DEV Community: Eugene Khyst

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

Eugene Khyst — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 19:09:45 +0000

ArtistAssistApp, also known as Artist Assist App, is a web app for artists to accurately mix any color from a photo, analyze tonal values, turn a photo into an outline, draw with the grid method, paint with a limited palette, simplify a photo, remove the background from an image, compare photos pairwise, and more.

Hello, artists! I am pleased to announce the latest update to the ArtistAssistApp, released in November 2025. This time, there are some major new features in addition to the usual stability and performance improvements.

Let's take a look at what's new since the last major update in August 2025!

Adjusting White Balance Using the Percentile and Reference Methods
Add Margins for the Tape When Printing the Outline on Multiple Pages
Color Temperature Estimation: Warm and Cool Colors
Automatic Backup of Color Sets

Adjusting White Balance Using the Percentile and Reference Methods

We've improved how you adjust white balance in your photos!

Choose from two White balance method:

Percentile: Auto white balance from brightest areas, good for most photos.
Reference: Manual white balance using selected white area.

If you select the Percentile white balance method, the white balance will be adjusted automatically. If needed, move the Percentile slider to further adjust the white balance of the photo. Smaller Percentile values correspond to stronger whitening.

If you select the Reference white balance method, click or tap anywhere in the photo to choose a white point. For best results, instead of a single pixel, a small area is sampled, and the average color of that area is used as the white point.

This update gives you more control and better results when color-correcting your artwork or reference photos!

Add Margins for the Tape When Printing the Outline on Multiple Pages

If you tape the paper to the base, take the tape width (e.g., 1 cm) into account when printing the outline. You can control the tape's size with the Margin setting. The default value is 0, meaning no margin.

Color Temperature Estimation: Warm and Cool Colors

ArtistAssistApp algorithmically estimates the color temperature, whether it is warm, cool, or neutral, and shows the corresponding symbol next to the color name. You can choose a color mixing recipe based on color temperature, or create your own color set by selecting colors with the desired temperature.

Automatic Backup of Color Sets

To protect your work, ArtistAssistApp automatically exports a backup file (Color-Sets-[date_time].clrs) whenever you modify your color sets. This file is downloaded to your device's default Downloads folder, independent of browser storage.
Thanks to the auto-backup feature, you can restore all color sets with a single click of the Load color sets file button, even after unintentionally clearing the web browser storage, which results in the loss of all application data, including all your color sets.

To enable or disable automatic backup of color sets, go to the Help tab and enable or disable the Automatic backup of color sets feature.

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

Eugene Khyst — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:02:58 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there has been a new release of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

Hello, artists! I am pleased to announce the latest update to the ArtistAssistApp, released in August 2025. This release introduces simple yet powerful improvements that make the app easier and more convenient to use than ever before.

Let's take a look at what's new since the last major update in June 2025!

Access the Palette Directly with the Color Picker
Set a Simplified Photo as a Reference With a Single Click
2x2 Grid With Diagonals
Add Grid Directly on the Outline Tab
Creating a Color Set From a Limited Palette For Use in Color Picker and Other Tabs
Try it now!

Access the Palette Directly with the Color Picker

The improved Color picker was recently released. It makes the app much easier to use.
All colors added to the palette are displayed as circles of the corresponding colors on the Color picker tab. This eliminates the need to frequently switch to the Palette tab.
When you click on a colored circle, the color mixture saved to the palette is displayed first, followed by new mixture suggestions.
This way, you can clearly see where you picked samples for your mixtures in the palette and instantly access the saved mixture recipe.

Set a Simplified Photo as a Reference With a Single Click

On the Simplified tab, click the ⋮ (vertical ellipsis) button, then click Use as reference. This allows you to instantly use the simplified photo on other tabs, including the Color picker tab.

2x2 Grid With Diagonals

In addition to existing rectangular grids with diagonals (4x4 and 3x3) and square grids of configurable size, the ArtistAssistApp now supports a new 2x2 rectangular grid with diagonals.

Add Grid Directly on the Outline Tab

To eliminate color clutter and make the drawing easier, you can put a grid over an outline. You can add a grid without leaving the Outline tab. Simply click the Grid button on the Outline tab to configure the grid.

Creating a Color Set From a Limited Palette For Use in Color Picker and Other Tabs

Once you have chosen the colors for your limited palette, you can create a color set to use in the Color picker tab with a single click. Click the Set as main color set button, and the colors from your limited palette will automatically transfer to the Color set tab.

