The first beta for Drawpile 2.3.1 has been released. It has many new features, such as autorecovery, timelapses, animation improvements, dynamic scaling on Android and more, as well as numerous bugfixes. But like the small increase in the version number implies, it is fully compatible with version 2.3.0.

• Click here to download and install the beta version. To update, simply install it over the previous one.

This has already been out and tested for a while as an "alpha" version for a while, so it should be stable and ready for use. Especially if you're using Drawpile for offline drawing, the autorecovery feature makes it worth using the beta. For animators, there also big enough improvements that this will be the superior version. On Android, there's also been a number of improvements and compatibility for more devices.

For a list of what changed, take a look at this guide. There's pictures and videos there describing the new stuff.

If you have questions, feedback or trouble using the new version, take a look at the help page on how to get in contact. And if you want to support continued development, you can donate to the project!

Updating

You can download this version from the Beta section of the downloads page and simply install it over the current version. This will update it. The new version is backward-compatible, so you can still join sessions hosted with the previous version.

Alternatively, you can run both versions side-by-side. See here for how to do that on different operating systems.

F-Droid on Android and Flatpak on Linux should get this version on their beta channels in the coming week or so. It always takes them a little bit longer to do so.

Server owners can update if they want, although it is not necessary. The most significant thing is that you can now restrict how long users can linger outside of a session, letting you prevent them idling in the session list for example, and some fixes for cases where clients weren't properly disconnected after their session ended. If you are using the all-in-one Docker server, see here how to update.

Changes in this Release

There's many features and fixes in this version, such as:

• Autorecovery. If Drawpile exits unexpectedly, Windows reboots your computer for updates or Android terminates Drawpile in the background, you can recover your session, usually right up to the moment it stopped. This replaces the (not very automatic) autosave mechanism and makes offline drawing much more robust.
• A new "project" file format, called dppr. Stores the whole history of your canvas, based on the autorecovery feature.
• Timelapses, via File → Make Timelapse. This makes a video of your drawing or animation process, some people also (incorrectly) call this "speedpaint". You can even make a cropped timelapse by selecting an area on the canvas first.
• Stroke previews and brush names in the brushes dock, rather than just thumbnails. You can switch back to those if you prefer of course.
• Animation improvements, like exposure changes, timeline zooming, inverted ranges to work on the tail ends of loops, move locking tracks and more.
• Better Android support. When Drawpile starts, it asks you how large you want the UI now. Many keyboard issues were fixed and several devices also have received special workarounds to make them work properly.
• Velocity-adjustment for the stabilizer, speeding up as you make faster strokes.
• Performance improvements, like better brush loading to make Drawpile start up faster or speeding up synchronized smudging.

And a lot more. The full changelog follows below.

Read more...

Drawpile version 2.3.0 is out! It brings many new features and numerous fixes. Thanks to everyone who participated in its design and testing during the beta phases.

If you want to support Drawpile's continued development, consider donating to the project! Drawpile is developed mostly by just one person, donations help spend more time on it and with the cost of keeping the servers running.

• Click here to and install the new version. To update, simply install it over the previous one.

To find out what changed, take a look at this illustrated guide. It has many pictures and videos to show off the new stuff.

If you have questions, feedback or trouble using the new version, take a look at the help page on how to get in contact.

Update on November 22 2025: The macOS version has been revised. If Drawpile's window was updating very slowly or not at all for you, try getting this version. Thanks A Scanner Sparkly, nycnouu and Pupuptea for reporting this.

Updating

You can download Drawpile from here and simply install it over the current version. This will update it. The new version is backward-compatible, so you can still join sessions hosted with the previous version.

F-Droid on Android and Flatpak/Software Center on Linux had the new version has been submitted to them. They will make the update available on their own time, usually that takes a few days or so.

Server owners are encouraged to update, since it's required for fast reconnects. If you're using the all-in-one Docker setup, see the update instructions here. It's not strictly necessary though, servers are both backward- and forward compatible.

If you have a session that was hosted with the previous version, you have to rehost it to make it update to the new version. You can still join it though, Drawpile 2.3 is backward-compatible (you won't be able to use all the new features though.)

Changes in this Release

There's many new features in this version, such as:

• Fast reconnects that make it so that you no longer have to wait through the catchup sequence again and more stable socket connections by default.
• Clipping layers, also known as clipping groups or clip to layer below.
• Alpha locking of layers, rather than only being able to do it on your tool.
• A gradient tool tool and a lasso fill tool.
• Marker brush mode, which makes the brush not compound opacity across multiple strokes.
• OKLAB and Pigment blend modes, for more realistic color blending.
• Anti-overflow filling, to avoid your brush spilling out of the lines.
• Selections now mask your brush, meaning the brush draws only inside of the selection.
• More pixel and binary art features: pixel-perfect mode that prevents doubled-up pixels, pixel art input that lets you poke at individual pixels directly and a binary transform mode that does a better job at scaling binary artwork.
• And yet even more, take a look at the full list here.

A full list of changes since the last beta release follows below. The final release of Drawpile 2.3.0 represents about a month of development since that beta.

Read more...

The next beta version for Drawpile 2.3.0 is out. Unless major issues are found, this is expected to be the last beta before the final release.

That means now good time to give feedback on it if something doesn't work or you don't like any of the changes! Without reports to the contrary, things will not change further.

