🎨FotoSketcher Studio 4.0 is here - for Windows and macOS 🎨

Hi everyone,

After months of development, a public Release Candidate, plenty of bug reports (thank you!), and a fair amount of late-night debugging, I'm happy to announce that FotoSketcher Studio 4.0 is officially released! 🎉

You may notice the new name. FotoSketcher is now FotoSketcher Studio - a small change to reflect how much the application has grown over the years, from a simple sketch filter to a full creative toolkit.

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What's new in 4.0

🖥️ Native macOS support - For the first time, FotoSketcher runs natively on macOS as a universal binary, supporting both Apple Silicon (M1 to M5) and Intel-based Macs in a single download. The macOS version is notarized by Apple, so it installs without security prompts. The Windows version is now digitally signed as well.

🎨 A redesigned interface - The application has been rebuilt from the ground up with a new dark interface. Tools and artistic filters are organised in a clear left panel, with a live preview and parameter sliders on the right.

🖌️ Manual Brush - Rather than applying an effect to the entire image, you can now paint it onto specific areas using the Manual Brush tool. Adjust the brush size, softness, and opacity, then brush the effect exactly where you want it. This opens up possibilities like selectively sketching a portrait background while keeping the face photographic, or adding a painterly texture to just the sky of a landscape.

✨ New and improved effects - Several new effects have been added, including Stochastic Painting, Smooth Painting, and the Felt-tip Pen effect. Existing effects have been refined with better colour handling and performance.

🔲 Alpha channel support - FotoSketcher Studio now fully supports images with transparency. Load a PNG with an alpha channel and the transparent areas are preserved throughout your editing - effects, crop, resize, text, and export (as PNG) all respect the alpha channel. This is a significant addition for anyone working with cutouts, compositing, or preparing assets for graphic design and animation.

🔀 Combine Images - Blend two images together with adjustable blend modes and opacity. Drag and drop a second image onto the canvas from the History Gallery to get started.

🖼️ Textures and Frames - Apply canvas, paper, or custom textures over your image, and choose from a selection of decorative frames - including the Brushstrokes Frame, which paints a textured border around your image as if the painting extends beyond the canvas.

📜 History gallery - A thumbnail strip along the bottom of the screen lets you browse and revisit every step of your editing session. Double-click any thumbnail to jump back to that state, or drag and drop it to combine it with your current image.

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📖 Help and documentation

A comprehensive help file is now available at fotosketcher.com/fotosketcher-help/, covering every feature, every effect and its parameters, keyboard shortcuts, and practical tips for getting the best results.

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⬇️ Download (100% free)

• Windows: FotoSketcher_Studio_Setup_4.0.exe
• macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel): FotoSketcher-4.0.dmg

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A note of thanks 🙏

A sincere thank you to everyone who tested the Release Candidate and took the time to report bugs. Several of the issues you found - the ghost window on Windows 11, the processing deadlock, the multi-monitor positioning - were fixed directly thanks to your feedback. This version is better because of your help.

FotoSketcher Studio is and will remain free. If you enjoy using it and would like to support its development, you can always buy me a coffee ☕ - it is appreciated but never expected.

Happy painting!

David 

FotoSketcher 4.0 — Final stretch!

Hello everyone,

I am pleased to share that FotoSketcher 4.0 is nearing its official release.

To ensure a seamless experience, the Windows version will be digitally signed, which will prevent any security warnings during the installation process. 

For macOS users, I am currently developing a universal binary to fully support both Intel and Apple Silicon processors. Furthermore, the application will be notarized by Apple to eliminate installation prompts and ensure a smooth setup.

Thank you for your continued patience and support. Stay tuned for the final launch! 

Made with FotoSketcher 4.0 — original photo credit: Craig Adderley on pexels.com

Best regards,

David

FotoSketcher 4.0 Release Candidate is here - and it now runs on MacOS too

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to announce the release of the FotoSketcher 4.0 Release Candidate. After months of development, bug fixing (a lot!) and refinements, I feel this version is solid enough to share widely before the official 4.0 launch.