Try it now!

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.

ArtistAssistApp's June 2025 Update is Here!

Eugene Khyst — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 19:01:49 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there has been a new release of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

Hello, fellow artists! I'm thrilled to unveil the June 2025 update for ArtistAssistApp. This release is packed with powerful new features, significant improvements, and a massive expansion of our language support, making the app more accessible and versatile for creatives everywhere.

We've listened to your feedback and have been working tirelessly to bring you tools that not only streamline your workflow but also open up new avenues for your artistic expression.

Let's dive into what's new since the previous major release in February 2025.

Now Speaking Your Language: ArtistAssistApp is Multilingual!
Perspective & Image Geometry Correction
Select Different Replacement Background Colors When Removing Backgrounds
Use Your Reference Photo Across Every Tab
Improved Color Mixing and Similarity
Pastel Blending in the Color Picker
Sharper Outlines, Faster: Enhanced Quick Outline Mode
Opacity for Custom Brands
New Background Removal Modes
New Artistic Styles for Style Transfer
New Color Brands: Over 200 Color Brands in Total!
Smoother Than Ever: Bug Fixes & Stability
New Detailed Tutorials with Video
Try it now!

Now Speaking Your Language: ArtistAssistApp is Multilingual!

This is a huge one! We believe art is a universal language, and your tools should be, too. ArtistAssistApp is now available in 23 languages, making it more accessible to a global community of artists.

Here is the full list of newly supported languages:

Български (Bulgarian)
Čeština (Czech)
Dansk (Danish)
Deutsch (German)
Ελληνικά (Greek)
English
Español (Spanish)
Suomi (Finnish)
Français (French)
हिन्दी (Hindi)
Magyar (Hungarian)
Italiano (Italian)
日本語 (Japanese)
한국어 (Korean)
Nederlands (Dutch)
Norsk (Norwegian)
Polski (Polish)
Português (Portuguese)
Română (Romanian)
Slovenčina (Slovak)
Svenska (Swedish)
Türkçe (Turkish)
Українська (Ukrainian)

Perspective & Image Geometry Correction

Achieve a perfect, professional look for photos of your paintings by easily adjusting their perspective and geometry.

Just select your photo, tap the four corners of your painting, and ArtistAssistApp will instantly fix the image geometry, transforming the selected area into a perfect rectangle, giving you a straight, gallery-ready shot. Then, you can precisely crop out any unwanted edges by simply dragging the margins. Optionally, expand the image to the ideal Instagram ratios (4:5 for portrait or 1.91:1 for landscape).

Select Different Replacement Background Colors When Removing Backgrounds

By default, after removing the background, the photo will have a transparent background. But you can also see what your painted object will look like with different background colors.

You can choose the background color by using the color picker next to the Background label.

Use Your Reference Photo Across Every Tab

The tabs White balance, Perspective, and Remove background now allow you to use the current reference photo as input.

Select any photo from the device by pressing the Select photo button, or select the current reference photo by pressing the ⋮ (vertical ellipsis) and then the Use reference photo button.

Improved Color Mixing and Similarity

We have further improved the color mixing and similarity calculation algorithms in ArtistAssistApp. This means you'll experience more accurate and intuitive color mixing, and the app will provide you with slightly better color matches and suggestions.

Pastel Blending in the Color Picker

For all the pastel lovers, we've added a pastel blending option to the Color Picker. This new feature simulates the soft, textured blending of real pastels, allowing you to create smooth gradients and delicate transitions with ease.

Sharper Outlines, Faster: Enhanced Quick Outline Mode

The Outline feature is a fan favorite, and we've made the free Quick mode even better. By applying a Gaussian blur before the Sobel operator, the algorithm now produces cleaner, more coherent lines, providing a much better starting point for your drawings.

Before: Outlines could sometimes be noisy on complex textures.

After: The new process results in smoother, more defined, and artist-friendly lines.

This improvement is available to everyone in the free version of the app!

Opacity for Custom Brands

The Custom Brand tab now includes an Opacity select input. This allows you to define the transparency of your custom colors, giving you precise control over your personal palettes.

New Background Removal Modes

We've updated the Background Removal feature to give you more power and flexibility, whether you need lightning-fast results or careful precision.

