaca, but with vectoring. 54$ for Full version, there is a 30 day trial available. Not compatible with Mac.


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*Krita*
Recommended by many people on this thread it is free and has many tools to choose from. As of now, they have been trying to implement animation (sort of jittery at the moment) but a very good program overall. The website has free sources and guides that will give you tips/tricks/advice on using the program.


Stepheroo said:


> Just in case no one has mentioned it or some of you don't know about it - *Krita* is a really good, free, open sourced program made by artists, for artists.
> 
> Here is the website: [x]





Noir said:


> I advise putting Krita. It can be a tad difficult or complexed to understand at first, and it's always a learning process. However, I do feel it would be good use considering they have a free version packed with some good tools, and it can be like photoshop or sai. Or both, really.





Spoiler







*Open Canvas*


Alpa The Apple said:


> Hmm, I use OpenCanvas 6 which I paid $50 (USD) for. I would recommend the software too since I have had it for almost 2 years now. You can purchase it off their website or off steam. (I would recommend steam since it is a bit cheaper, website sells it for $59 while steam sells it for $50)
> http://www.portalgraphics.net/en/oc/
> There is a free trial on their website you can download too. Also at the bottom of the page tells you about the system requirements. (I don't think it works with mac, sorry :C)
> (There is a little bug with the Wacom's tablet driver V6.3.14-1 that causes you to be unable to draw. If you have it, on their website they provide a link to download the latest version if it from the Wacom's website)
> http://store.steampowered.com/app/301610/
> The app on steam has videos on the store page of speed paints with this software if you'd like to watch it. Along with some photos of the tabs. I also have a screenshot to show them too. Forgive my bad handwriting, I slur the letters together a lot. I tried not to.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
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> View attachment 176740View attachment 176741View attachment 176742View attachment 176743View attachment 176744
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> 
> If I got carried away showing buttons forgive that too >.> (Haven't really made an example for software I use before so don't really know what all to put.)
> Some examples of things I have made in this software:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
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> View attachment 176745View attachment 176746



*Medibang Paint*
Available on IOS devices (IPad/IPhone) and Windows/Mac. It was created by the same creators of FireAlpaca and it does have a few similarities with FireAlpaca/Paint Tool Sai. It is free and comes with comic patterns; Pressure sensitive and have an online community (if you're using the app on a mobile device.)


Spoiler







*Apple Applications*



thatonemayor said:


> If any of you are ipad inclined, here's a few apps you might try:
> 
> *Procreate* - Literally the best ipad drawing app on the market. Really supportive of artists, you buy it once and you've got it forever. No subscription, and their forums have a crap ton of free brushes and other resources. I've used it for drawing mayors, and writing/illustrating a children's book. It's the best of the best.
> 
> *SketchClub * - Decent set of tools, and has a unique "club" aspect where you can live stream work and also share work with a community. Decent for the price.
> 
> *Adobe Sketch* - Has some really neat watercolor brushes that actually behave somewhat like water with pooling and such. Worth experimenting with.
> 
> *Assembly* - Not exactly a "drawing app" but more of a vector app where you can make stickers by layering shapes. However, I have a good friend in real life that was able to make a really cute chibi of my mayor with this app, so if he could do it, you could make some pretty unique things too.
> 
> A few other apps that might be worth trying, but aren't notable enough (to me) to warrent a paragraph: Inspire Pro, Paper, Sketches Pro, MyBrushes Pro, Brushes Redux.



*Clip Studio Paint*
A highly requested drawing program that has been gaining popularity over the years - price is about $50-$220, $50 is standard and $220 is the full featured CSP. However, I believe it's worth trying because there's plenty of resources it comes with such as, 3D models, tools to replicate manga/comics, screen toning, effects, and much more! Animation was recently added as well.


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*Animation

GraphicsGale*
Program for pixels! As of now I believe it is only available for Windows. Great for making sprites/pixel art and animating pixel art. There are plenty of guides on using it and it is free!


