FotoSketcher Studio 4.50 is officially released

Hi all,

I am happy to announce that FotoSketcher Studio 4.50 is now available for download from fotosketcher.com. A big thank you to Jack, Pat, Merwin and everyone else who tested the alpha and beta builds and sent feedback - it helped me shape this release considerably.

This version brings a new painting effect, an image watermark tool, full keyboard navigation and a rather long list of improvements and fixes.

New Gouache Painting effect 🎨

A new Gouache Painting effect joins the Painting category. Gouache sits somewhere between watercolour and oil paint: thick, opaque, with a matte finish and visible brushstrokes.

Watermark and logo tool

The "Add text" window has been expanded into "Add text/watermark". You can now load any image file (PNG with transparency, JPG, or other formats) and place it over your picture as a watermark or logo. Drag to move, drag a corner to resize, and use the floating opacity slider to control transparency. Transparent borders are cropped automatically on load, and the watermark works in scripts too.

2 new embedded scripts

Two new ready-made scripts are included, both using the new Gouache Painting effect. Open the Script Editor to try them out or adapt them to your own style.

Crosshatch improvement

The Crosshatch effect now supports the "do not erase background" toggle. This means you can draw crosshatch lines over any existing painting or drawing, combining two effects in two quick steps.

Keyboard navigation for better accessibility

Tab and Shift+Tab now cycle through controls in reading order, with a blue ring highlighting the selected item. Enter activates it, and inside effect categories the arrow keys browse effects directly.

Watercolour performance

The Watercolour effect has received a significant speed improvement. A bug that could cause issues on certain CPU configurations (Intel Xeon for instance) has also been fixed.

Before/after divider

The split-view divider has been reworked. It no longer drifts off the image, stays on the same spot when you zoom, and is correctly clamped when scrolled. It had always been a bit "iffy", I hope it behaves now 😂 

Light/dark themes

The light theme has been refined for better contrast and legibility, and some remaining light/dark inconsistencies have been fixed throughout the interface.

Other improvements

• Parameters files saved with older versions of FotoSketcher are now loaded correctly.
• Watermarks are downscaled using the best possible quality for cleaner edges at small sizes.
• A little easter egg: a gentle steam animation appears on the support button's coffee cup when the mouse hovers over the icon.
• In the Script Editor window, the 3D cube animation has been optimized to consume very little CPU resource. 
• A portable version for Windows (no setup needed) is now available for download in .zip format.

Bug fixes

• Fixed Escape and Enter not working correctly in some in-app windows.
• Fixed a crash in the Script Editor when the application zoom level was set below 100%.
• Fixed the right-click menu in the history gallery appearing in the wrong position at non-default zoom levels.
• Fixed taskbar flickering with an auto-hidden taskbar at fractional zoom (typically 125%).
• Fixed the Script Editor memo splitting its background into two colours.
• Brushstrokes frame and other minor corrections.
• macOS build updated with interface layout improvements.

---

You can download FotoSketcher Studio 4.50 for free (Windows and macOS) here: fotosketcher.com

As always, thank you to everyone who supports FotoSketcher by reporting bugs, suggesting features, sharing your art, or buying me a coffee ☕

Have fun with version 4.50!

Best regards,

David

FotoSketcher Studio 4.50 Beta 1 is ready for testing

Hi all,

The first beta of FotoSketcher Studio 4.50 is now available for download. Since the alpha released a few days ago, the focus has been on polish, stability and a few bug fixes.

Here is what has changed since the alpha.

Gouache Painting tweaks

The Gouache Painting effect has been refined based on early feedback.

Watercolour optimisation

The Watercolour effect (already faster in the alpha) has received further optimisation work and should now run even more smoothly (and hopefully much better on Xeon cpus).

Tab key navigation

You can now use the Tab key to move between controls in the interface, making it quicker to jump between sliders and other settings without reaching for the mouse. *** this still needs to be worked on ***

Backwards compatibility for parameters files

Parameters files saved with older versions of FotoSketcher are now loaded correctly, so you can pick up where you left off without losing your saved settings.

