Programs for drawing and photoshop. The best programs for drawing on a computer

We have considered the most common applications that act as full-fledged complexes for drawing, as well as processing various graphic images.

Which utility you choose depends on your goals.

Corel Painter will be highly appreciated by digital graphics professionals. This is the best choice when you want to download the drawing tool to your computer to work with your tablet. The eminent developer offers a developed, but rather complex product. To learn how to use all the benefits of the package, you will have to spend a lot of time. And if you also want to learn how to work in vector, you will have to switch to a more functional tool from the same developer - CorelDRAW.

Autodesk SketchBook Pro is a quality drawing program for all categories of users. It allows you to both process images and create cool art, comics, sketches from scratch. An accessible interface in Russian will be a nice bonus, but in order to work with the utility at the highest level, it is advisable to think about purchasing a professional monitor with good color reproduction.

Krita is no less functional. Artists draw in it both posters and entire comics. The application is free, open source and suitable for all modern operating systems. However, it will be a little difficult for beginners to master it. If you are not afraid of difficulties and are ready to spend time - try it and you will get a really functional tool.

Adobe Photoshop allows you to apply a wide variety of effects and filters. Creating images will seem very comfortable and quite simple. You can enjoy an accessible Russian-language interface and a large number of training video tutorials and materials on the Internet.

Working with Tux Paint is aimed at high-quality training for inexperienced users. The interface of the utility will be convenient for any user, and the presence of sound and animation effects will attract the attention of a children's audience whose parents want to teach their child the art of drawing on a computer.

Paint.NET will bring a lot of positive impressions, the program engine is able to remember all user activity and return more than a dozen completed actions, excluding the errors present in the editing process and applying all kinds of effects. Paint has a familiar Russian-language interface, it effectively edits vector graphics.

Pixbuilder Studio is distinguished by high performance indicators, the rest of the utilities from the above selection demonstrate a lower speed of launching and opening images. The program contains rich professional-level functionality and is available for download absolutely free of charge.

Fans of various brushes will appreciate the Artweaver Free program, which has a lot of useful filters and effects. It is worth noting that the application allows you to create your own brushes, which will become difficult for competitors.

Paint Tool SAI is a serious utility designed for professional artists and designers to create stunning illustrations as well as digital paintings. The utility supports graphic tablets, giving creative people all the necessary resources for artistic activities. Moreover, some studios use Paint Tool SAI as a cartoon drawing program. Its functions are too good.

Graffiti Studio is difficult to compare with full-fledged painters and even drawing games for children, since the purpose of this application is to entertain the user. You can fulfill your teenage dream and feel like a master of street graffiti. True, the range of tools is scarce - only a marker and spray cans, but a huge selection of colors and shades, line thicknesses will be a significant plus.

Also, the wonderful programs MyPaint, Medibang Paint, SmoothDraw, Affinity Designer, the Paint graphic editor built into Windows and the Inkscape raster graphics editor were not included in the review. You can always find their detailed descriptions on our website.

Rate the program
(2 953 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

In our selection, we decided to compare applications for painting landscapes, digital paintings, portraits, comics, and various decorations on PC with tools for beginners and professionals. A lot of effects, brushes, colors on the palette and the finest settings of virtual canvases will help you create real masterpieces.

Take a look at the best drawing programs on your computer to choose the most worthy and multifunctional, with which you can unleash your creativity, fine-tune photos or complete a design project.

Programs	Russian language	License	Rating	Plugins	Opportunities
	Yes	Free	Medium	10	Yes	Pro
	Yes	Free	Medium	8	Yes	Pro
	Yes	Free	Medium	7	Yes	Pro
	Not	Free	Low	10	Yes	amateur
	Yes	Free	Medium	7	Yes	Pro
	Yes	Free	High	7	Not	Pro
	Yes	Free	Low	10	Yes	amateur
	Yes	Trial	High	8	Yes	Pro
	Yes	Free	High	10	Not	amateur
	Yes	Free	Medium	9	Yes	Pro
	Yes	Free	Low	10	Not	amateur
	Yes	Trial	High	8	Yes	Pro
	Yes	Trial	Low	6	Not	amateur
	Yes	Free	Medium	6	Not	amateur

A well-known graphics editor with useful features for both beginners and professionals. Supports popular formats, processes GIF animation, works with layers, draws, retouches, corrects colors, removes defects, changes size and format, saves ongoing operations and opens several pictures at the same time. The user can also rotate, scale and apply filters to the image.