Spoiler







I only use Macromedia Flash 8 and Photoshop CC for animations.
-Macromedia Flash 8 is free! Many guides/tutorials to find out there.


*If you would like to add extra notes to these as well, tell me and I will happily edit it in!!*


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## Virals

This is veeery helpful!!! Thank you so much!! I would definitely check out "Graphics Gale" as a contender for the post. I just discovered it and it looks amazing for anyone who likes to pixel! Haven't used it yet but I've only heard good things.


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## Chibi.Hoshi

Tried and seen friends use all of these but the animated part. XD
Nice to see someone made a thread.


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## doveling

Virals said:


> This is veeery helpful!!! Thank you so much!! I would definitely check out "Graphics Gale" as a contender for the post. I just discovered it and it looks amazing for anyone who likes to pixel! Haven't used it yet but I've only heard good things.



yep i can agree on this too, 
i use graphics gale & its a really good pixel program, has grids and you can even do your animation on there!!


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## nammie

you might wanna mention that some of these (notably sai and graphicsgale which other ppl are mentioning, I'm not sure about the others bc I haven't tried them) aren't compatible with a mac.

idk if you've tried painter and opencanvas, but opencanvas was my fav program before sai was released, though unfortunately that isn't compatible with macs either sigh

idk about the most recent version but the opencanvas I had had a drawing playback option, where there was a button you could press after you finished your art that could make a video (in opencanvas format) that other ppl could open in opencanvas and view, and it would show all the layers and things too and you could like toggle diff layers after the playback finished playing. I thought that was neat and it's the only program I've used that had that feature.

otherwise great list!!

edit/ oh and if you're too lazy to download programs there's always online drawing options like drawr and whatnot!!


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## windfall

nammie said:


> you might wanna mention that some of these (notably sai and graphicsgale which other ppl are mentioning, I'm not sure about the others bc I haven't tried them) aren't compatible with a mac.
> 
> idk if you've tried painter and opencanvas, but opencanvas was my fav program before sai was released, though unfortunately that isn't compatible with macs either sigh
> 
> otherwise great list!!



Sigh, wish I saw this earlier @_@ not many programs are compatible with mac, it seems...shame cause graphics gale seems pretty cool. 
Seriously missing sai's color wheel. I've installed firealpaca but I havent got the motivation to learn it @_@ 

I've heard about inkscape which is a vectors program, but haven't tried it.


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## nammie

windfall said:


> Sigh, wish I saw this earlier @_@ not many programs are compatible with mac, it seems...shame cause graphics gale seems pretty cool.
> Seriously missing sai's color wheel. I've installed firealpaca but I havent got the motivation to learn it @_@
> 
> I've heard about inkscape which is a vectors program, but haven't tried it.



yea this is why I've forced myself to finally learn to use photoshop properly, it's one of the few art programs that are compatible across all platforms haha having to blend manually after being used to sai's nice blending options was not fun 
I installed firealpaca for a while too but mine just... kept crashing so I gave up...


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## windfall

nammie said:


> yea this is why I've forced myself to finally learn to use photoshop properly, it's one of the few art programs that are compatible across all platforms haha having to blend manually after being used to sai's nice blending options was not fun
> I installed firealpaca for a while too but mine just... kept crashing so I gave up...



Firealpaca literally just sits in my document folder, dunno why it's even there since I never open it. 8(


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## Zane

Oh cool this got stickied. :O I guess I'll mention the program I use for digital art right now. It's called ArtRage Studio and its main feature is to closely imitate the effects of traditional mediums (incidentally because of this it's not possible to do pixel art with the program). It has a very simple interface and it's easy to learn how to use for beginners, it's been great for a digital art noob like myself. 
I'm not sure where to download and if it's free or not though, but it does run on Mac.  I have the old version I got free with my tablet, I think the new one is called ArtRage 4 but I haven't tried it.