UI colour tweaks

A few further colour adjustments have been made across the interface for better readability and consistency.

Bug fixes

• Fixed a crash in the Script Editor when the application zoom level was set below 100%.
• Plus the usual round of smaller fixes and stability improvements.

---

A quick recap of what was new in the alpha

For anyone who did not follow the alpha, here is what version 4.50 introduced over 4.40:

• New Gouache Painting effect (Painting category) - thick, opaque brushwork with a matte finish, somewhere between watercolour and oil paint.
• Light mode improvements - softer tones and better contrast for more comfortable use during long sessions.
• Image watermark - in addition to text, you can now load an image (a logo, a signature, a stamp) and resize and position it freely anywhere on your picture.
• Watercolour speed improvement - a big performance boost, plus a bug fix for certain CPU configurations.
• History gallery fix - the right-click menu now appears in the correct position at all zoom levels.

---

You can download Beta 1 (for Windows) here:

https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.50_beta1.zip

As always, any feedback is very welcome! Please leave a comment below or send me an email at contact@fotosketcher.com.

Happy testing :)

David 

FotoSketcher Studio 4.50 Alpha 1 is ready for testing

Hi all,

Work on the next version of FotoSketcher Studio is well underway and the first alpha of version 4.50 is now available for download and testing. 

Here are the additions in this one:

- New Gouache Paint effect

A new Gouache Paint effect has been added to the Painting category. Gouache sits somewhere between watercolour and oil paint: thick, opaque, with a matte finish. It works especially well on landscapes and still life subjects where you want bold, flat areas of colour with visible brushwork but without the transparency of watercolour.

Original photo credit: Nick Fewings on unsplash.com

- Light mode improvements

The light mode introduced in 4.40 has been refined to be easier on the eyes, with softer tones and better contrast throughout the interface. 

- Add watermark (image overlay)

The text watermark feature has been expanded: you can now load an image (a logo, a signature, a stamp) and resize and position it anywhere on your picture. Combined with the existing text option, this gives you everything you need to sign or brand your artwork before sharing it.

- Watercolour speed improvement

The Watercolour effect has received a big performance improvement and should run noticeably faster than before. A bug that could cause issues on some CPU configurations (Intel Xeon for instance) has also been fixed (hopefully).

- Other bug fixes

Fixed an issue where the right-click menu in the history gallery would appear in the wrong position when the interface zoom level was set to something other than 100%.
Fixed a rare bug when the Apply effect button would not work until you changed effects or retriggerd a preview.
Fixed a bug preventing the auto-hidden Windows taskbar to pop-up (and bonus fix, the line at the bottom of the screen that allowed this is now hidden). 

---

You can download Alpha 1 (for Windows) here:

https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.50_alpha1.zip

This is an early alpha, so there may be rough edges. As always, any feedback is very welcome - bugs, oddities, or anything that does not feel right on your particular setup. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at contact@fotosketcher.com.

Happy testing!

David

FotoSketcher featured in Computeractive magazine!

Hi all,

Some nice news to share: Computeractive, the UK's best-selling computer magazine, has featured FotoSketcher Studio in the "Best Free Software" section of issue 739 (1-14 July 2026).
Reviewer Robert Irvine picked it out as "our favourite free program for applying artistic effects to your photos", which is a lovely thing to read about your own software 😊

The review looked at the newer tools in version 4.30 - the Mosaic, Circles and Triangles effects in the Stylize category, the LUTs colour-grading presets in the Photo lab, the Auto-Enhance shortcut (press E), and the Cartoon filter, which got a special mention.

Thank you to Robert Irvine and the whole Computeractive team!

Whether you're enjoying a nice seaside holiday or suffering through the current heatwave in the UK (and elsewhere!), don't miss the current issue of Computeractive ;)

If you came here from the article, welcome. The current release is FotoSketcher 4.40, a free download for Windows and macOS at fotosketcher.com. 

Best regards,

David

FotoSketcher Studio 4.40 is officially released

Hi all,

I am happy to announce that FotoSketcher Studio 4.40 is now available for download from fotosketcher.com.

The two big additions in this release are the Crosshatch effect and Light mode.

