In a strategic move to capture the attention of illustrators, Adobe has announced that its drawing and painting app, Fresco, will now be available to users at no cost. This decision positions Fresco as a direct competitor to popular digital art applications such as Procreate and Clip Studio Paint, which offer a wide range of tools for creating digital artwork and simulating traditional materials like sketching pencils and watercolors.
Adobe Fresco is specifically designed for touch- and stylus-enabled devices, including iPads, iPhones, and Windows PCs. Previously, the app offered a free version, but users had to pay a $9.99 annual subscription to access premium features, such as the complete Adobe Fonts library, an expanded selection of brushes, and the option to import custom brushes. While this subscription was relatively affordable for Adobe services, it still fell short of Procreate’s one-time purchase price of $12.99.
Starting today, all premium features of Fresco will be accessible without a subscription fee. Since its launch in 2019, Fresco has not gained the same level of recognition as more established Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator, which are known for their advanced design capabilities. However, Fresco offers unique features, including reflection and rotational symmetry tools that allow users to mirror their artwork in real time, as well as quick animation options utilizing motion presets like “bounce” and “breathe.”
Fresco enters a competitive landscape dominated by applications like Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, and Krita, which have gained popularity within the digital art community due to their affordability, user-friendly interfaces, and compatibility with iPads—providing a cost-effective alternative to high-end computers and professional drawing tablets. Many artists creating fan art, web comics, and illustrations for online platforms primarily use these tools rather than Adobe’s offerings.
Procreate, in particular, has cultivated a dedicated user base, largely attributed to its reasonable pricing and a firm stance against integrating generative AI tools, which resonates with artists concerned about the impact of AI on their careers.
While Fresco currently does not feature any of Adobe’s generative AI capabilities, it offers advantages such as a desktop application and cloud storage support, in contrast to Procreate, which stores files locally on devices. By eliminating the subscription requirement, Adobe aims to attract new users and expand its foothold in the digital art sector.
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