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White-Heron β Krita tutorial - Basics
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Published: 2012-09-08 05:13:11 +0000 UTC; Views: 82934; Favourites: 703; Downloads: 1478
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Description
Getting started with Krita isn't too complicated: just start it up, select a brush preset and experiment away. A better understand of the interface will really improve your workflow though. I've added various tips that so-so artists (like me...) may find useful, but ultimately everyone will find his or her ideal workflow.This tutorial is under a CC-0 / Public Domain license.
To find back other tutorials mentioned in these tutorials and more, visit Krita's resource page: [link]
My Krita tutorial series:
Big thanks to Claus for converting all these to a wiki format as well. Everybody is welcome to submit improvements, updates and translations to this wiki, so it may be more up-to-date. These tutorials were done with Krita 2.5.2 ~ 2.5.3. To my knowledge, Krita 2.6 should have a mostly similar interface.
Part 1 - Basics ( Wiki version )
- Symmetry mode, Interface, Quick overview of some brushes
Part 2 - Layers and Editing ( Wiki version )
- Layer management: alpha locking, layer mask and erase mode, filter brushes, masks and layers, local selections, clone layers, use recommendations
- Image properties and editing: basics, selections, transformation tool and deform brush,
Part 3 - Brushes
Part A: General ( Wiki version )
- Preliminary: common "issues"
- Brush management: Saving/Deleting presets, brush folders
- Drawing modes
- Assistants
Part B - Pixel Brushes 1/2 ( Wiki version )
- Brush tips: Autobrush, Predefined brush, Custom brush, Text brush
- Paint build-up behaviours: Default (Opacity vs Flow, Build vs Wash-up, Airbrush mode), Blending modes
Part B - Pixel Brushes 2/2 ( Wiki version )
- Brush shape dynamics: common settings, opacity, size, spacing, softness and sharpness, rotation, scatter
- Color source, color dynamics, Texture -> Pattern
- Combos!
Pixel brushes - Appendix 1 : Gallery of predefined brushes
Pixel brushes - Appendix 2 : Brush presets from the tutorial
Part C - Color Smudge Brush ( Wiki version )
Part D - Curve, Particle and Dyna brushes ( Wiki version )
Part E - Sketch, Hairy and Chalk brushes ( Wiki version )
Part F - Hatching, Grid, Spray and Experiment brushes ( Wiki version )
Related content
Comments: 125
Thanks for the job. I installed KRITA on monday. I begin with that softwar and i see that there lot of intersting possibilty.
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i hope someone answers this soon... but i can not find the stabilizer ANYWHERE in 3.0 i believe. plz halp my hand is shaky af ;-;
update: nvm i got it ^-^
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Hello! I'm new to Krita and I have accidentally closed the Stabilizer bar. How do I go back to it?
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you bring it back by right clicking from where it was before lel there's more options tho
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Thank you for responding to my question 
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Did not read it whole yet, but thanks for all the efforts mate! I am sure that there is going to be a lot of useful information, for a self thought noob like me
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Great tutorial on the basics, just what the doctor ordered! Hope you don't mind, I included it on cloneables.co.uk - under the Krita heading
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Thank you for the tutorials ^^
Also...my brush toolbar disappeared and I can't bring it back, can you help me with it please?
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I'm totally late but...
Top toolbar -> Settings -> Dockers -> Toolbox.
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Just downloaded the program i m not the best artist but i am going to make a stab at it again. noob==== 100%
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Thank you for this tutorial! It's really handy, but I have one question. How do you turn to grayscale? I've been looking on the internet but I have no answer
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Do you mean you want a layer to be only grayscale?