Crosshatch is a new Pencil Sketch effect that recreates the drawing technique of building up tone with overlapping sets of parallel lines. It works especially well on portraits and architectural photos where you want that hand-drawn, pencil-on-paper feel.

Light mode adds a light theme alongside the existing dark one. You can switch between them at any time, and FotoSketcher now remembers your choice (along with your language setting) between sessions, so it starts up the way you left it.

The application size has also been drastically reduced on both Windows and macOS, making for a lighter download and a smaller footprint on your machine.

Here is the full list of what's new in version 4.40:

• New Crosshatch effect (Pencil Sketch category)
• New Light mode, switchable at any time
• New frame added
• Settings remembered between sessions (language and theme)
• Embedded example scripts included directly in the application to try, learn from, and adapt
• Script Editor now minimizes while a script runs, so you can watch the result build on the main image
• Keyboard navigation in the menu (F10)
• Save and overwrite safeguards: a prompt before exiting with unsaved changes, and a warning before overwriting an existing file
• On Windows: adjustable application zoom level for the interface (from 50% to 150%)
• Drastically reduced executable size on both Windows and macOS
• Improved script performance on both Windows and macOS
• Many macOS corrections to bring the Mac build in line with the Windows version
• A wide range of UI improvements on both platforms
• Bug fixes: fixed the Windows taskbar sometimes not appearing, fixed the macOS light style not applying correctly, plus other corrections and stability improvements

You can download this new release directly from the official website.

As always, thank you to everyone who supports FotoSketcher by reporting bugs, suggesting features, sharing your art, or buying me a coffee.

Have fun with version 4.40!

Best regards,

David

FotoSketcher Studio 4.40 Beta 2 is ready for testing (Windows and macOS)

Hi all,

A second beta of FotoSketcher Studio 4.40 is now available, and this time both the Windows and macOS builds are ready together.

The focus of this release is quality rather than new features. Since Beta 1, the work has gone into making the program more stable, improving performance and fixing a good number of issues specific to macOS.

- Performance improvements

Script performance has been improved on both Windows and macOS, so running scripts should feel faster and more responsive.

- UI improvements

Further interface refinements have been made on both Windows and macOS.

- Bug fixes

• Fixed an issue on Windows where the taskbar would sometimes not appear.
• Fixed an issue on macOS where the light style would not apply correctly.
• Plus a number of other corrections and stability improvements across both platforms.

- Many macOS corrections

The macOS build has received a lot of attention in this beta, with numerous corrections aimed at bringing it in line with the Windows version and making it behave properly on Mac hardware.

---

A quick recap of what was new in 4.40 Beta 1

For anyone who did not follow the first beta, here is what version 4.40 introduced over 4.30:

• Light mode - a light theme alongside the existing dark one, switchable at any time.
• New Crosshatch effect - recreates the pen-and-ink technique of building up tone with overlapping sets of parallel lines.
• Settings remembered between sessions - both your interface language and your dark/light mode choice now persist, so FotoSketcher starts up the way you left it.
• Script Editor minimizes while a script runs - so you can watch the result build on the main image, with the editor returning when the script finishes.
• Embedded example scripts - a set of ready-made scripts included directly in the application to try, learn from, and adapt.
• Keyboard navigation in the menu (F10) - open the menu with F10 and move around and select items entirely from the keyboard.
• Save and overwrite safeguards - a prompt before exiting with unsaved changes, and a warning before a save would overwrite an existing file.
• Lots of UI improvements - a wide range of smaller interface refinements throughout the program.

---

You can download Beta 2 here:

For Windows: https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.40_beta2.zip

For macOS (Intel or Apple CPUs): https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.40_beta2_MacOS.zip

As always, any feedback is very welcome - bugs, oddities, or anything that does not feel right on your particular setup. Feedback from macOS users is especially useful this time, given how much has changed on that side. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at contact@fotosketcher.com.

Happy testing!

David

FotoSketcher Studio 4.40 Beta 1 is ready for testing

 

Hi all,

The first beta of FotoSketcher Studio 4.40 is now available for download and testing. Alongside the two headline features I mentioned in the last post - light mode and a new crosshatching effect - this build brings a good number of workflow and user interface improvements, plus a few safeguards to help you avoid losing work.

