Adobe has announced that its drawing and painting app Fresco will now be completely free for all users. The announcement comes as the application celebrates its fifth anniversary, significantly departing from Adobe’s typical subscription-based model.
Users will now have unrestricted access to the app’s comprehensive suite of tools, including its signature collection of over 1,000 pixel brushes, sophisticated live oil and watercolor brushes, and vector tools.
The latest update also introduces several cutting-edge features. Most notably, new Motion Presets allow artists to breathe life into their work with animations including bob, breathe, and bounce effects. For efficiency-minded creators, the addition of Reflective and Rotational Symmetry tools streamlines the creation of complex compositions.
Apple Pencil Pro users will find enhanced workflow options, with new features leveraging the device’s capabilities. These include squeeze shortcuts, haptic feedback for key actions, and barrel roll functionality for more naturalistic brush strokes.
When Fresco launched in 2019, its subscription model was seen as a potential barrier to adoption, despite positive reviews for its performance and innovative live brush technology. This latest move could help Adobe capture a larger share of both hobbyist and professional digital artists who were previously deterred by recurring costs.
The timing of this announcement is particularly interesting as competition in the digital art software space intensifies. With the full feature set now available for free, Adobe Fresco emerges as an increasingly attractive option for both casual sketchers and professional illustrators.