For the very first time, FotoSketcher runs natively on MacOS - on both Apple Silicon (M1 to M5) and Intel-based Macs.

Whether you're on a recent M-chip Mac or a slightly older Intel machine, there is now a native version of FotoSketcher built for you. Windows users are of course not forgotten - FotoSketcher 4.0 RC is also available for Windows (64-bit), better than ever.

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Download

• Windows: https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.0_RC.zip
• macOS (Apple Silicon - M1 to M5): https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.0_RC_Apple.zip
• macOS (Intel): https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_4.0_RC_Intel.zip

These are portable versions - no installer needed. For Windows, extract the zip and double-click FotoSketcher.exe. For macOS, unzip, drag to your Applications folder (or run directly). If macOS warns that "the developer cannot be verified," just right-click the app icon, choose Open, and confirm.

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FotoSketcher running on MacOS:

14 artistic effects

FotoSketcher 4.0 RC ships with a full set of 14 effects, spanning pencil sketches, drawing effects, painting styles and photo filters:

Pencil Sketch

• Pencil Sketch 1 - classic edge-based pencil sketch with adjustable contrast and color tint
• Pencil Sketch 2 - stroke-based rendering with variable stroke size and density
• Pencil Sketch 3 - dynamic pencil effect using iterative directional strokes

Pen & Ink / Drawing

• Black & White - dramatic high-contrast ink rendering with tonal simplification
• Stippling - B&W stipple/dithering effect using the Atkinson algorithm
• Felt-tip pen - mimics the look of bold marker strokes

Painting

• Watercolor - smooth, flowing watercolor effect built on spoke-based rendering
• Oil Pastel - oil pastel brushwork using custom brush shapes
• Watercolor splashes - loose, expressive watercolor with directional splashing strokes
• Impasto brushstrokes - thick, textured paint with heavy impasto-style brushwork
• Smooth painting - soft, blended painting style, well suited to portraits and landscapes
• Stochastic Painting - a new effect with varied, randomised brushstrokes

Photo Filters

• Dream glow - the classic Orton soft-glow effect for a dreamy atmosphere
• Adjustments - vibrance, sharpness and structure enhancement for your image

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All the other features

Beyond the effects themselves, FotoSketcher 4.0 includes a range of tools for creative control:

Manual Brush - paint any effect selectively onto your image using a brush, just as in the classic Windows version. Adjust brush size, softness and opacity, and apply any of the 14 effects only where you want them. This makes it straightforward to combine multiple effects on the same image.

Image History & Blending - a history gallery at the bottom of the screen lets you browse all your previous results. You can also select two images from the gallery and blend them together to create composite effects.

Crop & Rotate - straightforward tools to compose your image before or after applying an effect.

Preview with Zoom - a live preview of the selected effect, with the ability to zoom in and inspect fine details before committing to the full render.

Text Tool - add custom text anywhere on your image, with font, size and style options, and drag it into position.

Frames - a selection of ready-made frames to finish your artwork, including the brushstrokes frame. You can also load your own custom frames.

Textures - apply a texture overlay to give your image the feel of canvas, paper, or any other surface.

Custom Brushes - for the painting effects, you can load your own brush shapes (transparent PNG files, or brushes converted from Photoshop .abr files) to change the character of the painted output.

Combine Images - blend two images from your history together with adjustable opacity for layered composite artwork.

Split View - see the source photo and the result side by side for a before/after comparison.

Save, Load and Reset Parameters - your effect settings can be saved and reloaded at any time, so you can keep your favourite configurations for future use.

Drag & Drop - drag an image file straight into FotoSketcher to open it.

Use Result as Source (F12) - chain effects together by feeding the output of one effect back in as the new source. Combined with the manual brush, this opens up some interesting creative possibilities.

Printing support - print your artwork directly from FotoSketcher.