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## windfall

Zane said:


> Oh cool this got stickied. :O I guess I'll mention the program I use for digital art right now. It's called ArtRage Studio and its main feature is to closely imitate the effects of traditional mediums (incidentally because of this it's not possible to do pixel art with the program). It has a very simple interface and it's easy to learn how to use for beginners, it's been great for a digital art noob like myself.
> I'm not sure where to download and if it's free or not though, but it does run on Mac.  I have the old version I got free with my tablet, I think the new one is called ArtRage 4 but I haven't tried it.



I tried artrage studio in my attempts to fill the hole SAI left lol

it seemed interesting, there's some brush options (but it didn't seem customizable). ultimately decided to uninstall though since my motivation for art has been on the decline recently....

i think there's a free trial for like 15/30 days, and if you want to buy it, it's $50, or something decently priced! 

>link: http://www.artrage.com


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## Mr. Marowak

I personally like to use *paint.net*. It's a free, easy-to-use program that in some ways rivals big-name programs like Photostop. There are tons of plugins available, so you can run it how you like it. Unfortunately, pressure sensitivity and Mac capability are not available at the time. I think that some older versions have pressure sensitivity, though. It's arguably the best program to use if you can't afford a tablet (like me) for Windows. 

I'm bad with descriptions, so check it out for yourself at getpaint.net.


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## Zanessa

Mr. Marowak said:


> I personally like to use *paint.net*. It's a free, easy-to-use program that rivals big-name programs like Photostop.



Nah,  wouldn't say that it rivals Photoshop since Photoshop can be used for more than just drawing and animation. 

But I really recommend FireAlpaca and/or Photoshop to Mac Users. Sketchbook Express is good for sketching IMO.


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## Zanessa

Just found this on dA for people with FireAlpaca problems.


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## ChatLoggingBot

I am so glad you didn't put something like sumo paint because that program is really bad


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## MC4pros

I recommend Aseprite for pixel art! :>


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## bloomwaker

I used to be big into Photoshop, but the program is so big, and has so many things I don't use. SAI is the one that currently has my heart. Super easy for painting, and it lags significantly less while doing what I was trying (and failing) to do oh Photoshop. I do miss the variety of layer styles Photoshop offers though. Occasionally I have to go and tweak some things on there. With SAI being able to save things as PSD though, it's a pretty easy transition. This makes me pretty happy that I don't have a Mac, though. If I did, I would have been too lazy to try it, and would have seriously missed out.


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## deerui

cRies I use firalpaca yey

- - - Post Merge - - -



Mr. Marowak said:


> I personally like to use *paint.net*. It's a free, easy-to-use program that in some ways rivals big-name programs like Photostop. There are tons of plugins available, so you can run it how you like it. Unfortunately, pressure sensitivity and Mac capability are not available at the time. I think that some older versions have pressure sensitivity, though. It's arguably the best program to use if you can't afford a tablet (like me) for Windows.
> 
> I'm bad with descriptions, so check it out for yourself at getpaint.net.



I used to aways use paint.net, loved it. Then I went to firealapca and realized how horrible paint.net is..


The lines are always really thick, no pixels, layers are weird, etc


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## Amissapanda

I've heard good things about FireAlpaca, but does anyone know if it will run with a Yinova MSP19U tablet monitor? I'd rather know _before_ I install the program, but google has been failing me on information so far.


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## deerui

Amissapanda said:


> I've heard good things about FireAlpaca, but does anyone know if it will run with a Yinova MSP19U tablet monitor? I'd rather know _before_ I install the program, but google has been failing me on information so far.



 It works with FireAlpaca, but you need to set it up: If you go into File->Environment Setting and set ?Brush Coordinate? to ?Use Mouse Coordinate? instead of ?Use Tablet Coordinate (recommended)? both the line and the offset are fixed.​


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## Amissapanda

yuchuei said:


> It works with FireAlpaca, but you need to set it up: If you go into File->Environment Setting and set “Brush Coordinate” to “Use Mouse Coordinate” instead of “Use Tablet Coordinate (recommended)” both the line and the offset are fixed.​



Oh, my question is about my model, specifically. Sorry for not clarifying further. You see, when I got the Yinova MSP19U, it specifically stated that the tablet does not work with Paint Tool SAI. Fire Alpaca didn't even exist (or at least I didn't know of it yet) when I bought my tablet monitor about two years ago. Since FA is similar to SAI, I want to find out in advance if it would even run on my specific model or not.

