Top 10 Free Mac Apps for Drawing, Painting, and Designing
Best Free Art Software for Mac
If you are a creative person who loves to draw, paint, or design, you might be looking for the best free art software for Mac. Art software is a type of application that allows you to create digital artworks using various tools, brushes, filters, layers, and effects. Art software can help you unleash your imagination, express your ideas, and improve your skills.
Best Free Art Software For Mac
However, not all art software is created equal. Some are expensive, some are complicated, and some are not compatible with Mac. That's why we have compiled this list of the top 5 best free art software for Mac that you can use to create stunning artworks without spending a dime or wasting time.
In this article, we will review the features, pros and cons, and installation process of each art software. We will also provide you with some tips on how to choose the best free art software for Mac based on your needs and preferences. Let's get started!
Introduction
What is art software and why do you need it?
Art software is a type of application that allows you to create digital artworks using various tools, brushes, filters, layers, and effects. Art software can help you unleash your imagination, express your ideas, and improve your skills.
Art software can be used for various purposes, such as:
Illustration: You can use art software to draw or sketch characters, scenes, objects, or concepts for comics, books, games, or animations.
Painting: You can use art software to paint or color your drawings or photos using realistic or stylized brushes and effects.
Design: You can use art software to design logos, icons, posters, flyers, banners, or websites using vector graphics or raster images.
Editing: You can use art software to edit or enhance your photos or images using tools like crop, resize, rotate, flip, adjust color, brightness, contrast, saturation, or apply filters or effects.
Animation: You can use art software to create simple or complex animations using frames, layers, timelines, or keyframes.
Art software can help you create amazing artworks that you can share online or print out. You can also use art software to learn new techniques or styles from other artists or tutorials. Art software can also help you relax and have fun while creating something beautiful.
How to choose the best free art software for Mac?
There are many factors that you should consider when choosing the best free art software for Mac. Here are some of them:
Compatibility: You should make sure that the art software is compatible with your Mac operating system and hardware specifications. You should also check if the art software supports the file formats that you need or want to use.
Features: You should look for the features that suit your needs and preferences. For example, if you want to draw or sketch, you should look for an art software that has a variety of brushes and tools. If you want to paint or color, you should look for an art software that has a variety of colors and effects. If you want to design or edit, you should look for an art software that has vector or raster capabilities and editing tools. If you want to animate, you should look for an art software that has animation features and tools.
Usability: You should look for an art software that is easy to use and navigate. You should also look for an art software that has a user-friendly interface and a customizable layout. You should also look for an art software that has tutorials, guides, or support available.
Performance: You should look for an art software that runs smoothly and fast on your Mac. You should also look for an art software that does not crash or freeze frequently. You should also look for an art software that does not consume too much memory or disk space.
Reviews: You should look for an art software that has positive reviews and ratings from other users or experts. You should also look for an art software that has a large and active community of users or developers.
By considering these factors, you can narrow down your choices and find the best free art software for Mac that meets your expectations and requirements.
Top 5 Best Free Art Software for Mac
Now that you know how to choose the best free art software for Mac, let's take a look at the top 5 best free art software for Mac that you can download and use right away. These are:
Krita
Autodesk Sketchbook
MediBang Paint
Inkscape
Paintbrush
We will review each of these art software in detail, covering their features, pros and cons, and installation process. Let's begin!
Krita
Krita is a free and open-source art software that is designed for digital painting and illustration. It is one of the most popular and powerful art software for Mac, as well as Windows and Linux. It has a rich set of features and tools that can help you create stunning artworks in various styles and genres.
Features
Some of the features of Krita are:
A large collection of brushes, including basic, sketch, paint, pixel, texture, smudge, deform, clone, filter, and more.
A brush engine that allows you to customize your brushes or create your own brushes from scratch.
A layer system that supports multiple types of layers, such as paint, vector, group, file, filter, clone, fill, transform mask, transparency mask, and more.
A color management system that supports various color models, such as RGB, CMYK, LAB, YCbCr, XYZ, and more.
A selection tool that allows you to make selections using various shapes, modes, feathering, anti-aliasing, and more.
A transformation tool that allows you to transform your selections or layers using various options, such as scale, rotate, shear, perspective, warp, cage, liquify, and more.
A vector tool that allows you to create vector graphics using various shapes, paths, text, gradients, patterns, and more.
An animation tool that allows you to create frame-by-frame animations using layers, onion skinning, timelines, keyframes, and more.
A filter tool that allows you to apply various filters to your selections or layers, such as blur, sharpen, noise, edge detection, color adjustment, artistic, and more.
A tool option docker that allows you to adjust the settings of your tools, such as size, opacity, flow, blending mode, and more.