Microsoft graphics editor with a large set of useful features and a clear interface. The software corrects and processes photographs, imports files from scanners and cameras, performs layer-by-layer processing and applies effects. In this practical application, the user can remove red eyes, rotate the image with a 3D effect, adjust textures, add plugins for additional functionality, change the image size, create freehand pictures with fill settings, add text or use an eraser.

The software creates and edits vector technical illustrations, sets analytical curves, has a set of high-quality tools and a multilingual interface. In the application, the user can create a diagram, logo, poster, graph or presentation business card. With the help of PSTricks macros, it is possible to create graphs, import / export various graphic formats, open and save documents in "gzip". At the output, the user will receive graphics for high-quality printing. Inkscape has versions for 64-bit OS and is supported by Windows and Linux.

A virtual canvas painting utility using professional tools and sub-pixel technology to create a high quality painting. Allows you to create paintings from scratch, while having useful options for working with finished material. The user can choose different types of pencils, pens, pens, brushes, colors on the palette and effects, synchronize the material to a graphics tablet, process multiple layers, move canvases and save the project in a convenient format.

The application creates professional digital paintings, works with layers, processes imported photographs and pictures. The editor has impressive functionality, fine-tuning color balances and curves, creates drawings and manages masks. The user has access to drawing, professional editing and processing. Various effects are available, managing gradients and balances, creating web graphics, working with layers and large expansion images.

Creates graphics and processes graphic elements, supports layers, has tools for rotations, fills, movements, interesting special effects and filters. Allows you to resize graphics, add text to them, delete an area, scale, apply a texture and work with noise. Artweaver is distributed free of charge, but at the same time it is on a par with paid editors in terms of functionality. Supports various formats, has gradients, filters and fills. Menu in English.

The application creates digital paintings using high-quality and interesting tools with the limitless possibilities of a virtual canvas. The functions are accessible and understandable for both beginners and professionals in this field. In the utility, you can create a large picture, use diverse custom brushes, manage layers, scale, erase, shift colors, blur, etc. Support for the ORA format is convenient for working with a project in other editors or for collaborating with artists.

This free program creates digital drawings on a PC, supports its own sai and standard formats, has a large selection of interesting tools and filters. On a digital canvas, the user can use many layers, adjust the softness of the pencil, the shape of the brush, the transparency of colors, the texture of canvases and other tools (water, pen, marker, eraser, curves, lines, selections, etc.). For realistic illustrations, you can add sunlight, shadows, folds, implemented parallel work in different documents and the setting of "hot keys".

A colorful graphic application for children with interesting effects, presets, tips from Tux the penguin and musical accompaniment while working. This graphic editor for young artists has an accessible and understandable menu displaying all the functions, settings and color palette. The child has access to stamps of cartoon characters, animals, plants, ready-made objects in the form of flowers, bricks and other objects, drawing shapes and lines, as well as creating a slide show of their creations.

A multifunctional cross-platform utility for creating, processing and editing raster art paintings. It has a large selection of filters, brushes, masks, the ability to work with layers and color perspectives. The program looks like an imitation of a canvas with tools, so an amateur, photographer or artist can easily edit a photo or bitmap, create an artistic picture or process material in layers. Krita has a version for 64-bit OS, supports working with RAW format photos and can be controlled by hotkeys.

The application allows you to capture the PC screen for subsequent screen editing. In the editor, the user can change the size of the screenshot, draw text or add a picture by hand, adjust the saturation, brightness, blur, shades, and other parameters. In addition, the software can capture scrollable material, so you can screenshot a web page and other large documents. A screenshot can be saved in any graphic format, uploaded to social networks or sent to a friend.

A well-known editor with high-quality functionality, high performance and a large selection of effects. The application works with layers, has a large selection of palettes and textures, blurs the image, removes the background, creates raster graphics and adjusts color correction. The user has options to add noise and text, rotate, distort, overlay images on top of each other and print the finished material. And this is only a small part of all the available features of this popular utility. The trial version works for 30 days.

Powerful photo editor with rich collection of filters, effects, postcards and frames. In the software, with a couple of clicks, you can improve the picture, create a unique collage or calendar, retouch the frame, remove noise, adjust tone and color balances, and apply interesting filters. The user will like templates for photos, options for creating unusual postcards and bright frames.

