For a software architecture for managing application layers, the first results are photopea/photopea (Photopea is a browser-based layered image editor with comprehensive PSD support, layer management, brush engine, adjustment layers, and real-time preview, delivering exactly the compositing and editing workflow you need), kde/krita and orama-interactive/pixelorama (Pixelorama is a layered pixel art editor with layer management and compositing, but it focuses on low-resolution sprites and animation rather than general digital painting, and lacks pressure-sensitive brushes, adjustment layers, and PSD support). pixieditor/pixieditor and aseprite/aseprite round out the shortlist. Compare the match explanations and check the project documentation against your requirements.
We curate open-source GitHub repositories matching “layering systems”. Results are ranked by relevance to your query — pick filters below to narrow, or refine with AI.
Photopea is a browser-based image editor that runs entirely in the browser without requiring any downloads or installations, capable of editing both raster and vector graphics. It functions as a multi-format image converter, a PSD file editor, a RAW photo processor, and a vector graphics editor, all within a single web application. The editor distinguishes itself through its extensive file format support, opening and saving industry-standard formats including PSD, AI, Sketch, Figma, and XD, as well as native files from Affinity, InDesign, and Krita. It also supports RAW camera files from Niko
Photopea is a browser-based layered image editor with comprehensive PSD support, layer management, brush engine, adjustment layers, and real-time preview, delivering exactly the compositing and editing workflow you need.
Krita is an open-source digital art studio and professional painting software designed for creating digital illustrations and paintings. It functions as a raster graphics editor and a cross-platform graphics application built with the Qt framework. The software supports a comprehensive digital painting workflow, covering the production of concept art, high-resolution digital illustrations, and hand-drawn 2D frame animations.
Krita is a professional open-source digital painting and layered image editor with full layer management, a high-quality brush engine with pressure sensitivity, selection and masking tools, adjustment layers, PSD support, and a robust undo/redo stack — exactly the compositing and editing tool this search requires.
Pixelorama is a cross-platform digital art multitool designed as a pixel art editor, frame-based animation tool, and tilemap design suite. It provides specialized utilities for drawing low-resolution sprites with pixel-perfect precision and generating sprite sheets for game engines. The software distinguishes itself through a dedicated tilemap design system supporting rectangular, isometric, and hexagonal sets, and a frame-based animation system featuring onion skinning and audio synchronization. It also includes a plugin system that allows the installation of community-developed tools for as
Pixelorama is a layered pixel art editor with layer management and compositing, but it focuses on low-resolution sprites and animation rather than general digital painting, and lacks pressure-sensitive brushes, adjustment layers, and PSD support.
PixiEditor is a multi-functional graphics suite that serves as a pixel art editor, a node-based graphics editor, and a vector graphics tool. It functions as a shader-based painting tool and 2D animation software, providing a comprehensive environment for creating raster images and frame-by-frame motion. The project is distinguished by its use of node-based workflows for building complex image transformations, visual effects, and custom digital brush designs. It utilizes a shader-based brush engine and a node graph to define personalized painting tool behaviors and procedural animations. The
PixiEditor is a multi-functional graphics editor with raster, vector, and node-based capabilities, placing it squarely in the layered image editing category; however, its pixel-art and procedural focus means some requested features like PSD support or dedicated adjustment layers are not clearly confirmed.
Aseprite is a specialized graphics editor and animation suite designed for the creation of pixel-based artwork. It provides a comprehensive environment for managing multi-layered animation sequences, offering tools for frame-by-frame design, onion skinning, and real-time motion previews. The application is built to handle both indexed color palettes and full-color RGB editing, allowing users to maintain precise control over pixel data and transparency. What distinguishes Aseprite is its focus on programmable workflows and game asset production. It features a scriptable command architecture th
Aseprite is an open-source pixel-art editor with full layer management, brush tools, and real-time preview, so it handles layered compositing for pixel art; but its lack of adjustment layers and limited PSD support means it's narrower than the general digital painting tool you described.
MyPaint is a simple drawing and painting program that works well with Wacom-style graphics tablets.