Here is what is new in version 4.40 Beta 1:

- Light mode

FotoSketcher now has a light theme in addition to the existing dark one. You can switch between the two at any time, and your choice is remembered. Click on the little icon in the top right of the window to toggle between modes.

- New Crosshatch effect

A new Crosshatch effect has been added to the Pen & Ink effects.

- Settings are now remembered between sessions

Both your interface language and your dark/light mode choice now persist between sessions. Set them once and FotoSketcher will start up the way you left it, instead of reverting to the defaults each time. More persistent settings will be added in the future.

- Script Editor minimizes while a script runs

When you run a script, the Script Editor can now be minimized so you can see the result being built on the main image without the editor window getting in the way. It comes back as soon as the script finishes.

- Embedded example scripts

A set of ready-made example scripts is now included directly in the application, so you have working scripts without having to copy anything from elsewhere. These follow on from the scripting tutorial I posted on this blog recently.

- Keyboard navigation in the menu (F10)

The menu now supports full keyboard navigation. Press F10 to open it, then move around and select items entirely from the keyboard.

- Save and overwrite safeguards

FotoSketcher now checks for two situations:

• When you exit with an image that has unsaved changes, it will prompt you before closing rather than discarding the result silently.
• When a save would overwrite an existing file, it now warns you first so you do not accidentally replace a file you wanted to keep.

- Lots of UI improvements

This build also includes a wide range of smaller user interface improvements for better usability.

---

You can download Beta 1 (for Windows) here:

https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.40_beta1.zip

A macOS build will follow shortly.

As always, any feedback is very welcome - bugs, oddities, or anything that does not feel right on your particular setup, especially around the new light mode and the save/overwrite prompts. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at contact@fotosketcher.com.

Happy testing!

David

A sneak peek into what's to come...

Hi all,

Apart from doing some behind-the-scenes optimizations and bug fixes, two very visible new features will be present in v4.40:

• a light mode
• a brand new crosshatching effect

Stay tuned ;)

David

FotoSketcher Studio 4.30 is officially here! 🎉

Hi all,

After a good round of beta and release candidate testing, I am happy to announce that FotoSketcher Studio 4.30 is now available for download. A big thank you to everyone who tested the earlier builds and sent feedback - it really does make a difference.

This version brings two main new effects, a handful of workflow additions and the usual round of polish. 

Watercolor done with the default sample script

Here is what is new.

New LUTs effect 🎨

In the Photo Lab category you will find a new LUTs (Lookup Tables) effect for custom colour grading. It comes with 18 presets built right into the application (Cinematic, Kodachrome, Golden hour, Portrait and more), each with a live preview so you can see the look before applying it. Right-click the preview to compare with your original image. And if you have your own .cube files, you can load those from disk too.

New "Stylize" category

I have added a brand-new Stylize category with four new effects. Three of them (Mosaic, Circles and Triangles) are built on the same space-filling idea, turning your photo into tiled mosaics, clusters of circles, or a low-poly triangle look. The fourth, Cartoon, is a bit different: it gives a clean graphic style with defined lines and solid colours. A little tip - set the colour intensity to 0 and Cartoon draws a pure outline drawing with no fill. Combined with the "Do not erase background" option, you can run it on top of any other effect to add crisp contours in two quick steps.

Auto-Enhance and Full Reset

Two small but handy additions. Auto-Enhance (just press E) tries to optimise your source photo - exposure, white balance, local contrast - for a 'dehazed', natural-looking starting point. And Full Reset clears everything back to a clean slate in one step (working image, history, LUT, script, brushes and sliders) without having to close and reopen the program. Press Ctrl+Shift+N, or right-click the exit button.

Scripts

The script engine has been updated to support all the new effects, with a few new commands and improved help. If you would like some inspiration, the recent scripting tutorial on this blog walks through several ready-made example scripts.

The usual improvements

The interface now uses new colour accents for better readability, the history gallery has had a few tweaks, and you can now open .webp images directly. On top of that, this release includes some performance improvements and a good number of bug fixes.

