Adobe Fresco AI screenshot

What is Adobe Fresco AI?

Adobe Fresco is a digital painting and drawing application that simulates traditional media like oil paints, watercolours, and pencils. It's designed for digital artists who want to create artwork with realistic brush behaviour and texture. The tool works across devices, allowing you to start a piece on one platform and continue on another. Fresco operates on a freemium model, giving you access to basic drawing tools at no cost, with paid subscriptions enabling additional brushes, cloud storage, and integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

Key Features

Live Brushes

oil, watercolour, and acrylic brushes that behave like traditional media with realistic blending and layering

Multiple layers

organise your artwork using layer groups and blending modes

Cloud sync

access your work across devices through cloud storage

Brush customisation

adjust brush settings to match your preferred workflow

Colour libraries

save and reuse colour palettes across projects

Share functionality

export and share finished artwork directly from the application

Pros & Cons

Advantages

  • Realistic brush physics reduce the learning curve for traditional artists moving to digital
  • Cloud synchronisation means you can work on iPad, desktop, or web without losing progress
  • Free tier removes the barrier to entry for new digital artists
  • Integration with Creative Cloud services like Photoshop and Illustrator

Limitations

  • Free version has limited brush options and storage compared to paid plans
  • Performance can be demanding on older or less powerful devices
  • Fewer advanced features compared to full desktop applications like Photoshop or Procreate

Use Cases

Digital illustration and concept art creation

Watercolour and traditional media studies in digital format

Sketching and ideation on tablets while travelling

Collaborative artwork within Creative Cloud teams

Learning digital painting with realistic brush behaviour