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The nostalgic experience of doodling on notepads, scribbling with pens, and dipping brushes in paint wells is faithfully re-created by Adobe Fresco. It brings together the sensual excitement of analog painting with the boundless opportunities of the digital world, turning your drawing tablet into a canvas for your imagination to be painted on.
As someone who has experimented with Adobe Fresco for the purpose of creating digital artwork, I can attest to the fact that using this software takes your creative potential to a higher level than using a mouse or trackpad. Although it may not perfectly replicate the experience of working with real paper, it comes quite close and makes the transition from conventional to digital art much simpler.
This software was developed by Adobe with great consideration for users of the iPad, iPhone, Surface Pro, and Creative Cloud Desktop for Windows. I tested out the iPad version in order to write this review, and it was fantastic. Last but not least, Adobe Fresco is a revolutionary tool for artists of any skill level. Combining conventional sketching techniques with the boundless potential of digital art enables the creation of new possibilities. Adobe Fresco is an absolute necessity if you want to experiment with new things or advance your artistic skills.
Adobe Fresco Specifications
For the most part, Adobe Fresco is a great choice for all types of digital artists. It comes with a strong set of functions and an easy-to-use interface. If you’re looking for a digital drawing app that you can subscribe to, Fresco is a great option.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Brush types | Pixel, vector, live, mixer, and ribbon brushes |
Brush customization | Adjust brush size, opacity, flow, and pressure curve |
Layer support | Unlimited layers with blending modes and masks |
Selection tools | Magic wand, lasso, and marquee tools |
Transform tools | Free transform, perspective, and distort tools |
Text and shape tools | Add text and shapes to your artwork |
Color tools | Color wheel, sliders, and presets |
Drawing tools | Pen, pencil, and eraser tools |
Creative Cloud integration | Access Creative Cloud libraries and assets |
Export and sharing | Export your artwork to a variety of formats, including JPEG, PNG, PSD, PDF, and SVG |
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What is Adobe Fresco?

Adobe Systems Incorporated is responsible for developing the software program known as Adobe Fresco, which may be used to design, paint, and edit graphics. It takes use of raster as well as vector technology, in addition to active brushes that replicate the way that real brushes respond to factors such as pressure, color exchange, and medium.
Adobe Fresco review: Interface
Since Fresco’s interface looks like Adobe’s, you’ll feel right at home. The welcome page includes several left-hand alternatives, including Learn and Discover, which leads to a multitude of tutorials and other artists’ work for inspiration. That window‘s major focus is canvas selection. If the pre-determined sizes for your project’s destination (digital or print) don’t suit you, you can enter your own dimensions and specify your chosen units and resolution. Better yet, save your custom format to easily utilize it in another project.
Like most Adobe apps, the software has a toolbar on the left, controls at the top, and panels on the right. We didn’t realize that when you rotate the iPad, the tools and other UI portions rotate, but not your drawing. A two-finger canvas rotation motion lets you rotate it separately. This adaptable interface lets you operate in any orientation, regardless of tool position.
Adobe Fresco review: Tools

Fresco’s strength is not in its standard drawing tools, which are immediately recognizable from other digital art and drawing programs, but in its extensive collection of brushes. There are three distinct varieties represented by the first three icons found in the upper right corner of the toolbar. The first one has the Pixel Brushes, which are similar to those that you would find in Photoshop; however, the Live Brushes are our personal favorites. There is something very amazing about a digital tool that strives to recreate the style and effect of painting with watercolors or oil.
This is certainly a personal preference, but there is something quite magical about it. Thirdly, we provide you with Vector Brushes so that you can paint in an environment with no resolution restrictions. In point of fact, if you wanted to continue working on anything in Adobe Illustrator, you could open a file like that in that program and do so.
Adobe Fresco review: Gestures and Shortcuts
We appreciated undo-related interface implementations like gestures. There are undo and redo buttons at the top of the screen, but you can also undo and redo using two and three fingers. Depending on your workflow, this may save time. We forgot those buttons because we used it so much. Superior is the Touch Shortcut. A transparent circle appears in the lower left of the interface, but you may tap and drag it anywhere.
This innovative technology speeds up touch interface task that may be difficult. All of its functions can be done without it, but learning to utilize it can make your Fresco experience faster, more fun, and more enjoyable. When sketching with a brush, touching and holding the button turns it into an eraser without needing to select the sidebar eraser tool. It can also choose many levels and act on them simultaneously. So many functions does this simple tool have that the app’s Help section lists them all. Very impressive.
Final Words
I have had the pleasure of using Adobe Fresco, and I must say it’s truly impressive in my personal experience. The way it runs seamlessly on the iPad is a testament to its exceptional performance. One of its standout features, the Live Brushes, takes digital watercolors to a whole new level. The way the liquids blend and bleed on the canvas right before your eyes is nothing short of mesmerizing.
However, when it comes to the living oil paint features, I found Adobe Fresco struggling to keep up with the competition. In this regard, the lesser-known app ArtRage takes the lead. ArtRage offers a level of depth and sophistication that surpasses Adobe Fresco, despite its slightly dated interface. It’s amazing how a less renowned app can outshine a giant like Adobe in certain aspects of digital art creation.
Adobe Fresco review: The Good and Bad
Adobe Fresco is a superb drawing program with many tools and brushes to help you be creative. Great customization choices, layer versatility, and inventive and usable interface designs. Additionally, you can modify your work with other Adobe apps. The Android version of this app is not yet available.
The Good
- Lifelike brush, pen, and pencil physics
- Available for iPad, iPhone, and Windows tablets
- Raster, vector, and live brushes
- Simple, effective animation
- Incredible education and support
The Bad
- Can’t create new brushes or access Illustrator brushes
- No Chrome OS version
Questions and Answers
The legacy of Adobe design interfaces, which have evolved to become the standard in the industry, now includes Fresco. This is one of the factors that contributes to the sense that their products have stood the test of time. In comparison to Adobe Fresco, the user interface that appears whenever a new drawing canvas is opened in Procreate has a more straightforward presentation and displays a reduced number of tools.
Adobe Fresco is a powerful drawing application that gives you access to a wide range of brushes and a number of different tools, allowing you to express your creativity anyway you see fit.