Download the coolest drawing. Free drawing programs for your computer

A modern artist can easily do without an easel and without paints: special software for tablets on Android and iOS allows you to create digital works of any degree of complexity. The benefit of a mobile studio also lies in its compactness: carrying a heavy canvas everywhere is absurd, but the muse never warns of a visit in advance. The artist can “grab her by the tail” - make a sketch - anywhere: in line at the supermarket or in a minibus.

This article presents drawing applications that will be useful for both the professional illustrator and the self-taught hobbyist.

Price: Free

Art Flow is a canvas application: the artist has access to more than 70 brushes and other creative tools. A novice creator will definitely be captivated by the extensive functionality from the first minutes of using the program; a more experienced user will be impressed by the following advantages Art Flow:

1. All digital calculations within the application are performed on the video card built into the gadget. This technology is called GPU acceleration and guarantees excellent performance and “zero” brakes – something even professional PC programs cannot boast of.
2. You can export your “masterpiece” not only in JPEG format, but also in PNG and PSD (if further processing in Photoshop is required).
3. The artist is able to work with canvases of significant sizes (for example, 4096 by 4096).
4. Art Flow includes mode NVIDIA Direct Stylus, allowing you to draw without using a stylus or digital pen at all. In addition, the application is absolutely compatible with styluses S— PEN, which makes the program “number one” for all owners of Samsung Galaxy Note tablets.

Art Flow – « shareware" drawing application for Android: even the basic version pleasantly surprises with its functionality, but the paid version (costing about $5) allows you to use even more advanced options.

Sketch Book

Price: Free

Sketch Book– a family of convenient applications from the developer Autodesk, the company that gave the world the famous AutoCAD. Unlike Autodesk's flagship product Sketch Book Suitable not only for experienced designers, but also for beginners and even children. Three versions of the program are available for download:

1. Sketch Book Express – a free version that offers the artist 15 different brushes, 3 layers, and the ability to enlarge the image by 2500%! An additional advantage is synchronization with cloud storage Dropbox, thanks to which it is much easier to exchange sketches and exhibit finished paintings “for general judgment.”
2. Sketch Book Pro. The brush library of this program alone includes more than 100 items and customizable presets. But a rich set of tools is not the only advantage of the Pro version: the application allows you to experiment with layers, create large canvases, download files from Photoshop. This functionality will cost the user only $5.
3. Sketch Book Ink – The latest graphics application from Autodesk. Key features are an ascetic interface and simplicity. There are minimal settings: you cannot edit layers or customize brushes. Important advantage Sketch Book Ink – the ability to obtain a high-resolution image as an output (up to 101 megapixels when exporting to iTunes). Application Ink on Android, just like the Pro version, it is paid.

There is also a program Sketch Book Mobile, “tailored” specifically for the small screen of a smartphone: it is pointless to describe its functionality in detail, since the application is identical Express.

Pro Create

Price: 749 rub. +

Due to the minimalistic design, it may seem that the functionality of the application Pro Create for iPhone is poor compared to Sketch Book And Art Flow, however, this would be misleading. Developers Pro Create are of the opinion that a huge number of buttons on the screen distracts the artist from the creative process. Therefore, the application is partially controlled by gestures.

U Pro Create There are other unique features:

1. Tools for more realistic drawing – one of these tools is the “wet brush”. It is curious that all available brushes are user Pro Create can be adjusted - there is a special editor with a lot of settings.
2. Many ways to export - the image is “output” not only in iTunes: directly from the program it can be sent by email or Twitter.
3. Silica - a 64-bit engine for iOS ensures that even when using all 16 possible layers, the program will not slow down.
4. Quick Line is a simple but no less useful tool whose function is to straighten lines.

Just recently a “revolutionary” appeared in the AppStore Pro Create 3: Despite the hefty price (459 rubles), this application is recommended for every artist to buy - the abundance of various functions and adjustable parameters of the program can shock even a seasoned designer.

Price: Free

Application Sketch Master for smartphones on Android cannot boast of wide functionality and an abundance of various tools - there are only 7 brushes. However, this program has other advantages that more than compensate for the poor settings:

1. Unlimited number of layers that can be adjusted for visibility, transparency, copied and merged.
2. Ability to import photos from the gadget’s library.
3. Ultra-zoom – the image is enlarged by 3000%!
4. Availability – the application can be downloaded for free.

