Most GIF tools start with a video. Kuroga starts with a blank canvas.
You draw a frame. Then another. Onion-skin ghosts keep the motion honest. Preview the loop, download the GIF, or publish it to a small community feed. That is the product: create animations by drawing frames one by one — on the web and on mobile.
Try it: kuroga.miraiartapps.com
Home feed: browse what people drew, heart favorites, jump into Create.
What I shipped
Kuroga is a GIF drawing app with a matching website. Short handmade loops — not timeline exports.
Two canvases:
- Free Canvas — freehand strokes, colors, brush size, backgrounds
- Pixel Square — square-cell grid for crisp pixel animations
When you finish: preview → download GIF → or publish with a caption.
Create flow: pick a mode and start drawing.
The loop (product, not fluff)
- Open Create GIF
- Draw a few frames (neighbors show as onion-skin)
- Play preview
- Publish or Download GIF
I kept the UI soft and quiet on purpose. The canvas is the product — not a dashboard of panels.
Free Canvas: frame strip, palette, Preview & Publish on the side.
Stack (for the curious)
Not a deep dive — just the shape of the thing:
| Surface | Stack |
|---|---|
| Web | Next.js (Kuroga host + API) |
| Mobile | React Native (Android / iOS) |
| Shared | Same API + feed / topics / auth contract |
Same community on both: feed, hearts, comments, weekly Tops, and Topics threads.
Tops: most-loved GIFs and creators (this week / all time).
Topics: short discussions — ideas, bugs, “hey this is cute.”
Why build this?
I wanted a place where making a tiny loop is closer to doodling than opening After Effects. Pixel artists and freehand doodlers both fit. Guests can browse; signed-in users publish and climb the weekly rankings.
If you have ever thought “I wish I could make a 1-second GIF of this doodle,” that is the use case.
Web + phone
Web when you want a big canvas: kuroga.miraiartapps.com
Mobile app when you are away from the desk — same feed and create entry points.
Mobile-friendly shell: GIFs, Tops, Topics, Create in one thumb reach.
Open any animation to heart, comment, or peek at this week’s tops.
Try it in five minutes
- Open kuroga.miraiartapps.com
- Tap Create GIF
- Pick Free Canvas or Pixel Square
- Draw 2–5 frames → preview → Publish or Download
Feedback welcome in the comments — what would you draw first, and what’s missing from a “tiny GIF” tool?
Kuroga — make a GIF by drawing on canvas.
🌐 https://kuroga.miraiartapps.com
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