• Click here to download and install it.
• To find out what changed, take a look at this illustrated guide. It has many pictures and videos to show off the new stuff.
• If you want to keep 2.2 installed, take a look at this page on how to install both versions side by side.
• Consider donating to the project! Drawpile is developed by one person, donations help spend more time on it and with the cost of keeping the servers running.

If you have questions, feedback or trouble using the new version – especially if it breaks your workflow – take a look at the help page on how to get in contact! Almost every feature is added because it was requested by an artist and bugs can only be fixed if they are reported, you can see everyone that contributed in the list of changes below.

Updating or Installing Side by Side

You can download Drawpile from here and simply install it over the current version. This will update it. The new version is backward-compatible, so you can still join sessions hosted with the previous version.

Alternatively, you can run both versions side-by-side. See here for how to do that on different operating systems.

As usual, the Android version on F-Droid should get the new version in the coming week or two. Flatpak for Linux should already have it ready.

On the server side, everything is both back- and forward-compatible. Server owners can update if they want, but it's not necessary, people can use any version they wish to host sessions. Upgrading is required to make use of fast reconnects though.

Changes in this Release

Drawpile 2.3.0-beta.4 represents about 2 months of development since the last version. For an illustrated list of the major changes since 2.2.2, take a look at this page.

Major new features include:

• Better Android and macOS support in general. Support specifically for Android 15 and macOS Tahoe.
• Anti-overflow brush filling. Makes brush strokes "stay within the lines" on another layer.
• A selection action bar. Lets you know that a selection is active even when it's off-screen and giving you immediate access to deselection and other common actions.
• Binary transform mode. Gives better results than Nearest when transforming artwork with hard edges.
• Fast reconnects. You won't have to wait through the catchup from scratch anymore, it instead fast-forwards you to where you left off. This requires the server you're drawing on to be updated.
• More stable sockets. Drawpile will try to use WebSockets if possible and only fall back to raw TCP if that doesn't work, since it reduces interference and blocks from internet providers.
• And of course many features from previous releases, such as layer clipping, lasso fills, OKLAB mode and much more.

Also numerous fixes and smaller improvements. Read on for a full list of changes.

Read more...

Another beta version for Drawpile 2.3.0 is out now. This is mostly just a bugfix release for Windows.

• Click here to download and install it.
• To find out what changed, take a look at this illustrated guide. It has many pictures and videos to show off the new stuff.
• If you want to keep 2.2 installed, take a look at this page on how to install both versions side by side.
• Consider donating to the project! Drawpile is developed by one person, donations help spend more time on it and with the cost of keeping the servers running.

If you have questions, feedback or trouble using the new version – especially if it breaks your workflow – take a look at the help page on how to get in contact! Almost every feature is added because it was requested by an artist and bugs can only be fixed if they are reported, you can see everyone that contributed in the list of changes below.

Updating or Installing Side by Side

You can download Drawpile from here and simply install it over the current version. This will update it. The new version is backward-compatible, so you can still join sessions hosted with the previous version.

Alternatively, you can run both versions side-by-side. See here for how to do that on different operating systems.

On the server side, everything is both back- and forward-compatible. Server owners can update if they want, but it's not necessary, people can use any version they wish to host sessions.

Changes in this Release

Drawpile 2.3.0-beta.3 is only a little over a week of work since the last beta. For an illustrated list of the major changes since 2.2.2, take a look at this page.

It's mostly a bugfix release for a problem on some Windows systems, where the audio system could corrupt itself after playing a sound effect and cause all kinds of weird effects, like not being able to move layers or keyframes, the application hanging when trying to save a file or other inexplicable effects. This is fixed by just using a different audio system (Windows has a lot of them). I'll probably write more about it on the development blog this weekend, since figuring that one out was quite a journey.

But there's also a new feature: pixel art input, which lets you turn off all the smoothing and stabilization meant for tablets and poke at pixels directly.

Read more...

The first beta of Drawpile version 2.3.0 is out now (with a small hotfix, so it's beta.2). It has many new features, such as layer clipping, lasso fills, a gradient tool, realistic pigment blending, OKLAB mode, pixel-perfect mode, a new file format that's 3000% faster and much more. There is also a version for Windows on ARM now, if you have such a device. And of course numerous fixes and stability improvements. It is backward-compatible, so you can join sessions hosted with the previous version.

Click here to download and install it. You can use both the current and the beta version side by side. See here for how to that.

To find out what's new, take a look at this page. It has videos and pictures showing everything off.

You can also now donate to the project! Drawpile is largely developed by only a single person, donations let me spend more time working on it and helps pay to keep the servers running.

If you have questions, feedback or trouble using the new version – especially if it breaks your workflow – take a look at the help page on how to get in contact! Almost every feature is added because it was requested by an artist and bugs can only be fixed if they are reported, you can see everyone that contributed in the list of changes below.

Updating or Installing Side by Side

You can download Drawpile from here and simply install it over the current version. This will update it. The new version is backward-compatible, so you can still join sessions hosted with the previous version.

Alternatively, you can run both versions side-by-side. See here for how to do that on different operating systems.

On the server side, everything is both back- and forward-compatible. Server owners can update if they want, but it's not necessary, people can use any version they wish to host sessions.

Changes in this Release

Drawpile 2.3.0-beta.2 represents a bit over 4 months of development since version 2.2.2 (and just a few hours from beta.1, since it's just a small fix). Many people contributed with suggestions and bug reports and are listed below. If you find any issues, please report them!

For an illustrated list of the major changes, take a look at this page.

Read more...