The fly in the ointment is that the program Sketch Master does not support the Russian language, however, judging by the huge number of positive reviews on Google Play, this does not pose a big problem.

So, you bought a graphics tablet. Besides the fact that you still have to get used to it and get better at it, you need to immediately decide on a graphic editor that will maximize all the capabilities of your new device. And if you think that you can only draw in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, then you are very mistaken.

In addition to the globally recognized and undoubtedly cool products of Adobe, there are many graphic editors that offer the same functionality, but for less money, and sometimes even for free. In addition, some programs boast a unique interface with many interesting features; designers and illustrators will definitely appreciate them.

We have compiled a list of programs where you can fully draw using a graphics tablet, simulating various artistic techniques, make sketches, create raster and vector images, and also practice lettering and calligraphy.

Corel Painter X3

Painter X3 simulates traditional brushes, textures, dry and wet effects with incredible precision. Thanks to this, there is an almost complete immersion in a real artist’s studio, where there is no computer or monitor, only an easel and canvas.

Painter Lite

A lighter, cheaper version of Painter offers all the painting tools you need, but at a lower price. An excellent option for those who are just starting to draw and are not ready to spend a lot of money.

Clip Paint Studio PRO

Despite the fact that this program was developed specifically for drawing manga, Clip Paint Studio has gone quite far and can be used with the same success in industry-standard digital painting. The program has incredibly convenient features, for example, ready-made shapes that can be used as a model for drawing poses.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 7

SketchBook Pro is a professional drawing application optimized specifically for tablet devices. Drawing in it is easy and pleasant, which novice users will undoubtedly appreciate.

ArtRage 4

A program with incredible tools and the most attractive interface. Drawing in it is easy and pleasant. Focused on creating realistic images.

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 9

Photo editing, drawing, unusual effects are not all the capabilities of Xara Photo. Users will appreciate the compatibility of file formats and the low price of the product.

Affinity Designer

The program supports working with layers, import\export of different file formats, a convenient navigator and all the tools for working with vector graphics that you can think of. Affinity Designer is something of an Adobe Illustrator killer. The only drawback of this program may be that it is only available for MAC. But the price is more than reasonable.

Inkscape

A free and convenient vector illustrator, which is essentially a symbiosis of Corel DRAW and Adobe Illustrator. Remarkable support for pen pressure sensitivity—a big deficiency in the vector illustration world—makes Inkscape a powerful tool for those serious about calligraphy.

By the way, Inkscape has an excellent resource in seven languages, including Russian, which is very rare even for commercial graphics programs. On the Inkscape website you can not only download the program, but also read articles, study lessons, participate in discussions and much more. There is also the opportunity to become one of the developers and testers of the product and bring useful features to it.

Artweaver

A raster graphics program that looks like a symbiosis of Painter and Photoshop. Compared to GIMP, it is slower in processing, but with a much larger set of brushes. Wide support for Wacom tablet.

GIMP

A colorful and functional raster program for drawing and illustrating. The interface appearance and capabilities are similar to Corel Painter. Wide support for Wacom tablet.

MyPaint

An undemanding and easy-to-use open-source program for digital artists. Allows you to concentrate on creativity, not the program interface. Tablet support is well implemented.

SmoothDraw

And here is another drawing program worth attention - ten thousand beginner and professional artists managed to download this wonderful development for free. You don't have to waste time learning menus and tools - just open a new file and show off your talents using clearly visualized functions.

Users have access to blending modes, layers, virtual canvas rotation, and sub-pixel anti-aliasing levels. In addition to standard painting tools, the application contains special tools, such as graffiti, water drops, stars, grass. Synchronization with tablets is also implemented.

Paint Tool SAI

Don't be intimidated by SAI's clean interface, as this is the de facto standard program for most Japanese anime artists. It also comes with a line correction feature to create sharper contours.