- Select a layer
- In the upper menu, select Layer -> Convert Layer Color Space
- Choose Model: Grayscale
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I have krita 2.9.5 and i cant find the "paint dynamically mode" option. Any idea where it is? Im really stuck x.x
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In the upper menu, there's a square icon with a brush on it, where you can choose the brush types. When you click it, you'll get a drop-down with the different brush types. If you choose Pixel Brush for example, you'll see a number of options in the second column, like Opacity, Rotation, Pattern etc. Check the box next to it to activate the dynamic, and if you want to map it to something other than Pressure, choose what you what in the third column that appears when you choose that dynamic. More on that here:
white-heron.deviantart.com/artβ¦
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Thank you muchly for the help 
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How exactly do you export a file? (It keeps on saying "cannot export file in this colourspace" for .psd, .png, .tif and such)
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Open Image/Properties. Did you convert your image to something weird? It should be RGB and such.
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I haven't touched the settings before and the file was created in Krita. :c
Now I manually set sRGB and 8 bits (?? or something like that) and it seems to work fine, butΒ I changedΒ the default settings (in some general settings) and then when the program crashes just once they are back to CMYK something. :C
But thank you
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maybe change CMYK to RGB?
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i just downloaded krita......and umm i still have some misunderstandings, such as.... the brush just wont listen to me, and sometimes when i chose the size to be lower it keeps going up...and some brushes wont work :/ i got some problems with erasing but this kinda helped with the erasing. sometimes the brush lags behind :/ stuff like that, but i'm sure i'l the skills Β with time. THX for the tutorial!
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brush lags if you use some performance-heavy brushes (big textures, smudging) in big resolutions. And the size might be caused by holding shift? Shift + drag resizes your brush tip
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A very nice tutorial. I am an absolute beginner with Krita.
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Thank you, glad it was helpful!
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Hope you don't mind another comment!
I AM IN LOVE WITH THE RIGHT CLICK FEATURE.
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Oooh, thank you. I downloaded the program recently based on the rave reviews of one artist I like and many artists in general but it's super intimidating (as are most good art programs, haha) so this will be very helpful.~
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Thanks Heron!Β I've been using Krita a while, and still found some trinkets in your tutorial that I didn't know, and will help me a ton!Β I tried finding a way to recenter for mirror mode, but couldn't find anything anywhere, and gave up.Β Then luckily found this...so now I have a whole new love for Krita all over again!
Thanks so much!
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I'm glad the tutorial was helpful! I hope you enjoy using the program!
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Thank you SO much for this!!! I just got Krita, and it is so confusing, but this helps a lot.
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You're welcome!
You make layers with the first button on the bottom-left of the layers docker, the button with a giant + on it. Pressing it will create a normal paint layer, and you can access more layer types with the arrow button right next to it. In the layers docker, using the 'insert' button on the keyboard will also add a new layer right above the active layer.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I was having so many problems with Krita, but not anymore! Your tutorials have saved me!Β
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You're welcome! Glad they helped!
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how do you update your finished pictures
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What do you mean? With Krita? When the picture isn't completed, save it as a .kra to keep all the layers and such.
Export the picture as .jpg when you're done and want to upload it somewhere. But if you need to change the picture, do so from your .kra file then export again.
You can modify a .jpg from Krita, but it won't have all the layers and such. ^^
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Just found out about Krita today after my frustration with GIMP. Great beginning tutorial, having a lot of fun with Krita so far. GIMP is great for photomanipulation and for graphic creation (i use it for logos and the such) but Krita embodies everything that I have not been able to do with GIMP. So grateful that everyone is working together to make this program great!!
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Glad you like the program! Krita also gets frequent updates, so check out the site from time to time.
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oh? do the updates not install when you run apt-get update?
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Oh, right. That's true for the 'stable' versions yes. But many of us are compiling the developer versions. xD
Stable versions are safer to use, though the developer versions are pretty stable too.
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Oh, I haven't actually tried the developer versions! It looks like you can just add the PPA and that you don't need to recompile it, though.
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That too. xD Basically, Krita gets improved so fast that few of us are using the last "stable" version.
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is krita safe? I mean does it contain malware or anything???
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Krita is quite safe. xDΒ It's open-source. The code is completely transparent, and it has a strong community that really won't stand for malware nonsense being inserted into their code.
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thanks for telling me! i am going to download krita!!Β
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Question? Is there a smoothing or stabilizing feature in it like in Sai?
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Yes there is.
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Thank you!Β
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