A resource manager that allows you to manage your brushes, palettes, gradients, patterns, and more.
A workspace manager that allows you to customize your interface and layout according to your preferences.
A plugin manager that allows you to install or uninstall various plugins that can enhance your experience and functionality.
A file manager that allows you to save, open, export, or import your files in various formats, such as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, ORA, GIF, and more.
Pros and cons
Some of the pros and cons of Krita are:
Pros
Cons
It is free and open-source.
It can be buggy or unstable at times.
It has a lot of features and tools for digital painting and illustration.
It can be overwhelming or confusing for beginners.
It has a large and active community of users and developers.
It can be slow or laggy on older or weaker Macs.
It supports various file formats and plugins.
It does not have a text tool or a vector tool as powerful as other art software.
It has a user-friendly and customizable interface and layout.
It does not have a built-in photo editor or a 3D modeler.
How to download and install Krita on Mac
To download and install Krita on Mac, you can follow these steps:
Go to the official website of Krita at https://krita.org/en/.
Click on the Download button at the top right corner of the page.
Select the Mac OS X option from the list of platforms.
Choose the latest stable version of Krita from the list of downloads. You can also choose the beta or nightly version if you want to try the latest features or bug fixes, but they might be less stable or reliable.
Click on the Download button next to the version that you want to download. This will take you to a page where you can choose a mirror site to download from. You can also donate to support the development of Krita if you want.
Select a mirror site that is closest to your location and click on it. This will start the download of the DMG file of Krita.
Once the download is complete, open the DMG file and drag the Krita icon to the Applications folder. This will install Krita on your Mac.
To launch Krita, go to the Applications folder and double-click on the Krita icon. You can also pin it to your Dock for easy access.
Autodesk Sketchbook
Autodesk Sketchbook is a free and professional art software that is designed for sketching and drawing. It is one of the most popular and versatile art software for Mac, as well as Windows, iOS, and Android. It has a simple and intuitive interface that lets you focus on your creativity and productivity.
Features
Some of the features of Autodesk Sketchbook are:
A large collection of brushes, including pencils, pens, markers, erasers, airbrushes, paintbrushes, and more.
A brush library that allows you to organize your brushes or create your own brushes using the brush editor.
A layer system that supports multiple types of layers, such as raster, vector, group, text, and more.
A color system that supports various color modes, such as RGB, CMYK, HSB, Copic, and more.
A selection tool that allows you to make selections using various shapes, modes, feathering, anti-aliasing, and more.
A transform tool that allows you to transform your selections or layers using various options, such as scale, rotate, move, distort, flip, and more.
A symmetry tool that allows you to draw symmetrical shapes or patterns using various modes, such as horizontal, vertical, radial, or kaleidoscope.
A perspective tool that allows you to draw in perspective using various grids, such as one-point, two-point, three-point, or fisheye.
A curve tool that allows you to draw smooth curves or lines using various modes, such as freehand, straight line, ellipse, circle, arc, or spline.
A fill tool that allows you to fill your selections or layers with solid colors or gradients.
A text tool that allows you to add text to your artworks using various fonts, sizes, styles, alignments, and more.
A ruler tool that allows you to draw straight lines or measure distances or angles.
A guide tool that allows you to draw parallel lines or snap to grid or guides.
A crop tool that allows you to crop your artworks to a specific size or ratio.
A scan tool that allows you to scan your sketches or drawings using your device's camera and import them into Sketchbook.
A flipbook tool that allows you to create simple animations using frames and onion skinning.
A capture tool that allows you to capture your screen or artworks and share them online or save them to your device.
Pros and cons
Some of the pros and cons of Autodesk Sketchbook are:
Pros
Cons
It is free and professional.
It requires registration and login to use all the features.
It has a lot of features and tools for sketching and drawing.
It does not have a lot of features and tools for painting or coloring.
It has a simple and intuitive interface and layout.
It does not have a lot of customization options for the interface and layout.
It supports various file formats and devices.
It does not support some file formats or plugins that other art software do.
It has a large and active community of users and developers.
It does not have a built-in photo editor or a 3D modeler.
How to download and install Autodesk Sketchbook on Mac
To download and install Autodesk Sketchbook on Mac, you can follow these steps:
Go to the official website of Autodesk Sketchbook at https://sketchbook.com/.
Click on the Download button at the top right corner of the page. This will take you to a page where you can choose your platform and version. You can also sign up for an account if you want to access all the features of Sketchbook.
Select the Mac OS X option from the list of platforms. You can also choose the Pro version if you want to get more features and tools for a monthly or yearly subscription fee. You can also try the Pro version for free for 15 days if you want.
