Brushes are important in Krita. With a brush tool, you can draw, paint, and create texture and pattern in Krita to make digital art.
Sometimes, the default brush in Krita is not good enough, and you want more brushes added to the app.
In this article, I will show you how to add new brushes and import brushes from other apps like Photoshop, Procreate, and Medibang into Krita.
Table of Contents
How to Add New Brushes
Before adding a new brush, we first need to download the new brush file. The brush file for Krita is in the KPP extension, .bundle extension (for brush bundle) or inside a ZIP folder.
Where to Download Free Brush
You can easily find Krita brushes on art forums like Devian Art or in a Krita Subreddit.
For Example:
Krita official Resource and Brush Page: https://docs.krita.org/en/resources_page.html
Krita Forum Brush Complete List: https://krita-artists.org/c/resources/brushes-and-bundles/32
DevianArt Krita Brush Kit: https://www.deviantart.com/tag/krita
A Reddit post about recommended Krita Brush: https://www.reddit.com/r/krita/comments/tn6wbo/best_krita_brushes_and_brush_packs/
But be careful; make sure other users have downloaded and tested the file.
If no one has used the brush, there is a slight chance the brush file is not real, and it’s actually a virus or malware.
As an example, I downloaded the Inktober brush officially released by Krita from this YouTube video:
Adding New Brush in Krita
After downloading the brush file, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Krita application
Step 2: Create a New Document
Step 3: Go to the top menu and select the Settings > “Manage Resources..” option
Step 4: A popup for the manage resources window will appear. Click the Import Resources button.
Step 5: Search the brush file, usually in the Download folder on Windows, MacOS, iPadOS and Android OS. Choose the brush file and click the Open button to select it.
Step 6: Restart Krita to save change.
Step 7: You can now find the new brush in the brush presets. Try to draw with it on the canvas.
Import External App Brush into Krita
If you’re unsatisfied with the brushes created by various artists, you can import your favorite brushes from software like Photoshop into Krita.
Importing Photoshop Brushes into Krita
Photoshop is the most popular software artists use to create their digital art. Photoshop brushes, which have the .abr file extension, are widely used and shared
Fortunately, Krita offers support for .abr files, allowing artists to import brushes created in Adobe Photoshop directly into the Krita app. To import a Photoshop brush into Krita, you can follow these steps:
Step 1: Download the .abr file you wish to use.
Step 2: Open Krita and navigate to the top menu.
Step 3: Click the ”’Settings” > “Manage Resources…” option.
Step 4: In the Resources window, click the “Import Resources” button
Step 5: Locate the .abr file you downloaded, select it, and click the “Open” button.
Step 6: Restart Krita to ensure the brushes are loaded and ready for use.
Your imported Photoshop brushes should now appear in the brush presets panel.
This functionality enriches your Krita brush library with a broader range of textures and styles designed initially for Photoshop, enhancing your creative possibilities.
Importing GIMP Brushes into Krita
GIMP brushes typically come in .gbr or .vbr file formats. Like Photoshop brushes, these can also be imported into Krita, providing even more diversity in your brush toolkit. To add GIMP brushes to your Krita brush collection, follow these instructions:
Step 1: Locate and download the GIMP brush files you want to add to Krita.
Step 2: Open Krita, then go to the top menu. Select ‘Settings‘ and choose ‘Manage Resources…‘.
Step 3: Click the “Import Resources” option.
Step 4: Navigate to where you’ve saved your GIMP brushes, select the files (.gbr or .vbr), and click the “Open” button.
Step 5: Restart Krita to apply the changes.
The GIMP brushes will now be available in the brush presets dropdown.
Using Procreate Brush in Krita
Sadly, Krita doesn’t support Procreate brush file (.brush). This means that you can’t use the Procreate brush in Krita.
But because many artists use the (.ABR) brush in Procreate, you can use the (.abr) brush in Krita. So technically, you can use the same procreate brush in Krita if it is made as a (.abr) file.
Using Medibang & IbisPaint Brush in Krita
Krita doesn’t support brush files created in Medibang & ibisPaint. You can only recreate them manually if you want to use their brush in Krita.
Again, it’s not worth it. Just search for a similar brush in the Krita forum.
Supported Brush and Resource File Extensions for Krita
Here is the list of brush file extensions that you can use in Krita
Brushes:
- .abr (Adobe Brush Library): Brushes created in Adobe software.
- .gbr and .vbr (GIMP Brushes): Standard brush files for GIMP, usable in Krita.
- .gih (GIMP Image Hose Brush): Sequence of images that GIMP uses for brushes.
Color Palettes:
- .gpl, .pal, .act, .aco, .colors, .xml, .sbz, .acb (Color Palette files): Various file formats for color palettes
Patterns:
- .pat (GIMP Patterns): Pattern files used in GIMP
Presets and Bundles:
- .kpp (Krita Brush Preset): Preset files for brushes in Krita.
- .bundle (Krita Resource Bundle): A collection of Krita resources packaged into a single file.
Image File
- .jpg, .jpeg
- .png (PNG image)
- .svg (SVG image)
- .tif, .tiff
- .bmp, .dib
Should You Use Premium Brushes in Krita?
Some artists on YouTube and other art communities are known to sell premium Krita brush packs at a low price. However, I don’t recommend buying premium brushes for Krita.
Why?
The free brushes available for download are good enough for creating professional digital art in Krita. Even the default brush is good at creating art, in my experience.
The quality of your art is determined by your art skills, not by the brush you use. Furthermore, there is a risk of continually purchasing premium brushes that you may never use.
Of course, I won’t lie; I have purchased a premium Photoshop brush that I continue to use in Photoshop, CSP, Procreate, and Krita.
So if you want to buy it, then do it. But if you’re still a beginner artist, I don’t recommend buying them because the new brushes won’t improve your art quality.
