Krita

Resources

• Tips and Tricks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8az5DijlnY
• Brush references https://docs.krita.org/fr/reference_manual/krita_4_preset_bundle.html
• Using the colourise mask tool https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=wevLWWqB7eE&feature=emb_logo (pencil works in Wash Mode)
  • Select Colourise Mask Tool
  • Click on layer with line art
  • Use a brush to mark area with desired fill colour
  • Make sure to set a stroke for the transparent fill as well (Tool Options → Key Strokes → Transparent), otherwise it won't fill properly!
  • Right click on the Coloured Mask layer and convert to paint layer to finish
• Stroke smoothing https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=sqhPVwFc3Yg&feature=emb_logo (stabiliser setting good)
• Navigation terminology https://docs.krita.org/en/user_manual/getting_started/navigation.html
• Bezier curve tool tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJUZDt1qNrg
• Applied blending techniques https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AybFWViT-3Q
• Alpha lock concept https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQjbmJF6tIo
• Complete digital painting process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMHJFdgRjYk
• Animation https://youtu.be/48pwrr4gPOA?t=740
• Liquify transform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54_pCb5e2OU

Painting techniques

• Sara Tepes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMHJFdgRjYk) - values first (air brush), then colours on a soft light layer (air brush). Duplicate that layer with 50% opacity to brighten, finally a filter layer, playing around with colour adjustment curve on RGBA, Red, Blue etc.
• Jenna (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z06RRp81iDM) - lines (air brush), flat colours, luminosity layer for highlights (air brush), multiply layer for darks (air brush), merge together and then blend with textured brush.

Unsorted

• There is an overview docker
• <C-A-c> to resize the canvas
• <C-S-r> to paste clipboard contents as a reference image
• <C-g> creates a Group Layer wrapping the currently selected layer
• <Shift-s> to bring up snapping options
• Grid is located in View → Show Grid (or <C-S-'> ). There is also a docker for it, which lets you configure sizes and offsets in Settings → Dockers → Grids and Guides
• <Delete> to reset background and foreground colours to black and white
• - and = to decrease/increase zoom level
• Creating a texture template can be useful for making tesselating tiles for pixelart
  • w to trigger tiling
• m to mirror the canvas vertically (needed to enable this in Configure Krita)
• Delete a layer with <Shift-Delete>
• r and clicking on an area selects the topmost layer that contains paint in that area
• A desaturation filter layer can be used to turn layers below it into black and white (to look at the values)
• + to zoom in
• - to zoom out
• <Ctrl-Space> + LH drag to smoothly zoom in and out

Layers

https://docs.krita.org/en/reference_manual/dockers/layers.html

• (Custom) <F2> to rename a layer (requires binding)
• <A-Click> (alt + click) to hide all but selected layer
• <C-l> to introduce a filter mask into a layer

Vector Layers

• Vector layers https://docs.krita.org/en/user_manual/vector_graphics.html
  • Path documentation https://docs.krita.org/en/reference_manual/tools/path.html
• s for the select shapes tool (requires binding)

Animation

Show Timeline, Onion skins and animation docker

• Turn on auto-frame to create a new frame everytime something on a layer changes
• <A-Drag> moves the entire timeline
• Enable layers to be shown in the timeline by checking 'Show In Timeline' when right-clicking on them
• Onion skinning on layer is off by default; option to enable becomes visible once a frame is created
• Export to mp4/gif with File → Render Animation

Editing

• <C-e> to merge current layer with the one below it
• In Tool Options, the brush smoothing option can be changed (basic and stabiliser most used)
• Canvas can be resized in Image → Resize Canvas
• Change the colour of line art (e.g. black to blue) in a layer by going to Filter → Adjust → HSV Adjustment (https://forum.deviantart.com/technology/software/2268638/) - also <C-u>

Viewing

• Reset rotation with 5
• <Space> to pan
• <Shift-Space> to rotate

Selections

https://docs.krita.org/en/user_manual/selections.html

• <C-r> enables rectangular selection
  • <Delete> deletes the selection
  • <Backspace> fills selection with the background color https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=274&t=160766
• t to move selected
• <C-S-a> to deselect all
• <C-h> to show/hide selection
• While in outline selection mode:
  • Hold <Shift> to add to selection
  • Hold <Alt> to remove from selection
• In Layers docker, right click on layer and use 'select opaque' to select everything in that layer
  • <Ctrl> + Click also works
• An active global selection can be converted to a persistent local one by right clicking on layer, Add → Local Selection
• (Custom) <w> for magic wand
• (Custom) <q> for lasso select
• <C-j> to duplicate a layer or mask
  • <C-Alt-j> to copy a selection to new layer
  • <C-Shift-j> to cut a selection to new layer

Tools

• Configure tablet pressure sensitivity with
• / toggles between most recently selected brush presets
• b for the freehand brush
• f for fill bucket
  • Change Sample to All Layers (and increase grow selection value) in order to hold the fills in a separate layer to the lines layer
• Similar selection tool useful for moving stuff between layers

Free Transform

• Access with <C-t>
• Can flip vertically or horizontally in tool options (triangle icons near the bottom)
• Warp can be used to deform selection
  • Cage setting can be used to change proportions by dragging the vertices of a created polygon

Liquidify

Last icon of the transform tool.

• Move: drag to pull and push pixels with brush
• Zoom: hold to magnify/<Ctrl> to shrink
• Twirl: rotate
• Offset: Push pixels perpendicular to stroke. Useful to refine outer silouette
• Erase: reset liquidify proportions

Additionally, wash mode applies deformation on original pixels, so there is a 'cap'.

Hold shift and drag the pen left and right to change the size

• Use amount (rate of application) and spacing (sensitivity with respect to cursor movement)

Assistant

• Parallel ruler mode can be used to quick-draw straight lines
• Vanishing point mode can be used to quick-draw lines converging to the vanishing point

Brush

• <Ctrl> to open up the eyedrop picker (seems to need to be the actual Ctrl key, rather than the remapped Caps Lock) Hold <Alt> to select the original colour of that layer, prior to filters and opacity settings https://youtu.be/JmA0LdqVcBI?t=771
• [ and ] to decrease/increase brush size (<Shift> + dragging left/right also works)
• l and k to make brush colour lighter or darker
• i and o to decrease and increase the opacity
• x to swap background and foreground colours
• e to toggle eraser mode
• Hold v to temporarily enable the line tool to draw straight lines
• Blending (from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3korE3Xn4eg). Also some applied real-life examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AybFWViT-3Q
  • <Alt-Shift-m> for multiply (darkens existing colours, can be used to apply patterns, shadows)
  • <Alt-Shift-s> for screen (lightens existing colours)
  • <Alt-Shift-k> for darken (won't apply to darker colours)
  • <Alt-Shift-g> for lighten (won't apply to lighter colours)
  • <Alt-Shift-o> for overlay; adds a contrast
  • <Alt-Shift-d> for colour dodge; adds a contrast, but only lightens - good for adding aura/glow
  • <Alt-Shift-c> for colour (grey helps desaturate)
  • <Alt-Shift-n> for back to normal

Have bound <Alt-B> to enable basic brush smoothing, and <Alt-T> to enable stabiliser brush smoothing.

Bezier Curve

• Right click undos
• Click to do a straight line
• <Enter> finishes the curve