# Krita

Application: Krita Foundation

Also called krita paint, krita foundation

Krita Foundation, Creative

A painting-first open-source editor. krita.exe is the process. It is not Photoshop.

## What you need to know

Krita is painting-first. Photoshop is a general pixel editor.

Krita is an open-source painting app. Photoshop is Adobe's raster compositor. A missing .kra is a Krita document, not a PSD.

- **What is it?**: Digital painting

  **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status

  **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If krita.exe is the process, someone is painting, not running Photoshop. I would not hunt Photoshop.exe to explain a .kra file.

## What is Krita?

Krita is an open-source painting studio. A .kra document holds layers and brushes. The Windows executable is krita.exe.

## If you have never used it

Krita is a free painting app. Brushes and a canvas are the job. It is not Photoshop. Download it from krita.org/download. A comic page or illustration is the usual reason to install it. Photo retouch is secondary.

## What is it used for?

**Digital painting**

Painting brushes and a mixer. Photoshop can paint. Krita is built around that job.

**Comics and illustration**

Panels, vector layers, and animation timeline. Clip Studio overlaps. Photoshop does not own this.

**Animation frames**

A simple frame timeline. After Effects is still the compositing sibling, not this.

## Who is it for?

- Illustrators who want a free canvas
- Comic artists comparing Clip Studio
- Anyone who opened Photoshop looking only for brushes

## Current status

Krita (2005) is a current digital painting from Krita Foundation. The vendor still points Windows users at https://krita.org/download/.

## How old is it?

Krita grew out of KOffice work and became its own painting app around 2005. It is younger than GIMP (1996) and it is still painting-first. Current Windows builds are the Krita Foundation releases.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Current Windows build

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.          |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app

  **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| krita.exe | Main Windows executable |
| --------- | ----------------------- |

## Startup components

Krita does not need to start with Windows.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\Krita (x64)\\ |
| --------------- | ------------------------------ |

## File formats

KRA, PNG, PSD, ORA

## Common problems

### Expected Photoshop print tools

Krita can export. Soft-proof and press PDF habits still live in Photoshop or InDesign.

### Brush lag on a huge canvas

Canvas size and brush tip, not a Windows service. Lower the resolution before you reinstall.

## Getting unstuck

### Confirm krita.exe

Program Files\Krita is the app. Steam and krita.org builds both exist. Path tells them apart.

### Install from krita.org

The Foundation download is the supported Windows build.

### Reset the workspace

Settings > Dockers if a panel vanished. This is not a Photoshop workspace reset.

## Alternatives

Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop overlap for illustration. GIMP is the other free raster editor, not a painting-first twin.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [krita.org/download/ ](https://krita.org/download/)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Help          | [docs.krita.org/ ](https://docs.krita.org/)Vendor support                            |
| Official site | [krita.org/ ](https://krita.org/)Start here, not a random exe host                   |

## Related hardware

A drawing tablet helps more than a famous GPU name.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[Clip Studio Paint: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/clip-studio-paint)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Krita official site ](https://krita.org/)· Vendor product page
- [Krita help ](https://docs.krita.org/)· Vendor support
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.

Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Krita Foundation

  **Category**: Digital painting

  **Process**: krita.exe

  **License**: GPL-3.0

  **First released**: 2005

  **Official site**: [krita.org](https://krita.org/)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

---

Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/krita/)

[Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)