MyPaint is a digital painting application with layer management and a pressure-sensitive brush engine, making it a solid tool for layer-based painting though it lacks advanced compositing features like adjustment layers and PSD support.
perfect-freehand is a mathematical utility for generating smooth, organic vector path outlines from point data. It functions as a pressure-sensitive stroke generator that converts sequences of coordinates into polygon outlines to simulate variable-width freehand lines. The library specializes in digital ink rendering and stylus input visualization, mapping precision data from drawing tablets or movement speed to visual stroke widths. It provides the geometric primitives necessary to create custom brush implementations that simulate the appearance of real ink or markers on a digital canvas. T
perfect-freehand is a mathematical utility for generating pressure-sensitive stroke outlines from point data, making it a great building block for digital ink rendering, but it is not a layered image editor with compositing, layer management, or full editing capabilities.
This project provides a deep learning architecture designed to identify and isolate distinct objects within images by generating precise pixel-level masks. It functions as a browser-based inference engine, enabling the execution of complex machine learning models directly within web environments without requiring server-side processing. The system distinguishes itself by utilizing hardware-accelerated execution and parallel processing to achieve real-time segmentation speeds. It supports prompt-based mask decoding, allowing users to generate spatial masks by providing specific points or boxes
Segment Anything is an AI model for generating segmentation masks, not a tool for layered image editing or digital painting — it isolates objects but doesn't provide layer management, brush engines, or compositing features.
LibreSprite is a digital art application for designing precise pixel characters and objects. It functions as a 2D sprite editor, palette-based image editor, and pixel art animation software. The application specializes in creating frame-based pixel art animations using onion skinning and layer management. It also includes a tiled texture creator for producing seamless repeating patterns and textures through a synchronized tiled viewport. The software covers a broader range of game asset pipeline capabilities, including the creation of static pixel art and the management of fixed color palett
LibreSprite is a pixel art and sprite editor that supports layers and animation, but it lacks a brush engine with pressure sensitivity, adjustment layers, and PSD format support expected from a full-featured digital painting tool.
MobileSAM is a lightweight image segmenter and promptable vision model designed for fast object isolation on resource-constrained hardware. It functions as an automatic image masking tool capable of detecting and isolating distinct objects across an entire image without manual input. The system enables prompt-based object masking using coordinate points or bounding boxes to generate precise masks. It also supports all-object image segmentation through object-aware prompt sampling to identify every distinct object in a scene. To facilitate mobile and edge deployment, the model is compatible w
MobileSAM is an AI image segmentation model that isolates objects via prompts, not a layered image editor; it provides automatic masking but lacks layer management, brush engines, and the compositing workflow you need.
FastSAM is an image segmentation framework that uses convolutional neural networks to isolate visual elements and generate masks for detectable objects within images. It provides a system for both automatic all-object segmentation and promptable image segmentation. The project utilizes an inference-optimized architecture to reduce computational overhead, enabling faster mask generation and real-time visual analysis. It supports the creation of precise masks through various prompt inputs, including points, bounding boxes, and text descriptions. The framework covers broader computer vision cap
FastSAM is a segmentation model that generates masks for objects in images, which could serve as a building block for selection tools, but it is not a layered image editor or painting application with layer management, brush engine, or compositing features.
Olive is an open-source non-linear video editor and multi-track compositor designed for digital video production. It provides a desktop application for arranging, cutting, and trimming video and audio clips on a timeline to create high-resolution cinematic content. The software employs a proxy-based editing workflow, substituting high-resolution assets with low-bitrate temporary files to maintain fluid playback and scrubbing performance. This is supported by a non-destructive timeline engine that maps media clips using metadata pointers rather than modifying original source files. The system
Olive is a non-linear video editor and multi-track compositor, not a layered image editor or digital painting tool—it lacks the brush engine, selection tools, and still-image format support this search requires.
| Repository | Stars | Language | License | Last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| photopea/photopea | 8.3K | — | — | |
| kde/krita | 9.9K | C++ | GPL-3.0 | |
| orama-interactive/pixelorama |
| 9.7K |
| GDScript |
| MIT |
| pixieditor/pixieditor | 7.8K | C# | LGPL-3.0 |
| aseprite/aseprite | 37.5K | C++ | — |
| mypaint/mypaint | 2.9K | Python | GPL-2.0 |
| steveruizok/perfect-freehand | 5.6K | HTML | MIT |
| facebookresearch/segment-anything | 54.4K | Jupyter Notebook | Apache-2.0 |
| libresprite/libresprite | 7K | C++ | gpl-2.0 |
| chaoningzhang/mobilesam | 5.8K | Jupyter Notebook | Apache-2.0 |