Serif DrawPlus (starter edition)

Serif DrawPlus offers all the tools for working with raster and vector graphics. Here you can create interesting prints, make logos, edit photos or draw using a lot of custom effects, including 3D. Truly a godsend for beginning illustrators and designers, and completely free!

All the programs on the list will be excellent alternatives to Adobe products, even if you are not ready to admit it yet. It’s enough to give them a chance, and who knows, maybe in a couple of weeks you won’t even remember about Photoshop! Moreover, you don’t have to pay for some products at all. Don't be afraid to try new things, push boundaries and improve!

Greetings to all!

If earlier, to draw a picture, you needed a brush, an easel, paints, etc., but now you can create without leaving the computer! Moreover, I would like to note that paintings created in some editor on a computer also cause great delight (as if it were a painting on canvas)!

I will add that many people mistakenly believe that drawing a picture on a computer is easier than on canvas. Moving your cursor (or even drawing with a graphics tablet) is no easier or faster!

Actually, this article is dedicated to tools - to draw a picture, you need special drawing programs (note: graphic editors). These will be discussed below (by the way, I’ll add that I chose free programs that support all popular Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32|64 bits)) . So...

By the way!I have another article on drawing on my blog. There is a special sites that allow you to create paintings online, meet other artists, and find common ideas. For more information, see this article:

List of the best programs. Let's start drawing?

Before moving on to the programs, I would like to dwell on one important issue - the type of computer graphics. In general, there are two main types - vector and raster graphics.

Raster drawing is a canvas on which there are many multi-colored dots (pixels). Together, all these points look to the human eye like some kind of picture (or photo).

Vector drawing consists of entities: line, segment, square, ellipse, etc., which are all interconnected. All these entities also form a wide variety of pictures.

The main advantage of a vector drawing over a raster one is the ability to transform it in any way (for example, enlarge it) without losing quality. The computer, in fact, only needs to recalculate your picture according to the mat. formulas.

Raster graphics are convenient for creating high-quality photos and digital drawings. The most popular raster image formats are JPEG and PNG. It is raster graphics that are most popular in our time (and that is why in my article the main focus is on programs for working with it).

Vector editors in the article: Gravit, DrawPlus, Inkscape.

Raster editors in the article: Paint, Gimp, ArtWeaver and others...

Paint

Raster editor

Basic program in Windows

How to start: find it in the START menu, or press the Win+R buttons, enter the mspaint command in the open line and press Enter.

A very simple graphic editor, designed not even for drawing, but for easily editing pictures (add an inscription, an arrow, erase something, cut out one piece of the picture and paste it into another, save the screenshot taken, etc.).

Professionally, of course, you can hardly draw anything in Paint, but if we are talking about some very simple drawings, then the program can be used. At least, if you are just at the very beginning of your journey, then why not try? ☺

Gimp

Raster editor (partly vector)

The GNU Image Manipulation Program (or GIMP for short) is a very powerful, free and multi-purpose graphics editor. This editor is very multifunctional: it can be used for drawing, or as a program for retouching digital photos, as a program for processing a package of pictures and publishing them (+ converting one format to another).

In addition, there are very interesting opportunities for creating step-by-step commands (scripts) that will automate routine tasks (and the scripts can be truly complex)!

Main advantages:

• drawing pictures and posters;
• support for graphics tablets (Wacom, Genius, etc.);
• draw web designs for sites, edit ready-made layouts from Photoshop;
• you can refresh your old photos, make them more juicy and vibrant;
• or poster;
• remove unnecessary elements from photos (a bad photo can become a good one!);
• a huge collection of plugins for GIMP will allow you to solve a wide variety of problems;
• The program supports Windows, Mac, Linux operating systems.

ArtWeaver

Raster editor (some analogue of Photoshop)

This program replicates many of the tools of such a popular editor as Adobe Photoshop. To edit ready-made pictures and draw new ones, there are a bunch of ready-made brushes of all types and sizes, different modes, pencil imitation, ink pen, oil brush, etc.

Main advantages:

• support for all popular graphic formats: GIF, JPEG, PCX, TGA, TIFF, PNG (including PSD and AWD);
• a huge number of tools for editing pictures: gradients, selections, filling, etc.;
• plugin support;
• availability of convenient drawing tools: brushes, pencils, etc.;
• graphics tablet support (BIG plus for those who like to draw);
• many different filters: spot, blur, mosaic, mask, etc.;
• working with text layers;
• the ability to sequentially cancel your actions.
• support for all popular versions of Windows.

