Hello Linux Geeksters. As you may know, Krita is an open-source image manipulation software, allowing the user to either create pictures from scratch or edit existing images. It is good because it supports most graphics tablets very well.
The latest version available is Krita 2.9 Beta 1, which has been recently released, coming with the below changes.
Interface:
- Krita can now open more than image in a singe window, and the same image in more than one window. You can choose between sub windows and tabs.
- You can now organize the favorite presets in the pop-up palette using tags.
- You can also increase the amount of brushes available in the pop-up palette at a time in preferences.
- You can select more than one layer at a time and delete, move or drag and drop them in the layer docker.
- New options for the cursor, including one to show a dot at the center of the brush outline.
- The thumbnails for resources like brushes, gradients or patterns are resizable by using ctrl+scrollwheel over them.
- Editing gradients has been improved.
- You can now choose between giving the first layer a default color and giving the image a non-transparent background.
- You can create palette files inside Krita.
- The compositions docker stores the collapsed state, you can update compositions and control which compositions you export.
- A new type of gradients: selection-shape based gradients was added.
Layers, Selections and Masks:
- A new mask type was added: non-destructive transformation masks.
- Many new ways to convert between layers and masks.
- The rendering of vector graphics at various image resolution settings was fixed.
- It’s now possible to edit the alpha channel separately.
- You can split a layer into several layers, one for each color on the layer, which is useful together with G’Mic’s recolorize[comics] feature for coloring artwork.
- You can isolate a layer by using alt-select.
- You can edit selections directly as if it were a black and white image.
Brushes and painting:
- The anti-aliasing quality of thin lines has been much improved
- The smudge brush was made much more correct.
- The Flow option has finally been separated from opacity.
- Steps in the undo history can now be merged.
- The brush preset system was extended to make it possible to keep changes to a certain preset during a session, instead of resetting to the original preset on every brush preset switch.
- You can lock the size of the brush when switching between paint and erase mode, or have a separate size for each mode.
- New painting assistants for working with vanishing points and rulers.
- The line tool is now not only but takes all sensors into account! Rotation, speed, tilt, etc.
- There’s a sticky key available for accessing the straight line tool from the freehand brush.
- a delayed-stroke based stabilizer option was added for stroke smoothing
- The weighted smoothing and stabilizer also have a ‘delay’ option now, which allows you to create a dead area around your cursor for extra sharp corners.
- a scalable distance option was added to the weighted stroke smoothing, so now the weight is relative to the zoom.
For more information, see the release notes.
In this article I will show you how to install Krita 2.9 Beta 1 on Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn, Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr, Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin, Linux Mint 17.1 Rebecca, Linux Mint 17 Qiana, Linux Mint 13 Maya, Pinguy OS 14.04, Elementary OS 0.3 Freya, Elementary OS 0.2 Luna, Deepin 2014, Peppermint Five, LXLE 14.04, Linux Lite 2.0 and other Ubuntu 14.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04 derivative systems.
Because it is available via PPA, installing Krita 2.9 Beta 1 on Ubuntu 14.10, Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 12.04 and derivative systems is easy. All you have to do is add the ppa to your system, update the local repository index and install the krita package. Like this:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dimula73/krita
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install krita
Optional, to remove krita, do:
$ sudo apt-get remove krita