Krita is such an advanced and functional drawing program that it's hard to believe that this is not a commercial product, but an open source development. This editor has support for layers, a huge number of brushes and tools, a bunch of different filters and effects.

Krita can be used to create digital paintings, sketches, paintings, comics, and even hand-drawn stop-motion animation. The interface is easily customizable. Plus, Krita works great with graphics tablets.

GIMP

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Powerful, flexible, customizable open source raster editor. True, the interface and hotkeys are peculiar here - artists who are used to Photoshop will have to relearn.

GIMP has most of the tools available in Photoshop: layers, masks, color correction, smart selection, brushes, filters, and a mountain of other features. Some of the missing ones can be fixed using third-party extensions.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

But this is already a tool for creating vector graphics - a free and open source analogue of Adobe Illustrator. It is well suited for creating logos, icons, web graphics, vector illustrations, and other design products.

Inkscape contains everything for comfortable creation and editing of vector images: color and texture management tools, layers, smart placement and alignment of objects, as well as the ability to vectorize bitmap images.

• Platforms: Windows.

This, of course, is not a full-fledged analogue of Photoshop, but rather, the good old Paint on steroids, but for amateur drawing it will be enough.

It is precisely because of its simplicity that Paint.NET is well suited for beginner artists. Plus, it is able to work quickly even on devices.

Paint.NET supports working with layers and has a lot of effects. There are tools for blurring, styling, sharpening and noise reduction, and if desired, the program's capabilities can be extended using plugins.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, web.

Gravit Designer is a fairly powerful and advanced yet free vector graphics editor. With it, you can easily create icons, logos, banners and other images. The application has many tools: curves, layers, shapes, selection and transformation of objects, work with text and fonts.

In addition, there is a built-in library of user-created vector objects. You can freely use them in your own work. Another feature of the application: if desired, it can be launched without installation, directly in the browser through the Gravit native web service.

Paid programs for drawing on a computer

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.
• Price:‎$49.99.

The editor impresses with its capabilities. Customizable panels and keyboard shortcuts, a convenient canvas rotation system that makes it look like you are drawing on real paper, compatibility with graphics tablets, shadow effects, glow effects, contours, bevels - just to name a few.

Affinity Designer is definitely worth a try for those who are professionally involved in graphics and design and do not want to overpay for Photoshop.

• Platforms: Windows.
• Price:$59.99

A very peculiar program for drawing, which differs from the others presented here. BlackInk will allow you to draw incredible pictures with a rather unusual style. What can I say, just take a look at the images created in the editor, and you will understand that it allows you to create art.

Instead of traditional approaches to creating bitmaps, BlackInk uses its own mechanism. The so-called Controller opens up unprecedented possibilities for customizing brushes. It is not easy to master it, but the result will impress you.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.
• Price: subscription from 644 rubles per month.

Photoshop is the de facto standard in the world of computer graphics, the most popular program for artists, designers and photographers. It makes no sense to talk about the possibilities: if something can be done with the image, then it will do it.

Because Photoshop is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, you can easily access your brushes, colors, and styles across all your devices—settings are synced on the fly. In addition, there are just a bunch of plug-ins created for Photoshop because of its popularity.

The only thing wrong with Adobe's brainchild is the subscription price. However, this was to be expected, because Photoshop is the most powerful and advanced of all raster editors in the world.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.
• Price:$429.

Everyone knows Corel Draw - the most powerful professional vector graphics editor. But Corel has another brainchild - the raster editor Corel Painter, which is great for drawing. This editor has many handy tools for working with color, synthesizing textures and cloning objects, as well as brushes, canvases and layers.

This expensive but effective editor for sophisticated artists is definitely worth the money.

Programs for drawing on a computer

I wonder if anyone now remembers that computers were originally created solely to speed up calculations? They were called accordingly - electronic computers - computers. The element base was gradually improved, the speed of information processing increased, the number of functions expanded. Today, a variety of programs have been created that allow you to do things that were unthinkable a few years ago. One such area is painting.

Types of programs for drawing on a computer

Modern graphic editors allow you to draw not only primitive pictures, but make it possible to create very professional canvases. There are special drawing programs designed for professionals or editors a little simpler, but with no less extensive features.