MyPaint

Raster editor

MyPaint - painted portrait of a girl

A popular raster graphics editor designed more for digital artists (those who like to draw). It is an unlimited canvas (sheet) and a relatively simple interface on GTK+, without distracting the artist from the creative process - drawing.

Unlike Gimp, MyPaint has much less graph functionality. editor, but for your attention a huge dimensionless canvas; a large number of brushes, for a variety of tasks and for different functions (there are a lot of brushes, see the screenshot above).

MyPaint is a tool for painting with brushes on your PC screen almost as if you were doing it on a real canvas. In addition to brushes, there are: crayons, charcoal, pencils, etc. It's hard to resist if you have a craving for drawing...

Main features:

• the program is specifically designed for drawing, so it has fewer options for editing existing pictures (i.e., there are no functions such as selection, scaling, etc.);
• a huge set of brushes that you can customize for yourself: create and change groups, blur, mix colors, etc.;
• the program supports graphics tablet;
• the boundless canvas is very convenient in the drawing process - nothing is holding you back while creating;
• support for layers: copying, pasting, adjusting transparency, etc.;
• Windows, Mac OS, Linux supported.

SmoothDraw

Raster

A free program for painting and those who like to draw by hand on a computer. The program's interface is very simple, designed so that any artist who has just started can immediately start creating without wasting time studying.

I would like to immediately note that the program has a lot of brushes (pen, brush, airbrush, pencil, etc.), there are tools for retouching, working with layers, you can change the brightness, contrast, colors of pictures, add some effects .

Program features:

• many types of brushes for drawing: pencil, chalk, pen, airbrush, brush, spray, etc.;
• works with tablet PCs, supports graphics tablets;
• works with the following image formats: PNG, BMP, JPEG, JPG, TGA, JIF, GIF and TIFF;
• there are tools for photo retouching;
• working with layers;
• possibility of color correction;
• Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10.

Note! For SmoothDraw to work, you must have at least NET Framework version v2.0 on Windows.

Paint.NET

Raster

Paint.NET is a free picture and photo editor for Windows. The main difference from other programs is that it uses an intuitive and innovative interface with support for layers, a dimensionless canvas, special effects, useful and powerful editing tools (analogues of which are only available in paid products).

Active and growing online support will help in solving non-standard problems. In addition, quite a lot of instructions have been written for the program, additional ones. plugins to expand capabilities.

Peculiarities:

• free to distribute and use;
• user-friendly interface (somewhat similar to Photoshop);
• you can work with many documents at the same time;
• support for working with layers;
• a large number of instructions;
• the program is optimized to work with 2 and 4 core modern processors;
• Supported by all popular Windows: XP, 7, 8, 10.

Livebrush

Raster

Livebrush(translated from English as “live brush”) is a powerful graphic editor that allows you to paint with brushes. Moreover, I would like to immediately note that the “drawing tool” is not a simple one, with its help you can create quite interesting pictures, decorate the art with beautiful strokes and lines, etc.

As you work, you can select and adjust the brush so that as you move it, the line under the brush will change its thickness, color, transparency, tip rotation, depending on your mouse movement speed, pressing speed, etc.

By the way, those who have a graphics tablet will be able to fully experience the benefits of Livebrush, because it also understands the force of pressure and its inclination.

The program's set includes many brushes of different shapes: from simple lines to patterned Gothic ornaments. By the way, you can correct any pattern yourself by switching to editing with a pencil.

In addition, you can draw the pattern yourself and save it as a template. You can import ready-made sets of brushes, projects, and decorations into the program. By the way, they can be found in huge quantities on the official forum of the program.

In general, my verdict is that the program is very convenient, interesting, and deserves the attention of all drawing lovers!

Inkscape

Vector editor (one of the few)

Free analogues: Gravit, DrawPlus

Paid analogues: Corel DRAW and Adobe Illustrator

Inkscape is a free vector editor, one of the few that can partially replace such monsters as Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator. The application has a fairly standard interface: color palette, menu, tools. The program supports all major graphic formats: SVG, PDF, AI, PS, EPS, CorelDRAW.