But thanks for the info, nonetheless!


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## deerui

Amissapanda said:


> Oh, my question is about my model, specifically. Sorry for not clarifying further. You see, when I got the Yinova MSP19U, it specifically stated that the tablet does not work with Paint Tool SAI. Fire Alpaca didn't even exist (or at least I didn't know of it yet) when I bought my tablet monitor about two years ago. Since FA is similar to SAI, I want to find out in advance if it would even run on my specific model or not.
> 
> But thanks for the info, nonetheless!



yeah... I know cx It works with Yinova MSP19U!


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## Amissapanda

yuchuei said:


> yeah... I know cx It works with Yinova MSP19U!



Okay, thanks! I'll give it a shot next chance I get. : )


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## pengutango

Anyone hear of a program called Krita? I've been meaning to actually try it, but I've heard it's a decent program for drawing. I forget if it works on Mac, but it definitely does work on Windows.


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## windfall

pengutango said:


> Anyone hear of a program called Krita? I've been meaning to actually try it, but I've heard it's a decent program for drawing. I forget if it works on Mac, but it definitely does work on Windows.



Just searched it up~ looks like it works for Mac but is unstable (sigh) 

https://krita.org/features/highlights/

Looks pretty cool; I love how it has a colour wheel.


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## deerui

windfall said:


> Just searched it up~ looks like it works for Mac but is unstable (sigh)
> 
> https://krita.org/features/highlights/
> 
> Looks pretty cool; I love how it has a colour wheel.



firealpaca also has color wheel...
it has wheel and the little line thing


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## Hipster

firealpaca helped meh! I have a touchscreen laptop and this is nwo my offical new program to use when drawing


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## Bowie

Does anyone know of any simple 3D model creation tools? Sculptris was good, but you could only work with a circular mesh and had to highly modify it to make it anything but, and there seemed to be a very low polygon limit.


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## Dork

I use firealpaca and have been for like 2 years now!
I have trouble finding brushes i like for it though :c


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## A-Link

Coffee_Geek said:


> *Gimp
> *     Has vectors and is free
> 
> 
> Spoiler


My favorite of all the time. Very simple to use, available on every operating system. Another cool feature is that you can write plugins if you know how to program in Python. It's open source and 100% free.


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## CozyKitsune

Whats the website for GIMP? (Like for downloading it.)


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## unravel

Guys I really need a help anyway I'm looking for *Photoshop CS 6* my program got rekt because of moving the files to local disk D so anyway it's really hard to look for crack version of CS6 send me a copy thanks! Oh yeah mine is 32 bit if theres 64 bit then send me both.


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## Prabha

I use this app called "procreate" on my iPad
It's not horrible
It has layer options, and modes. Selection tools and much of the things other art programs have

The only thing it lacks is a watertool/ blending tool. All it has is a smudge tool which sucks.


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## Tanner54

I am very exited to see art program.I Love it!


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## windfall

If anyone is looking for an art program for mac, I want to reccommend Manga studio pro. It's on sale for $15 (rather than the original price of $50) and is really, really good. I used to use SAI (until I got my new computer) and I've tried a bunch of art programs but I think manga studio is definitely one of the better ones for Mac (and it's way cheaper than PS).


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## Kapriznyy

Medibang Paint is a relatively new one as far as I know, but it's really great (both on desktop and as an app).


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## Meira

There's also a program called Krita


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## Pastell

I'm just gonna throw this out there that MS paint can be a good program if you have nothing else. Using the "Marker" brush, it's easy to make line-less art that looks quite decent. It's a decent program draw pixel art too, in fact, that's what I used to make my signature. It's also fun to doodle in with a tablet using a large canvas and the largest size of the "Brush" brush.