The main difference between professional programs is that they are installed on special graphic tablets (digitizers), which allow you to take into account even such details as the effort that the artist applied when drawing a particular line. Working with such programs is possible only with the use of a special tool - a stylus or a pen - try it, draw with a mouse, like with a brush - this is simply unrealistic, this manipulator was not created for that.

In addition to the division by purpose, all drawing programs can be divided into free and paid ones. And, in this case, free - does not mean bad. It is clear that many professional programs are paid - this is a working tool. But some simpler drawing programs are fully available only in commercial versions.

Professional programs for drawing on a computer

Corel Painter

• Program website: www.corel.com
• Price: $429

This program was developed taking into account all the requirements of artists and designers. It impresses with a set of brushes and their customization options. The basic version has thirty brushes, twenty different hair arrangements, the ability to create your own or modify an existing one. There is also a set of special texture brushes: asphalt, metal, foliage, etc.

In addition to an extensive selection of “production tools”, the palette is well developed - all paints, regardless of type, look the way they would look on paper. Everything is worked out so precisely that it is possible to take into account the thickness of the bristles in the brush, and the direction of the stroke, and the thickness of the paint, and it is in Corel Painter that such a parameter as pressure on the brush is taken into account.

The Corel Painter drawing program has a detailed instruction that contains a clear step-by-step description of almost every type of work. But this does not mean at all that everyone can use it - there are a lot of special terms and concepts, and the price will make you think about whether it is worth using it for amateur exercises.

livebrush

• Program website: www.livebrush.com
• Price: free

This is one of the professional drawing programs that is distributed free of charge. Livebrush has a carefully designed interface, easy-to-use menus, and a fairly wide range of brushes that can draw all sorts of patterns: from graphics to oriental ornaments, from floral arrangements to gothic patterns. It is possible to work in two modes: raster and vector (switching occurs using special buttons at the top of the toolbar). In vector graphics mode, any drawn line is easily corrected, and tablet owners will like the fact that the program takes into account the force of pressure and the angle of the brush.

The program is implemented on the basis of Adobe AIR, but it works quite quickly and stably even with not very "cool" hardware. It is also convenient that the forum has a large database of ready-made drawings and templates that can be freely downloaded and used as the basis for your own work.

inkscape

• Program website: www.inkscape.org
• Price: free

Another free professional drawing program for your computer. Inkscape works with vector graphics. It features a carefully designed user-friendly interface with a full set of tools. The settings system is somewhat complicated, but despite this, the program is quite popular due to the widespread SVG format, which saves pictures and the ability to import other formats.

This editor allows you to easily create vector images, as well as work with existing ones, transforming and modifying them.

Creature House Expression 3

• Program website: www.microsoft.com
• Price: free

A rather convenient program, which is also distributed free of charge for owners of the Microsoft package. The menu in the editor is somewhat unusual: it is organized in the form of moving and sliding panels. The advantages of this program include the ability to change and customize the toolbar for yourself: the existing menu can be broken up and the pieces can be set in the order that is convenient for you. Another plus is the ability to use plug-ins from Adobe Photoshop. Disadvantages - not a very extensive starter set of brushes (which is solved by installing Photoshop plugins) and rather stringent requirements for performance and computer resources.

artweaver

• Program website: www.artweaver.de
• Price: free

This graphical application is much "lighter" in "weight" and has lower resource requirements. The choice of brushes is not the widest - only fifteen, but there are twenty settings for each of them, and the number of possible strokes exceeds a hundred. The Artweaver program is designed in such a way that it independently determines the contours of the drawn object and does not allow the brush to go beyond it.

The menu is organized in the form of sliding bars and panels, quite convenient and functional (after you get used to it). In addition to drawing, the ability to edit and change finished images is implemented here. It is possible to apply various filters, some of which are included in the kit, some can be downloaded from the official website of the program support.

Programs for drawing on a public computer

This category of programs differs from the previous ones in fewer functions and, accordingly, in a simpler menu. But this is not a minus, but a plus for those who are just mastering the techniques of drawing on a computer. And for more advanced artists, editing and retouching functions are not always needed, in addition, there are programs in which it is the image correction and editing functions that are the main ones.