By the way, Inkscape also has tools from the raster editor - for example, it supports various types of blending. In addition to drawing some geometric shapes, the program supports extensive work with text: you can write text along curved lines. It looks very cool and unusual.

The application has a fairly large number of filters, extensions, etc. All this is available at the office. program website.

Gravit

Vector editor (online version)

Gravit- quite an interesting vector editor. Of course, it cannot replace Adobe Illustrator, but it can compete with the previous program (Inkscape).

The tools include all the most basic things: pens, lines, intersection and cutting of shapes from each other, alignment, layers, fonts, etc. Works can be exported to SVG and several raster formats. You can also open works made in Adobe Illustrator in the program.

What's somewhat surprising is that Gravit looks like a real program while running in a browser window, without using Flash. Among the main shortcomings I would highlight the lack of Russian language.

By the way, in Gravit the choice of canvas is quite interesting: you can choose standard formats of sheets, business cards, postcards, and create covers of popular social networks, phone screens and other gadgets.

Overall, an interesting editor that deserves attention.

DrawPlus

Vector

A very flexible and powerful graphic editor that allows its users to create high-quality illustrations. This program will allow you to fully explore your drawing capabilities.

DrawPlus has many tools that will allow you to easily and quickly create a variety of shapes, strokes, and lines. Each of the elements can be combined with others and gradually the whole complex will become a rather complex, but beautiful illustration.

By the way, DrawPlus has a 3D module - it will allow you to turn your creativity into real 3D design elements. You can apply a wide variety of effects when creating logos, isometric projections, and flowcharts.

You can import a huge number of formats into the program: PDF, AI, SVG, SVGZ, EPS, PS, SMF, etc. The proprietary format for projects is DPP.

Graffiti Studio

Website: http://www.vandalsquad.com

Raster graphics

One of the best programs for drawing graffiti, it looks as realistic as possible!

To start drawing: you need to choose a piece of canvas (carriage, walls, bus), and, in fact, start creating (there are just heaps of ready-made options to choose from!). The artist has a large palette of colors (more than 100 pieces), several types of caps (skinny, regular and fat), and a marker. The distance to the surface is changed manually, it is possible to make drips. In general, for fans of such graphics there is a huge scope!

Those who don’t believe that you can create real masterpieces in the program, I recommend taking a look at the official website and seeing the best works - your view will change a lot!

PixBuilder Studio

Raster editor

A powerful program for processing and editing graphic images and photographs. In addition to editing, it is quite possible to draw and create (although there are fewer tools for this than in previous similar programs).

PixBuilder Studio has quite interesting tools that allow you to finely work with color, brightness, contrast, and layers. In addition, there are built-in effects (for example, dithering (when processing digital signals, it is the mixing of pseudo-random noise with a specially selected spectrum into the primary signal) ), blur, sharpening, etc.

Peculiarities:

• support for popular raster formats: BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, etc.;
• there is the opportunity and tools for drawing (though very limited);
• Great opportunities for editing finished photos and pictures;
• ability to work with layers;
• professional work with color: adjusting balance, brightness, contrast, etc.;
• setting up hot keys;
• the presence of ready-made effects (you just need to apply them);
• preview (to evaluate the result);
• support for popular Windows OS: 7, 8, 10.

Krita

Raster editor

An excellent and convenient raster graphics editor for artists (by the way, at the time of writing this review, the program is free even for commercial use). Krita runs on both Windows and Linux.

As for the most important thing: there is a good brush motion stabilizer, layers, masks, dynamic brushes, animation, a large number of blending modes, paper and pastel imitation, “infinite” canvas, etc.

By the way, there is even a portable version of the program that can be run from a regular flash drive on any PC. The program has also been translated into Russian.

PS: the article will be updated...

Thank you in advance for tips and advice in the comments!

Nowadays, a computer has already become an indispensable attribute of modern human life, and the functioning of the vast majority of industries is simply impossible to imagine without automated technologies. After all, the PC provides us with a huge number of different possibilities. In particular, it allows us to paint, and no worse than the best artists on canvas. To do this, initially you just need to figure out how to draw on a computer and what programs are used for this.