Other than that I just use Paint tool SAI since it works well with the tablet I have.


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## Sheepette

You gotta add Krita. It's phenomenal


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## Nightmares

I'm currently using SketchPad for iPad to do my commissions...I might upgrade to Pro 

I also got SAI for Mac, but I can't get the hang of my tablet for some reason ;-;


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## princesse

Cool! You should check out medibang,the same developers of firealpaca made it. It's basically an updated version of firealpaca. It's main difference to me is that it can be used on most devices (even on androids). I really like the cloud too.


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## jiny

i use ibisPaintX for my ipad. it's a good program once you get the hang of it, i thought i'd never figure out how to use it but i did lol


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## Alpa The Apple

Hmm, I use OpenCanvas 6 which I paid $50 (USD) for. I would recommend the software too since I have had it for almost 2 years now. You can purchase it off their website or off steam.


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## Antonio

You guys should try out medibang


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## Reav

Idk if you wanna add this, but if anyone is interested in a 3D modeling program, a good one to use is Blender. It is a 100% free 3D modeling program and its pretty easy to use! It can be found here if youd like to add it: https://www.blender.org/


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## Coffee_Geek

Will be updating op soon, thanks for waiting folks! (It's been almost two years since I've been on here, my deepest apologies.)


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## Captain Crazy Chicken

I have MS Paint.


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## mintellect

I use IbisPaint.


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## Mari-Golds

I use firealpaca and it is great! The only thing bothering me about it is that the standard blending tool kind of sucks and i haven't found another way to blend... (also the gradient tool is very, very unhelpful)


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## Antonio

Also, a good art tool is MediBang, would like to suggest that.


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## manman4567890

there is an online pixel art maker (Make gifs to) Piskel look it up! i highly recommend it works with 3ds to!!


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## DearMidnight

............


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## Mhannah

i use paint tool sai and photoshop cc. they are both pretty good.


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## Silversea

I still have the original ms paint on my PC. It may be old but it still serves the purposes I need. Every colour perceivable to humans, basic pixel tool, and some handy functions. I get lost in the newer version and photoshop thanks to unnecessary features I'll never use.

But if I actually need to do digital illustration, then that's where I'll boot up photoshop and the like. Just not for sprites!

- - - Post Merge - - -

I still have the original ms paint on my PC. It may be old but it still serves the purposes I need. Every colour perceivable to humans, basic pixel tool, and some handy functions. I get lost in the newer version and photoshop thanks to unnecessary features I'll never use.

But if I actually need to do digital illustration, then that's where I'll boot up photoshop and the like. Just not for sprites!


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## Stepheroo

Just in case no one has mentioned it or some of you don't know about it - *Krita* is a really good, free, open sourced program made by artists, for artists.

Here is the website: [x]


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## namiieco

I use fire alpaca. It can take a while to find all the hidden features and tools though, I'm still exploring myself. I would recommend SAI over it, though, just because it has better brushes, tools etc.


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## Victoria21

This is veeery helpful!!! Thank you so much!!


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## eevoii

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this before but eh
MediBang Paint Pro is a free program I use for drawing and it's really good! >v<


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## Noir

I advise putting Krita. It can be a tad difficult or complexed to understand at first, and it's always a learning process. However, I do feel it would be good use considering they have a free version packed with some good tools, and it can be like photoshop or sai. Or both, really.


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## Coffee_Geek

***Updated*
-*Krita* was added
-*Open Canvas* was added
-*Medibang* was added
-*GraphicsGale* was was added


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## Nerd House

I was thinking of giving digital art a try, and this thread was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! If I ever get a tablet, do any of these work well on tablets?

EDIT: Dang, it sucks drawing with your mouse. I'll *NEED* a tablet for this lol. Guess I'll stick to pencil and paper until I get a tablet.