MyPaint

• Program website: intilinux.com
• Price: free

MyPaint is a great example of drawing software development. It has a wide range of brushes, extensive settings and a convenient menu in the form of pop-up windows that can be moved to a convenient place for you. There are a lot of brushes already in the starting version, but it is possible to download additional ones or create your own. MyPaint has one distinctive feature - it has a canvas that has practically no borders (you can move around it using the arrows). The drawing made in this program is almost no different from the one drawn on canvas or a sheet of paper. In addition, drawings are saved in several of the most popular formats (PNG, JPG, OpenRaster), which makes it possible to use them in graphic editors for further processing. Another plus of MyPaint is free distribution. In general - a good program for artists who are just starting to master drawing on a computer.

ArtRage

• Program website: www.artrage.com
• ArtRate 4 Price: $49.90

ArtRage features a custom-made panel. Instead of the already familiar numerical parameter settings, we have a kind of circular controls that allow you to smoothly change the values. It is possible to change such parameters as pressing force, canvas moisture and softness of the pencil and brush, and many other parameters.

The developers of this application were able to take into account even such moments as the type of materials used. For example, on a canvas, paints mix with each other (as in real life) and chalk is smeared. Happy owners of the paid version will be able to enjoy the effect of metallic paints, and a variety of settings (not all of them are available in the free version). There are quite extensive possibilities for working with layers, the ability to import a picture into Photoshop for a more detailed study of the layers. There is also a background transparency adjustment - you can upload a photo and make an artistic image based on it. Implemented the ability to automatically match the color (as in the background), which greatly simplifies the process of creating drawings.

TwistedBrush Pro Studio

• Program website: www.pixarra.com
• TwistedBrush Pro Studio 19 price: $99

This program is distinguished by the landscape principle of storing pictures: all files are "filed" into an album, which is easily and quickly flipped through. No need to create many separate files - all images are stored in an album. But the main advantage of TwistedBrush is the number of brushes. In addition to the fact that there are really a lot of them (the account goes to thousands), there are also many opportunities for customizing them. For convenience, brushes are divided into sets: watercolor, crayons, gouache, etc. There is a wide choice of bases for drawing, so that for any purpose, you can choose the right tools. The interface is organized unusually, but it is easy to get used to it - it is quite convenient for artists.

The program allows you to create high quality drawings.

Paint

You can not go past the Paint program. This program is one of the components of the Windows 7 package, which makes it possible to apply images on top of an existing one. Like all Microsoft developments, the program has a custom-built interface, which can be mastered in a fairly short time.

Running the program in Windows 7 is very simple: Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint.

It is believed that it is impossible to create anything worthy with the help of Paint, but there are craftsmen who, with the help of Paint, can even draw Mona Lisa (Giaconda)!

If your experience in using such programs is not great, try working in Paint, then you can move on to using another drawing program on your computer, gradually increasing the complexity.

These are just some of the programs, in fact there are ten times more of them. It is impossible to say which of them is the best: different requirements and opportunities, different goals and objectives make such a formulation of the question incorrect. How to determine what to use? Only by trial. This is how you determine the best option for yourself, which is most suitable for performing your tasks.

Welcome all!

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

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

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

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

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

Before moving on to 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 charts.

Raster drawing It 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 the most diverse pictures.

The main advantage of a vector drawing over a raster one is the ability to transform it in any way (for example, increase 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 bitmap 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 more...

Paint

Raster editor

Basic program in Windows

How to run: 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 graphics editor designed not even for drawing, but for easy editing of pictures (add an inscription, an arrow, wipe something, cut one piece of the picture and paste it into another, save the screenshot, 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 only at the very beginning of the 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 image editor. This editor is very versatile: 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 scripts can be really 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 bright;
• or poster;
• remove unnecessary elements from photos (a bad shot can become a good one!);
• a huge collection of plug-ins for GIMP will allow you to solve a wide variety of tasks;
• program support Windows, Mac, Linux.

ArtWeaver

Raster editor (some analogue of Photoshop)

This program repeats 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, fillings, etc.;
• plugin support;
• the presence of convenient tools for drawing: brushes, pencils, etc .;
• support for a graphics tablet (a BIG plus for those who like to draw);
• many different filters: spot, blur, mosaic, masking, etc.;
• working with text layers;
• the possibility of consecutive undoing of their 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). Represents an unlimited canvas (sheet) and a relatively simple interface on GTK +, without distracting the artist from the creative process - drawing.

Unlike the same Gimp, MyPaint has much less graph functionality. editor, but to 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 screen above).