How and who can draw?

Absolutely any PC user can draw, and for this you do not need to have any talent or many years of experience and education. Of course, the creation of masterpieces remains with the masters of their craft and gifted people, but at the same time, any ordinary user can also try his hand at this art, making something that could be liked by many.

At the same time, in order to start doing this business, you first need to figure out how to draw on a computer. Thanks to the availability of specialized utilities, any user has the opportunity to draw anything, and for this there is a wide selection of specialized software that is absolutely free.

Paint

When considering drawing utilities, we should first consider the program of the Windows operating system itself, which allows us to draw on the computer - Paint. In other words, to use this drawing utility, you will not need to install anything additional, just go to the “Standard” section, then open the program and start drawing in a way convenient for you.

What are the benefits of Paint?

The main feature of this program is that it is extremely easy to learn, so even a beginner in the field of personal computers can understand it. The main functions of this program are the ability to draw with a brush or pencil, as well as filling the surface with a certain color and various editing of the picture, including cutting out fragments, resizing and much more. All this allows the program to be used even by those who are interested in how to draw cartoons on a computer. The functionality of this program, in principle, is sufficient to completely correct some minor errors in the drawing you made.

It is for this reason that if you are just starting to understand how to draw on a computer, you should start with Paint.

Gimp

Gimp is a fairly popular graphics editor today, and also more powerful than the previous one, which, among other things, can also be used on portable graphics tablets and many other specialized devices.

Using this utility, you can significantly improve the color rendition of the image, increase the brightness in the pictures, and also easily cut out fragments from photographs that you think are unnecessary. It is worth noting the fact that, using this editor, you will not only figure out how to draw on a computer, but you will also be able to even cut website layouts, if necessary. The program allows you to save files in its own format, which has the .xcf tag. It provides full preservation of texts, textures, layers and other elements.

The utility provides users with quite a wide range of functionality, in particular, this applies to the clipboard, due to which any picture can be instantly inserted into the program in a short period of time. If you have at least a little understanding of the basics of programming, then Gimp provides you with ample opportunities to create your own plugins. In addition, Gimp also has the ability to archive created images.

MyPaint

This graphic editor is intended only for beginner artists. For this purpose, an extremely simple and user-friendly interface has been developed, allowing even beginners to easily draw on a computer. The program offers a huge set of brushes, thanks to which you can realize your full potential by painting with this utility in the same way as on a real canvas. If we talk about the characteristic advantages of this editor, it is worth highlighting the following:

• It supports tablets, which means you can not only draw on a computer, but also use this program on mobile gadgets, drawing in any place convenient for you.
• It is possible to configure quick commands, which allows advanced users to work with this utility much more quickly and conveniently.
• A huge variety of drawing tools. It is also possible to create or import additional tools, which is especially nice for those who are thinking about how to learn to draw on a computer.
• The canvas has no boundaries, which allows you to fully realize some of your ideas. The only thing worth noting is that you still need to stay within certain limits if you want other users to be able to view the entire image on their monitors.
• The utility supports absolutely all operating systems common today.

Thanks to this, the program is now actively used by those people who prefer to draw on a computer.

Graffiti Studio

Fans of the graffiti style will definitely appreciate a utility such as Graffiti Studio. The simplicity and realism of this utility make you fall in love with it literally at first sight. Users are offered the opportunity to choose from a number of different canvases, which can be used as buses, carriages, walls, as well as other surfaces popular among fans of this art.

It is worth noting that the main panel of this program offers a fairly wide palette of colors. In addition, it is possible to use a variety of effects, including smudges, markers, maintaining a certain distance to the surface, as well as many other elements.

SmoothDraw

Using this graphic editor, the user can draw anything on the computer, since the program offers the widest functionality regarding the creation and subsequent editing of various images. It is worth noting that this utility is initially aimed specifically at drawing from a blank sheet of paper, and not at editing ready-made images.