Alpha channel / Transparency - most effects preserve transparency, making it easy to composite your artwork on other backgrounds.

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A word about this Release Candidate

As with any RC, there may still be a few rough edges. That said, I've been doing a lot of testing and I'm happy with the stability of this version. I plan to move to the official 4.0 release shortly - but your feedback over the next few days will be valuable in catching anything I may have missed.

Thank you to everyone who tested the Alpha, Beta 1 and Beta 2 versions and took the time to send in reports and suggestions. It really did help shape this release.

I hope you enjoy it - and as always, FotoSketcher is 100% free.

Happy FotoSketching,

David

One last addition to FotoSketcher 4.0 before launch

Hi,

I'm still cramming in a few last-minute additions to FotoSketcher 4.0. The latest is the manual brush, allowing users to apply different effects and parameters to selected areas of the image.
Still rough around the edges, but it works :)

Cheers,

David

FotoSketcher 4.0 Release Candidate coming soon

Hi all,

Just a quick word to let you know that FotoSketcher 4.0 is now almost ready. 

I've ironed out a lot of small bugs, made a few refinements, added a new painting effect and the famous 'brushstrokes' frame (see image below).

I'll post FotoSketcher 4.0 RC here in the next few days after some more testing, but I'm now in the phase of freezing the feature set and priorizing production quality.

All the best,

David

FotoSketcher 4.0 Beta 2 released for MacOS and Windows

Hello everyone!

I’m getting very close to the final release of this major new version, but first, I wanted to share FotoSketcher 4.0 Beta 2 with you all. This update is available for both Windows and MacOS (Apple Silicon/Apple CPU for now).

A huge thank you to everyone who tested Beta 1 and sent in feedback. Your help is incredibly valuable to me. Beta 2 brings some fun new features, a bit of visual polish, and important stability improvements.

So, what’s new in Beta 2?

New Image History & Blending As you might notice in the screenshot below, I’ve added a new Image History Gallery at the bottom of the interface. You can bring it up by clicking "Show gallery" in the bottom right corner. This isn't just for looking back at your work; I wanted to add a bit more creative freedom. You can now select two images from your history and blend/combine them to create some really unique composite effects!

Workflow Improvements

• Manage Parameters: I’ve added the possibility to Reset, Save, and Load your effect parameters, so you can easily keep your favorite settings for future drawings.
• Preview Zoom: You can finally zoom in and out of the preview image to inspect the fine details of your image.

Visual & Interface Updates

• Inter Font (Windows): I’m now distributing the Inter font with the Windows version to make sure the UI looks good, no matter your system settings.
• New Frames: I’ve included a selection of new frames to help you give your art that perfect finish.
• "A Cup of Coffee?": I’ve redesigned the donation dialog box to look nicer :)

Under the Hood

• Improved Effects: I’ve tweaked several algorithms to get better results.
• Stability: I’ve been busy squashing bugs. This release includes numerous corrections to ensure a smoother experience for you. Hopefully, no more crashes or freezes (fingers crossed).

Download

You can grab the Beta 2 versions here:

• https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_Windows.zip
• https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_MacOS.zip

Just a quick reminder: The MacOS version currently supports Apple Silicon CPUs only.

I really hope you have fun with this new Beta! I'm working hard to get the official version 4.0 ready for you soon. As always, please feel free to let me know what you think.

Happy FotoSketching!

FotoSketcher 4.0 Beta 1 is here (Windows & macOS)!

Hello everyone,

I have some very exciting news to share today! After months of hard work and development, I am thrilled to finally announce the release of the first Beta version of FotoSketcher 4.0.

This is a huge milestone because, for the first time, FotoSketcher is truly cross-platform. Whether you are running Windows or using a Mac with Apple Silicon (Intel Mac will be supported at a later date), you can now run the latest version of the program.

Since this is a Beta 1 release, there are bound to be a few rough edges. As usual, I am counting on you to give it a try and let me know if you encounter any bugs or issues. 
Your feedback is incredibly valuable to help me polish this version for the final release.

