In a recent post, the Krita team took a reflective and forward-looking approach to charting the path for this beloved open-source painting program.
For the past year, one of the most pressing issues discussed was the challenge surrounding Krita’s Android and ChromeOS versions. At the same time, the team bids farewell to a key developer responsible for maintaining essential libraries and upstreaming fixes, a departure that will undoubtedly be felt.
Moreover, Krita’s integration into the Apple MacOS store has hit a snag due to certificate renewal issues related to a legal name change by Krita’s maintainer, posing unexpected administrative hurdles.
Despite these challenges, the Krita team has not been idle. The release of Krita 5.2, followed by two bugfix releases, marks significant milestones, with another bugfix release on the horizon before the anticipated launch of the upcoming Krita 5.3.
Having covered all that, let’s now briefly explore the development plans for this beloved software among digital artists for 2024.
Krita’s Plans for 2024
Krita’s focus for 2024 is as ambitious as it is broad, with priorities ranging from technical transitions to creative feature introductions. A major technical pivot will be porting Krita to Qt6, necessitated by the release of the first version of KDE Frameworks for Qt6.
This transition, critical for supporting GPU rendering and ensuring software stability across platforms, is poised to consume significant development resources.
Among the other features planned for the 2024 agenda are the introduction of flexible text balloons, a new layer type for comic book frameworks, and enhanced integration with Blender.
Plans to revamp the docker system, implement tool presets, and redesign the palette interface are also in the pipeline, alongside innovations in animation audio waveform display and reference frame workflow.
At the same time, the discussion around incorporating AI features into Krita has sparked a lively debate within the community. While generative AI has met with skepticism, the potential for AI-assisted sketch inking to streamline the artistic process while preserving individual creativity is under active investigation.
Lastly, for 2024, the Krita team is also exploring ways to leverage GPU acceleration to enhance performance, particularly focusing on optimizing transform masks.
For further information, visit the publication on the Krita’s website.