The functionality of this utility offers a huge number of a wide variety of design and artistic tools, including all kinds of pencils, brushes, pens, pens, and many others. A distinctive feature of the program is its extremely clear and user-friendly interface, as well as the ability to work with tablets.

Artweaver

In terms of capabilities, as well as the functionality provided, this editor can easily compete with the vaunted Adobe Photoshop, which today is recognized as a leader in its field, but is paid, and for this reason it is not considered in our case. This utility offers an imitation of drawing with oil, paint, pencil, brush, chalk and any other tools, while providing the ability to work with various layers.

Speaking from an editing point of view, here the utility allows you to compress or convert files to other formats.

PixBuilder Studio

“Mini-Photoshop” - this is what this utility is often called by many users who are interested in how to draw on a computer. The program provides a fairly large number of popular and most in-demand functions and features that paid Photoshop offers today.

In particular, it is worth noting that this program provides a brightness and contrast editor, and also offers a fairly large number of tools that allow you to transform the image. Using PixBuilder, you can create a wide variety of complex images and objects, and special attention should be paid to the fact that the program has a very, very interesting feature of blurring the image, which further expands the boundaries for creativity. In particular, these effects will be important for those who are interested in how to draw anime on the computer.

In terms of image editing, the program offers the ability to resize, as well as rotate or rotate the image. All this is done by PixBuilder Studio - one of the most successful image editing programs among all existing today. Regardless of whether you are looking for how to draw a pony on a computer or how to make a full-fledged landscape, the program will provide you with the necessary functionality.

Inkscape

Inkscape is a specialized vector image editor that is a completely free version of the Corel Draw program. This utility is intended for drawing with vectors or directed segments, which is its distinctive feature. If we talk about the advantages of drawing in this format, it is worth highlighting that vector drawings do not lose quality at all if the user decides to change the resolution.

However, most often such a utility is popular, of course, not among those who are looking for how to draw a pony on a computer, but more in the field of printing.

LiveBrush

LiveBrush is quite popular today due to the fact that it is one of the most understandable and simple among all the utilities that exist today. The main distinguishing feature of the program is a fairly large number of possibilities for editing pictures, and also the fact that in this case we draw using a computer exclusively with a brush.

Of course, it may initially seem that using a single tool may somewhat reduce the user's capabilities, but in reality you can do things with this program that you have not done with any other utility. Here you have a huge variety of brushes to choose from, as well as additional settings for them. If necessary, you can download the brush yourself from the Internet or even make one. It is worth noting that in this case, the concept of “brush” refers to a tool with which you can not just draw standard lines, but even think about how to draw cartoons on a computer. It is for this reason that those people who prefer to work with graphic portraits will definitely appreciate the capabilities of the described program.

Free drawing programs, like any software distributed under a freeware or shareware license, are becoming less and less different from their large-scale commercial counterparts every year.

Thanks to the extensive community of developers and enthusiasts, new versions of well-known free graphic editors are regularly released, as well as new original projects are created.

At the same time, various drawing software is becoming increasingly specialized, focusing on use by children, creating cartoons, designing designs, etc.

Therefore, if you do not want to pay a significant amount for the ability to crop a picture and fundamentally do not use pirated software, then this review will help you choose the most suitable option for you.

GIMP

GIMP is a free alternative to the popular Photoshop editor from IT giant Adobe. This program is the default solution for creating and editing images on any Unix system, but there are also versions for Windows and Mac.

A special feature is the extremely low system requirements (from 128 MB of RAM and from 32 MB of video card memory), which makes it possible to install this software even on very old machines.

The program interface consists of separate toolbars that can be easily enabled/disabled and combined with each other. The working canvas is also a separate window.

Each tool can be called by a combination of hot keys, which can be changed at your discretion.

Advice! You can download any version of the program on the official website. There you can also findGIMPcompletely in Russian.

Although supporters of free software call GIMP a free analogue of Photoshop, its capabilities are still significantly inferior to the Adobe product. But this only matters if you use specific professional functions.

For the vast majority of users, these differences will not be noticeable at all.

Paint NET

This program is developed by Microsoft Corporation, which means that it can be used free of charge by owners of the Windows operating system of any version.

It is an expanded version of the paint editor, which for many users was their first introduction to the world of raster graphics.