MyPaint is a tool for painting with brushes on a PC screen in much the same way as you would on a real canvas. In addition to brushes, there are: crayons, charcoal, pencils, etc. It is difficult to resist if there is a craving for drawing ...

Main features:

• the program is specifically designed for drawing, so it has fewer options for editing existing pictures (that is, there are no functions such as selection, scaling, etc.);
• a huge set of brushes that can be customized: create and change groups, blur, mix colors, etc.;
• the program supports graphics tablet;
• the boundless canvas is very convenient in the process of drawing - nothing holds you back while creating;
• layer support: copy, paste, transparency settings, etc.;
• supported by Windows, Mac OS, Linux.

SmoothDraw

Raster

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

I want 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 graphic tablets;
• works with the following image formats: PNG, BMP, JPEG, JPG, TGA, JIF, GIF and TIFF;
• there are photo retouching tools;
• work with layers;
• the 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 in paid products).

Active and growing online support will help in case of non-standard problems. In addition, a lot of instructions have been written for the program, add. plugins to expand the possibilities.

Peculiarities:

• free for distribution and use;
• user-friendly interface (somewhat similar to Photoshop);
• you can work with multiple 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 "live brush") - a powerful graphics editor that allows you to draw with brushes. Moreover, I want to note right away that the “drawing tool” is not simple, with its help you can create quite interesting pictures, decorate art with beautiful strokes and lines, etc.

In the process of work, you can pick up and adjust the brush so that during its movement - 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 pressing and its inclinations.

The set of the program has a lot of brushes of different shapes: from simple lines to patterned gothic ornaments. By the way, any pattern can be corrected by yourself by switching to pencil editing.

In addition, you can draw a pattern yourself and save it as a template. You can import ready-made brush sets, projects, decorations into the program. By the way, they can be found in huge numbers 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 (Inkscape)

Vector editor (one of the few)

Free analogues: Gravit, DrawPlus

Paid counterparts: CorelDRAW 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: a color palette, menus, tools. The program supports all major graphic formats: SVG, PDF, AI, PS, EPS, CorelDRAW.

By the way, Inkscape also has tools from the bitmap 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. Looks very cool and unusual.

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

Gravity

Vector editor (online version)

Gravity- quite an interesting vector editor. Of course, he will not be able to replace Adobe Illustrator, but he will be able to argue with the previous program (Inkscape).

Of the tools, there is all the most basic: feathers, lines, intersection and carving of shapes from each other, alignment, layers, fonts, etc. Works can be exported to SVG format, to several bitmaps. Also in the program you can open the work made in Adobe Illustrator.

What is somewhat surprising is that Gravit looks like a real program while running in a browser window, and without the use of Flash. Of the main shortcomings, I would single out the lack of the Russian language.

By the way, Gravit has an interesting implementation of the canvas selection: you can choose both standard formats for sheets, business cards, postcards, as well as create covers for popular social networks, phone screens, and other gadgets.

In general, an interesting editor that deserves attention.

Draw Plus

Vector

A very flexible and powerful graphics editor that allows its users to create high-quality illustrations. This program will allow you to fully reveal your abilities in drawing.

DrawPlus has many tools that will allow you to easily and quickly create a variety of shapes, strokes, lines. Each of the elements can be combined with others and gradually everything in the 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, flowcharts.

A huge number of formats can be imported into the program: PDF, AI, SVG, SVGZ, EPS, PS, SMF, etc. Own format for projects - DPP.

graffiti studio

Website: http://www.vandalsquad.com

Raster graphics

One of the best graffiti drawing software, looks as realistic as it gets!

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

Those who do not believe that real masterpieces can be created in the program, I recommend that you look at the official website and see the best works - your look will change a lot!

PixBuilder Studio

Raster editor

Powerful program for processing and editing graphic images and photos. In addition to editing, it is quite possible to draw and create (however, 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, sharpen, etc.

Peculiarities:

• support for popular raster formats: BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, etc.;
• there is an opportunity and tools for drawing (though very limited);
• great opportunities for editing finished photos and pictures;
• the ability to work with layers;
• professional work with color: balance adjustment, brightness, contrast, etc.;
• setting "hot" keys;
• the presence of ready-made effects (you only 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 works 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, an "infinite" canvas, etc.

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

PS: the article will be supplemented ...

Thanks in advance for tips and advice in the comments!