Krita

What it does

Krita is a free, open source painting program built for artists, with a strong focus on brush feel, layers, and illustration rather than photo retouching, including frame-by-frame animation tools. It's actively maintained by the KDE community, with regular releases recorded through 2026.

Who this helps

You want a free, open-source painting program.

You draw illustrations and care about brush feel and layers.

You want frame-by-frame animation tools.

You don't need photo retouching features.