When regular Paint no longer met modern requirements for basic image editing, Paint NET was called upon to take its place, adding several new features.

One of the key changes is the ability to work with layers, which is actively used to create photoshops, macros, and other media content that are popular on social networks.

It is very difficult to use this program as a medium for full-fledged fine art, but this is not its fault.

It will be indispensable if you want to quickly crop images, change color, or add several elements from other pictures.

You can download the program from the official website www.getpaint.net

LiveBrush Lite

The developers of LiveBrush Lite decided to return to the roots of real painting and provided users with only one tool - the brush. But at the same time, this tool is customized to the maximum, which opens up wide possibilities for its use.

When you first get acquainted with the program, this approach may seem extremely inconvenient, but after a few hours of practice everyone will be able to feel the charm of this creative solution.

It is worth noting that the “brush” in the context of this image editor is a universal tool that can create a variety of effects: from straight lines to fractal patterns.

Moreover, the process of creating your own graphic creations can become much more fun if you use the library of custom brushes published on the official website of the LiveBrush Lite developers.

Advice! The program is not free: you will have to pay for the full version, and if you decide to download for freeLite version, then be prepared for the fact that it is intended for evaluation and use and has greatly reduced capabilities.

PaintTool SAI

A development by Japanese programmers, which is intended for creating sketches, sketches and full-fledged artistic paintings. It gained particular popularity in its homeland and abroad among authors working in the anime genre.

All the tools collected in the program are as similar as possible to real prototypes: a pencil has a softness setting, watercolor is characteristically blurred, and a ballpoint pen leaves a clear, even line.

But for the convenience of artists, some of the capabilities of traditional image editors have been implemented, first of all, this concerns working with layers.

The user can draw several pictures at the same time, and then combine them using cropping, copying, pasting and hiding. This software is best installed on special drawing devices that work with a stylus.

Tux Paint

As mentioned at the beginning of our article, many developers do not try to impress their users with the maximum range of functions or their greatest efficiency.

Instead, they are looking for their own philosophy and a niche market in which they will be pioneers.

The Tux Paint drawing program is aimed primarily at children aged 3 to 12 years, in order to develop in them a love of painting with the help of modern information technologies.

Therefore, the interface of this program is significantly different from other representatives of software of this class.

All the tools are extremely simple, and to configure them there is no need to understand manuals; the controls are large and immediately indicate their purpose.

Tux the penguin (symbol of the Linux community) helps take the first steps, introducing young creators to the basic capabilities of the program, which will allow them to draw their first picture within a few minutes after the first launch of Tux Paint.

This software is an example of an excellent implementation of an original idea in an area in which it would seem almost impossible to fight the hegemony of corporate giants.

Tux Paint is successfully used in many European educational institutions for preschool and primary school children.

You can download the program completely free of charge from the official website www.tuxpaint.org

ArtWaver

ArtWaver is another image management solution developed under an OpenSource license. Like GIMP, it was created as a counterweight to Photoshop, and its appearance and tools are similar to older versions of the program from Adobe.

But this image editor does not simply copy its more successful competitors, but has its own unique approach to the issue of processing and creating various images.

In particular, much attention is paid to brushes: by default, the program has a large selection of brushes of various types that can be carefully customized to suit your needs.

This makes it possible to use ArtWeaver not only for editing finished images, but also for full-fledged digital painting classes.

This software also features a very sophisticated system for working with layers, probably the best among free graphic editors, which is very important for working with images at home on a computer.

The developers have also created their own AWD editor format, but the user can export their work to any popular format such as JPG, PSD, PNG, etc.

ArtWaver is a well-balanced software that can become an effective tool for both amateurs and semi-professionals in the field of processing or creating digital images.

The application is aimed at installation on graphics tablets, and not for full editing of ready-made pictures.

Despite the fact that many basic functions of modern editors are available in it, it shows its full potential only in the process of drawing from scratch.

In addition to a large number of tools that have real prototypes, such as brushes, pencils, felt-tip pens, pens, etc., SmoothDraw also offers original functions: a full imitation of an aerosol can for graffiti, creating visual effects of a cart, starry sky, grass, etc.