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## ~Unicorn~

Free bump


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## dedenne

Well it's a sticky, so it doesn't really need bumping haha.


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## Flaming_Oceans

Still a nice thought, nonetheless.


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## WordKnight

I'm surprised no ones said any thing about clip studio paint. It's one of the better art programs that I've used. Its main focus is for comic books but it works really well with illustrations as well. There are also tons of free downloadable brushes.

It does cost around 50$ though, I think its worth it but there are free programs that can do a lot of the stuff CSP can do.


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## Byebi

WordKnight said:


> I'm surprised no ones said any thing about clip studio paint. It's one of the better art programs that I've used. Its main focus is for comic books but it works really well with illustrations as well. There are also tons of free downloadable brushes.
> 
> It does cost around 50$ though, I think its worth it but there are free programs that can do a lot of the stuff CSP can do.



actually CSP goes on sale every few months and it becomes like a great 20~25$usd or something!

i used sai before csp and its basically like a sai and PS had a baby. its great because it gives you more features similar to photoshop that can enhance your art while not being overly technical and over whelming. so if youre already a sai user i highly recommend saving up for it because it can do things like color correction and has a diverse set of options for brushes etc that i personally LOVE... 

honestly i felt so limited from what SAI had to offer? like 500px max brush size hello? moving to CSP was probs the best thing ive ever paid for

i promise i wasn't paid to boast about clip but its just so perfect for me that i cant help it


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## Weiland

Gonna get into digital drawing and I've tried a fair few programs; none of them were for me.
Gonna have to download FireAlpaca. It seems really cute.


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## apharel

https://nesskain.deviantart.com/art/Lineart-brush-745063697

Found my HG lineart brush for Clip Studio. I used to sketch and do linearts in SAI because I never liked any of the pencil brushes in clip studio but its time to say goodbye for good! xD


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## thatonemayor

If any of you are ipad inclined, here's a few apps you might try: 

*Procreate* - Literally the best ipad drawing app on the market. Really supportive of artists, you buy it once and you've got it forever. No subscription, and their forums have a crap ton of free brushes and other resources. I've used it for drawing mayors, and writing/illustrating a children's book. It's the best of the best. 

*SketchClub * - Decent set of tools, and has a unique "club" aspect where you can live stream work and also share work with a community. Decent for the price. 

*Adobe Sketch* - Has some really neat watercolor brushes that actually behave somewhat like water with pooling and such. Worth experimenting with. 

*Assembly* - Not exactly a "drawing app" but more of a vector app where you can make stickers by layering shapes. However, I have a good friend in real life that was able to make a really cute chibi of my mayor with this app, so if he could do it, you could make some pretty unique things too. 

A few other apps that might be worth trying, but aren't notable enough (to me) to warrent a paragraph: Inspire Pro, Paper, Sketches Pro, MyBrushes Pro, Brushes Redux.


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## suiriri

I'm also gonna reccomend Clip Studio Paint, the cheapest version is $50, but it goes on sale sometimes.

You can import 3d models from their shop so it's nice to train human anatomy or to draw different poses, and it can also do animation.

It runs on Mac and PC.

There's also Asesprite, it's a pixel-art program. It can do animations, has a cute and simple interface, a lot of tutorials on the internet and has palettes for different old-school systems, if that's your thing. You can also add your own palettes, like if you want to work on Animal Crossing patterns.

The trial is the full program (but you're unable to save) and you can get the full version for free from some Linux distros, or if you compile it yourself (the code is on github). Otherwise, it's like only $16, and is avaliable on Steam, with no DRM.

It is avaliable on Windows, Linux and OSX. I don't know if the compatibility is good on OSX through, but it's worth a look.


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## Tri

I'm a PS user who spent yesterday trying out Krita, Sai and Clip Studio and I thought you'd like my notes.