Click on the Download button next to the version that you want to download. This will start the download of the DMG file of Sketchbook.
Once the download is complete, open the DMG file and drag the Sketchbook icon to the Applications folder. This will install Sketchbook on your Mac.
To launch Sketchbook, go to the Applications folder and double-click on the Sketchbook icon. You can also pin it to your Dock for easy access.
If you have an account, you can log in to Sketchbook to access all the features. If you don't have an account, you can sign up for one or use the free version with limited features.
MediBang Paint
MediBang Paint is a free and lightweight art software that is designed for comic and manga creation. It is one of the most popular and user-friendly art software for Mac, as well as Windows, iOS, and Android. It has a simple and elegant interface that lets you create amazing comics and manga with ease.
Features
Some of the features of MediBang Paint are:
A large collection of brushes, including pens, pencils, watercolors, airbrushes, and more.
A brush engine that allows you to customize your brushes or create your own brushes using the brush editor.
A layer system that supports multiple types of layers, such as raster, vector, tone, text, and more.
A color system that supports various color modes, such as RGB, CMYK, HSB, and more.
A selection tool that allows you to make selections using various shapes, modes, feathering, anti-aliasing, and more.
A transform tool that allows you to transform your selections or layers using various options, such as scale, rotate, move, distort, flip, and more.
A comic tool that allows you to create comic panels using various shapes, sizes, layouts, and more.
A manga tool that allows you to add manga effects to your artworks using various tools, such as screentones, halftones, backgrounds, textures, and more.
A text tool that allows you to add text to your artworks using various fonts, sizes, styles, alignments, and more.
A material tool that allows you to access a library of over 800 free materials that you can use in your artworks.
A cloud tool that allows you to save your artworks online or access them from any device.
A collaboration tool that allows you to work on your artworks with other users online or offline.
A file manager that allows you to save, open, export, or import your files in various formats, such as PNG, JPEG, PSD, MDP, and more.
Pros and cons
Some of the pros and cons of MediBang Paint are:
Pros
Cons
It is free and lightweight.
It requires registration and login to use all the features.
It has a lot of features and tools for comic and manga creation.
It does not have a lot of features and tools for painting or coloring.
It has a simple and elegant interface and layout.
It does not have a lot of customization options for the interface and layout.
It supports various file formats and devices.
It does not support some file formats or plugins that other art software do.
It has a large library of free materials that you can use in your artworks.
It does not have a built-in photo editor or a 3D modeler.
How to download and install MediBang Paint on Mac
To download and install MediBang Paint on Mac, you can follow these steps:
Go to the official website of MediBang Paint at https://medibangpaint.com/en/.
Click on the Download button at the top right corner of the page. This will take you to a page where you can choose your platform and version. You can also sign up for an account if you want to access all the features of MediBang Paint.
Select the Mac OS X option from the list of platforms. You can also choose the Pro version if you want to get more features and tools for a monthly or yearly subscription fee. You can also try the Pro version for free for 31 days if you want.
Click on the Download button next to the version that you want to download. This will start the download of the ZIP file of MediBang Paint.
Once the download is complete, unzip the ZIP file and drag the MediBang Paint icon to the Applications folder. This will install MediBang Paint on your Mac.
To launch MediBang Paint, go to the Applications folder and double-click on the MediBang Paint icon. You can also pin it to your Dock for easy access.
If you have an account, you can log in to MediBang Paint to access all the features. If you don't have an account, you can sign up for one or use the free version with limited features.
Inkscape
Inkscape is a free and open-source art software that is designed for vector graphics and design. It is one of the most powerful and versatile art software for Mac, as well as Windows and Linux. It has a rich set of features and tools that can help you create scalable and editable vector artworks in various styles and formats.
Features
Some of the features of Inkscape are:
A large collection of tools, including pen, pencil, calligraphy, shape, text, gradient, pattern, paint bucket, eraser, dropper, and more.
A tool editor that allows you to customize your tools or create your own tools using the tool options bar.
A layer system that supports multiple types of layers, such as object, group, clip, mask, filter, and more.
A color system that supports various color modes, such as RGB, HSL, CMYK, and more.
A selection tool that allows you to make selections using various shapes, modes, feathering, anti-aliasing, and more.
A transform tool that allows you to transform your selections or objects using various options, such as scale, rotate, skew, flip, align, distribute, and more.
A path tool that allows you to create or edit vector paths using various operations, such as node editing, boolean operations, path effects, path simplification, and more.
A text tool that allows you to add or edit text using various fonts, sizes, styles, alignments, and more.
A filter tool that allows you to apply various filters to your selections or objects, such as blur, glow, shadow, distortion, color adjustment, and more.
A fill and stroke tool