Sketchbook (formerly StudioPaint, Autodesk SketchBook), is a

raster graphics upright=1, The Smiley, smiley face in the top left corner is a raster image. When enlarged, individual pixels appear as squares. Enlarging further, each pixel can be analyzed, with their colors constructed through combination of the values for ...

software app intended for expressive

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayo ...

and concept sketching also for making animations (Jelly Boo, Teatralka). The software was first developed by

Alias Systems Corporation Alias Systems Corporation (formerly Alias Research, Alias Wavefront), headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a software company that produced high-end 3D graphics software. Alias was eventually bought by Autodesk. History Alias Syste ...

as StudioPaint, before being acquired by

Autodesk Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that makes software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquartere ...

and then being spun out into an independent company, Sketchbook, Inc. Originally developed as

commercial software Commercial software, or seldom payware, is a computer software that is produced for sale or that serves commercial purposes. Commercial software can be proprietary software or free and open-source software. Background and challenge While sof ...

, it

evolved Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variati ...

into a

subscription model The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, and ...

before eventually being made

freeware Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the ...

for personal use. In 2021, Sketchbook Pro, the desktop version of the app available on

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

and

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...

, became a paid software available through the

Microsoft Store Microsoft Store (formerly known as Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It started as an app store for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform app ...

and

Mac App Store The App Store (also known as the Mac App Store) is a digital distribution platform for macOS apps, often referred to as Mac apps, created and maintained by Apple Inc. The platform was announced on October 20, 2010, at Apple's "Back to the Mac ...

Features

Sketchbook features a radial/pie-menu user interface and has

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

and drawing tools such as

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a tra ...

s, markers, and brushes. It uses pressure-sensitive features of digital drawing pads,

tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being com ...

s, and

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whi ...

s to create effects similar to traditional materials. A

screenshot screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by the operating system or software running on the device powering the display. Additionally, s ...

tool is also included for

annotation An annotation is extra information associated with a particular point in a document or other piece of information. It can be a note that includes a comment or explanation. Annotations are sometimes presented in the margin of book pages. For anno ...

s, allowing one to show content during meetings, and to add notes for review. The program can also create

flipbook A flip book, flipbook, flicker book, or kineograph is a booklet with a series of images that very gradually change from one page to the next, so that when the pages are viewed in quick succession, the images appear to animate by simulating moti ...

s or

animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

s, and it supports

layers Layer or layered may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Layers'' (Kungs album) * ''Layers'' (Les McCann album) * ''Layers'' (Royce da 5'9" album) *"Layers", the title track of Royce da 5'9"'s sixth studio album * Layer, a female Maveri ...

with the ability to import from and export to

Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the industry standard not only in rast ...

(.psd) format. Other features include

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

s, brush customization, and

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbag ...

rotation.

Versions

When Autodesk acquired Alias in October 2005, they slowed down Sketchbook Pro development for a time. Version 2.0 was released in July 2005, under Alias Systems Corporation. A beta version of version 3.0 was shown at

MacWorld ''Macworld'' is a website dedicated to products and software of Apple Inc., published by Foundry, a subsidiary of IDG Inc. It started life as a print magazine in 1984 and had the largest audited circulation (both total and newsstand) of Macin ...

2008 on display with the

Axiotron Modbook The Modbook is a brand of a pen-enabled Mac tablet computers first manufactured by Axiotron, Inc. from 2008 to 2010, and then by Modbook Inc. from 2012 to present. It is an aftermarket Mac conversion based on certain models of the MacBook and ...

. In April 2008, Autodesk SketchBook Pro 2009 was released to the public, followed by SketchBook Pro 2010, a year later. Autodesk continued to have a beta program for testing new versions of SketchBook Pro. There was a limited consumer version of Sketchbook Pro - SketchBook Express, which provides much of the same functionality as Pro, but does not include brush customization, layer controls, symmetric brushes, or guide lines. Earlier versions of Express could not save layers. Versions 5.5 and later, however, do allow the preservation of layers. On September 17, 2009, SketchBook Mobile was released, initially for Apple's iPhone and

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a musi ...

. Built with the same paint engine as Pro, Mobile (and its free version, ''Mobile Express'') offers many of the same design features seen in the desktop application. Android versions of both SketchBook ''Mobile'' and ''Express'' were to be later released on November 30, 2010. In August 2012, SketchBook Pro 6 was released, marking a return to conventional version numbering. Throughout May 2014, another new version of Sketchbook Pro was shown on the software application's website, referred to as SketchBook Pro 2015. In August 2014, SketchBook 7 was released, and with it, it introduced the current subscription model. In May 2017, the iOS 4.0 version of SketchBook was released. This update introduces new features; two-hand workflow, an improved quick-access toolbar, and an improved rendering engine. In April 2018, the full-featured version of Sketchbook was made completely free to all users; the subscription model has been phased out, and all premium features (including perspective guides, flood fill, layer effects, and brush customization) are unlocked. Sketchbook will continue to be offered as a commercial subscription product, under its current incarnation: Sketchbook for Enterprise (this version of Sketchbook includes paid technical support as well as cross-functionality with other Autodesk software). In June 2021, Autodesk announced SketchBook would spin into an independent company, Sketchbook Inc. led by two former Autodesk SketchBook employees. On the 30th of that month, Sketchbook released an update which made the app unusable for any device using Android 11, causing all saved work to appear deleted and crashes upon opening. This was rectified two days later with an expedited update. It was later announced that Sketchbook Inc. would start charging users of Sketchbook Pro in order to fund the development of the application, however, they would not be using the previous subscription model and instead, charge a one-time payment for the software.

References

External links

Sketchbook, Inc.Autodesk Sketchbook ProAliasDesign DiscussionsSketchbook discussion forum
{{Autodesk products Autodesk discontinued products Android (operating system) software Graphics software IOS software Macintosh graphics software MacOS graphics software

Features

Versions

See also

References

External links