Spoiler: Clip was the best one except it eventually crashed : (



I did a simple test for all three by importing a frame I'd been working on and doing, in order: layer manipulation (increase opacity of sketch, make a new painting layer between the linework and the base color); eyedrop the shade color in sketch; make a rectangular selection to paint into; paint in another selection trying to make the two sides symmetrical; freehand paint the rest of the details. This somehow took all day because I kept getting desperately tired/ eye strained from the UI differences. It probably says something that by far I farthest I got in one sitting was with Clip.

Importing: All three were able to import properly...once I reconverted my general pdfs to PSD. Weird. Krita takes longer because it wants to default lower the resolution and I have to manually type the original l, w and res.

Layers: Sai, Clip tell you layer opacity at a glance, which I didn't even know I wanted (I use opacity in nearly every document but can lose those layers). I don't like Sai's "linework layer" nonsense and how the tools are restricted to different layer types but I didn't have much time to play with it.

Selection: is more comfortable to use in all three, most comfortable in Clip where the selection is moved on drag by default (rather than artwork). It has a nifty UI directly under the selection for easy deselecting (!), crop, deletion, copying, and deleting the rest of the layer, but inexplicably moving the selection is only in main sidebar.

Shortcuts: 
None of them have PS' Shift (make straight 180 degree or 90 degree lines)!! Clip and Krita can achieve it with the line tool, but Sai's line tool is stupid and prohibitive so far. Google didn't help.
I have to manually make 'Z' the zoom tool, but that's fine

Layout:
Sai's is the most sensible. For the dropdowns, I like how straightforward the categories are and how the shortcut is given. I like the layer transform options under 'L' and easy canvas flipping under 'C' (in the sense that the options aren't buried in further menus).

On the other hand, CLIP IS THE ONLY ONE WITH A HISTORY WINDOW! History windows are much faster than ctrl+Z for undoing drawing when used to having them. Clip is the highest fidelity to the PS layout almost to a fault, because combined with its additional features its dropdown menus are difficult to parse and not awfully useful yet save for selection.
Oh, I really like that Clip's gradient UI takes after Illustrator rather than PS (but improved over both). A lot more flexible.

I really, really like Krita's middle of the road between ease of use and familiarity, but I don't have any clue what color I'm using most of the time. It wasn't at all clear that the tiny swatches in the top are gradients rather than my functioning color.



I don't need to switch right away so I'm going to pick up Clipstudio when it goes on sale (when does it tend to?). I'll also keep around Krita and try its vectors. : )


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## 1ce

yikes


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## Prophecy82

I really like the GIMP 2 app, I used to to make mods in Left4Dead2.


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## xSuperMario64x

So I really like this thread, it's a great resource but I wonder if anyone knows about any good mobile art applications? The two that interested me (firealpaca and gimp) don't seem to be available on the play store. I'm considering just buying the full version of Colors for my tablet (it's only $5) but if there's a free program that I can use then that would be even better!

Edit: so I ended up getting the app Medibang for my tablet. It's totally free and it's been really fun to use so far. It's definitely a step up from Colors 3D. There are still only a few varieties of brushes available but for now I'm content with the resources it gives me.


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## Enxssi

Ibis Paint X is a great art program. Nowadays i just use it to make some funny art so my friends can laugh, but it is VERY good. It’s also free, there isn’t any ads that you have to watch (unless you want to unlock more brushes, but it isn’t that bad), and I could not recommend it enough.


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## jyrilian

CSP is amazing, they do go on sale occasionally 50% off too (plus lots of nice community brushes) . I used to use Medibang and I think it's really easy to get used to


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## jupisan

pixlr
free web based photo editing program. 
its really good.


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## Victoria of Starry Isle

Very Helpful! I actually use GIMP in a digital art class at my school lol. But we use it more for editing pictures. For vectors we use a program called inkscape which has vectors, pretty cool but not as many visual effects/filters as in gimp.


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## Chris

Hi all!

You may have noticed that the opening post in this thread is no longer being maintained and many of the images are broken. If anyone knowledgeable on art programs is interested in making a new thread to replace this one please let us know. 

EDIT: we've given someone the okay to make the new thread.


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