You can download the beta versions here:

• Windows: https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_Windows.zip

• macOS (Apple Silicon): https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_MacOS.zip

Thank you all for your continued patience and support. I really hope you enjoy experimenting with this new version!

Best regards,

David

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P.S. Quick installation tip:

Since these are portable versions (no installer needed), here is how to get started:

• For Windows: Right-click the downloaded .zip file, select Extract All..., and save it to a folder of your choice. Then, simply open the folder and double-click FotoSketcher.exe to launch the program.

• For macOS: Double-click the .zip file to unzip it. You can then drag the FotoSketcher app to your Applications folder or run it directly.

  • Note: If you see a warning that the app "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified," don't panic! Just Control-click (or Right-click) the app icon, select Open from the menu, and click Open again in the dialog box.

 

#FotoSketcher #FotoSketcher4 #DigitalArt #PhotoToPainting #macOS #Windows #AppleSilicon #BetaRelease #PhotoEditing #IndieDev #FreeSoftware #ArtFilters 

 

FotoSketcher MacOS and Windows: Progress Report & Beta News

Here is a quick progress report as I move closer to the next major milestone: the Beta release!

I am happy to report that Painting 8 has been successfully improved and ported to the new platform. To date, the development version of FotoSketcher includes:

• 11 Artistic Effects: 3 Pencil Sketch, 3 Pen & Ink, and 5 Painting effects.
• 2 Photo Filters: Orton and Vibrance/Sharpen.

 

New Features Finalized

I have also wrapped up work on several essential tools:

• Full menu system & clipboard support.
• Drag-and-drop functionality for source images.
• Text and Frame tools (including custom frame loading).
• Texture loading and application.
• Printing support.
• Split view mode (Source on the left, Result on the right).
• Crop, rotate, and "Use result as source" (F12).

Technical Updates

• Transparency: Alpha channel support is now active for most effects.
• Custom Brushes: Brushstroke-based effects now support loading custom brushes (transparent PNG images, usually converted from Photoshop .abr files).

Next Steps Before Beta Launch

Before releasing the public beta for Windows and macOS, I am focusing on:

• Minor UI improvements.
• Better thread management (to prevent concurrent processing issues).
• General stability improvements.

The Roadmap Ahead

Looking further into the future, my roadmap includes layer management (merging effects), scripting support, new effects, and a new mobile UI for potential iOS and Android ports.

Stay tuned for exciting updates in the near future! :) 

FotoSketcher alpha release - for Windows and MacOS

Merry Christmas everyone!

I've donned my best Santa Claus suit to bring you a gift today. ;)

Development of the new multi-platform version of FotoSketcher is progressing well, and an alpha release is now available for you to test. While it appears stable, it still needs a bit of polishing and a few features are not available yet (printing, for instance).

However, the following effects are working right now:

• 3 pencil sketch effects
• 3 pen & ink effects
• 3 painting effects (watercolor and brushstrokes)
• 2 photo filters (soft glow—à la Orton—and vibrance/structure)

Some of these effects are very similar to those in the current Windows version (3.98), while others are brand new or improved.

Most importantly for macOS users, this alpha release should work on any Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 to M5 chips). I intend to compile a test version for older Intel-based Macs soon.

Downloads:

Windows: https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_Windows.zip

macOS (Apple Silicon): https://fotosketcher.com/beta/FotoSketcher_MacOS.zip

 

I hope you enjoy playing with this brand new version of FotoSketcher! I would be grateful for your thoughts, suggestions, and - hopefully not too many - bug reports.

Have fun!

David

   

 

  

 

 

New felt-tip marker effect

Hi all,

A new effect has been added to the upcoming multi-platform version of FotoSketcher : felt-tip marker pen.

So currently, there are 4 sketch/drawing effects, 2 pen & ink effects, 3 painting effects and a couple of photo effects (Orton filter and vibrancy).

Stay tuned for Windows and MacOS test versions soon.

All the best,

David