You can download FotoSketcher Studio 4.30 for free (Windows and MacOS) here: https://fotosketcher.com/download-fotosketcher/

As always, thank you for your support, whether you test early builds, share your artwork, or help keep the project free with a donation. It is all greatly appreciated!

Happy sketching 😊

David 

FotoSketcher 4.30 Release Candidate is now available for testing

Hi all,

The Release Candidate for FotoSketcher 4.30 is now ready for download. This build is feature-complete: everything planned for 4.30 is in place, and the focus from here is on weeding out any remaining bugs before the final release. If the RC holds up well across different systems, it will become version 4.30 with little or no change.

For anyone who did not follow the beta versions, here is the full rundown of what is new in 4.30 compared to 4.20.

- New "Stylize" category with four new effects

A new Stylize category groups four brand-new effects, all built on the same space-filling algorithm:

• Mosaic turns your photos into classic tiled mosaic patterns.
• Cartoon produces a graphic style with defined lines and solid colours. Tip: With the colour intensity slider set to 0 it draws a pure outline drawing, with no colour fill. Combined with the "Do not erase background" option, you can apply any effect first and then run Cartoon at intensity 0 on top to add crisp contours to any result in two steps.
• Circles fills the image with circles of varying sizes that follow the colour edges in the photo.
• Triangles tiles the image with triangles for a low-poly illustration feel.

- Lookup Tables (LUTs)

A new LUTs effect has been added to the Photo Lab category for custom colour grading. It ships with 18 presets built directly into the application, selectable from a new "Select LUT…" button with a live preview of each look (right-click the preview to compare with the original):

Architecture, Blues, Cinematic, Cinematic saturation, Cyan skies, Film print, Film tone 1, Film tone 2, Golden hour, HDR, HDR natural, Kodachrome, Monochrome artistic, Monochrome balanced, Monochrome vintage, Portrait, Rich colors, Vibrant light.

You can also load your own custom .cube files from disk.

- Auto-Enhance

A new Auto-Enhance feature attempts to optimize the source image (exposure, white balance, local contrast) for a clean, natural-looking result. It is available from the menu or by pressing E.

- Script engine additions

The script engine has been updated to support the new effects (LUTs, Mosaic, Cartoon, Circles and Triangles), and three new commands are now available in the Script Editor:

• ENHANCE - auto-enhances the working image in a single line.
• LUT_FILE <path> - loads a .cube file from disk for the next LUTs effect step.
• LUT_EMBEDDED <name> - selects one of the 18 built-in presets by name (case-insensitive, spaces allowed).

If you would like to see these commands in action, the recent scripting tutorial on the blog includes several ready-made example scripts that use them.

- Full Reset

A new Full Reset function clears everything back to the application's initial state in one step: working image, history, LUT, script, custom brushes and all sliders, without having to close and reopen the program. To trigger it, right-click the exit button (the icon that turns red in the icon bar) or press Ctrl+Shift+N.

- UI improvements

• Thumbnails in the history gallery now show a blue dot to indicate images that have not been modified, making it easier to spot your original source images at a glance.
• Hovering over a thumbnail now displays a tooltip with the filename and file size.
• Added support for opening .webp images, a format often found on the web.
• Improved Italian and Korean translations - thanks to Roberto and Jaehyung!

- Bug fixes

• The window now correctly re-scales when moved between monitors with different DPI settings.
• Fixed an issue on macOS where the splash screen could reappear on top of the main window after being dismissed.
• When the "Erase background" option is off, the Cartoon effect now correctly blends the pre-effect pixels into the output instead of discarding them.
• Various smaller fixes and polish based on Beta 2 feedback.

Plus some under-the-hood code optimizations have also been made to (hopefully) improve overall rendering speed.

You can download the Release Candidate (for Windows) here: https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.30_RC.zip
And for MacOS (Intel or Apple CPUs) here: 
https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.30_RC_MacOS.zip

As always, any feedback is very welcome, especially anything that does not feel right on your particular setup. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at contact@fotosketcher.com.

Happy testing!

David