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.
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.
📖 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.
⬇️ Download (100% free)
- Windows: FotoSketcher_Studio_Setup_4.0.exe
- macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel): FotoSketcher-4.0.dmg
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
