Krita is an image authoring application. Some people compare Krita with GIMP. While the two programs have overlaps, the two programs are not the same and really shouldn’t be compared. Where GIMP is meant for image manipulation, Krita is more aimed at people who want to create images from scratch.
GIMP and Krita probably shouldn’t even be compared with each other. In fact, to save some time, you can read an article from the good folks at GIMP Tutorials for a good description of the benefits from either as well as why the two applications, GIMP and Krita, should not be compared with each other.
If you want to create digital art, Krita may be the software you’re looking for. When you’ve got a pointing device and plan on using the software like you’re painting, then Krita is the kind of software you’re looking for. Should you plan on creating from the ground up, not modifying memes or photoshopping dicks on pictures of previous politicians, you probably want Krita.
As luck would have it, this article will teach you how to install Krita on your Ubuntu-based system. It should also work for Debian, the official Ubuntu flavors, and Ubuntu derivatives like Mint or ElementaryOS. However, I tested in exactly none of those other systems. If you it doesn’t work, don’t say I didn’t tell you.
This process will have you installing it through your package manager. If you don’t want to do so, then there are an AppImage and Snap package that you can grab by going here. The way we will be installing Krita is a bit more ‘traditional’, so to speak.
Install Krita:
This article requires an open terminal. If you don’t know how to open the terminal, you can do so with your keyboard. Press CTRL + ALT + T and your default terminal should open up like magic.
The first thing we need to do is add the PPA. That’s a Personal Package Archive that adds itself to your regular repositories. A PPA is meant for software that’s not in the default repos. It’s meant for personal use – but we’ve bastardized the use to make it a way to easily install 3rd party software. That’s not important right now. What is important is that you then use this command:
Shell
When asked, you can finish adding the repository by pressing ENTER. That should then trigger apt, making it check for new software. If it doesn’t, you can run:
Shell
After that finishes, you can go right ahead and just install Krita from the terminal. (It’d also appear in your software manager, but we’re in the terminal so we might as well just finish in the terminal.)
Shell
Krita is a pretty large and complicated bit of software, so it’s a sizable download. Once downloaded and installed, you can bring out your inner Leonardo da Vinci! It’s really as simple as that, and nothing more.
Installing Krita this way will keep Krita up to date as the repository is updates. You do have a Flatpak and an AppImage available if either of those is your preference. If not, you can go right ahead and install it the old fashioned way.
Closure:
DING! There’s another article done and done. This one just was a passing fancy, pulled more or less randomly from my notes. It’s a great way to install Krita, for those looking to do so. It’s pretty painless and it’s a solid piece of software.