Accuracy: For when every detail matters. This mode provides ultra-detailed edges and perfectly handles complex cutouts like hair and fur. (Premium)
Smart: The new default for a perfect balance of quality and speed. Great for everyday use. (Premium)
Smooth: Designed for subjects with soft or blurry edges, this mode gives a more gentle and natural-looking cutout. (Free)
Quick: The fastest mode for when you need a speedy result and don't mind sacrificing some finer details. (Free)

Now you can choose the perfect tool for any image, right within the app.

New Artistic Styles for Style Transfer

We've updated the style transfer feature, located under the Inspire tab. Added new styles and updated the interface for your convenience.

New Free Styles:

Anime: Perfect for creating vibrant, stylized portraits.
Cartoon: Give your photos a fun, comic-book-inspired look.
Francis Picabia - Udnie: Embrace the abstract and dynamic energy of early modernism.

New Premium Styles from the Masters:

Vincent Van Gogh - Wheat Field with Cypresses
Vincent Van Gogh - The Starry Night
Georges Seurat - The Seine at La Grande Jatte
Claude Monet - Grainstacks in the Sunlight, Morning Effect
Paul Cezanne - The Bathers
Henri Matisse - Goldfish

Paid Patreon members can also transfer a style from any custom image of their choice.

The Anime and Cartoon styles work exceptionally well with portraits, transforming them with incredible results. We can't wait to see what you create!

New Color Brands: Over 200 Color Brands in Total!

The ArtistAssistApp color library continues to grow! We've added a host of new brands, bringing the grand total to over 200 brands and more than 15,000 colors!

Smoother Than Ever: Bug Fixes & Stability

We've fixed bugs and made significant stability improvements under the hood. The app is now faster, more reliable, and even tries to recover from errors automatically to prevent disruptions to your creative flow.

New Detailed Tutorials with Video

To help you get the most out of every feature, we've launched a comprehensive new Tutorials section on our website. These step-by-step guides, complete with videos, cover everything from the basics to the most advanced features in the app. Whether you're a new user or a seasoned pro, you'll find valuable tips and tricks. The tutorials as well as the app are available in 23 languages.

Try it now!

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.

Thank you for your continued support and invaluable feedback. This June update is for you. We hope these new tools inspire you and help you bring your artistic visions to life.

[Boost]

Eugene Khyst — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:43:34 +0000

Game Changing Improvements to ArtistAssistApp in February 2025

Eugene Khyst ・ Feb 11

#showdev #opensource #react #pwa

Game Changing Improvements to ArtistAssistApp in February 2025

Eugene Khyst — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:34:32 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there has been a new release of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

ArtistAssistApp's June 2025 Update is Here!

ArtistAssistApp, also known as Artist Assist App, helps artists accurately mix any color from a photo, analyze tonal values, turn a photo into an outline, draw with the grid method, paint with a limited palette, simplify a photo, remove the background from an image, compare photos pairwise, and more.

ArtistAsisstApp's February 2025 release includes both small and huge improvements. If you compare the current release to the first one, which came out in November 2023, there is probably not a single unchanged feature. Many new features have been added since the first release, and the core features have improved in both performance and usability.

Here is an overview of the improvements made since the previous major release in November 2024.

Naming saved mixtures directly on the Color picker tab
Easily create a copy of a color set for modification
Printing the result of pairwise comparisons
More contrasting grid
Adjusting white balance, saturation, color levels, and color temperature
Different background removal modes
Adding custom color brands
Logging in by scanning a QR code
Built-in QR code scanner
Better outline quality
Applying various artistic styles to your photos
New color brands
Try it now!

Naming saved mixtures directly on the Color picker tab

Now you can name the color mixture you add to the palette right in the Color picker tab. No need to go to the Palette tab to change the name of a mixture. Have you ever added a mixture to a palette and then used the Show on photo button to remember where in the photo it belongs? By naming mixtures directly in the Color picker tab, you'll never forget what each mixture in the Palette belongs to.

This small enhancement makes ArtistAssistApp Color Picker 10 times easier to use!

Easily create a copy of a color set for modification

Now in ArtistAssistApp you can create a copy of your color set for further modifications in one click. This is useful if you want to add or replace several colors but don't want to change an existing set. Now you don't have to create a new set and add all the colors from the original set to it. Just click the Duplicate button.

Printing the result of pairwise comparisons

The Compare tab now lets you easily print out a ranking of your photos. This is especially useful when you have compared many photos, such as 10 or 20 photos.

The ranking of photos can be saved as a PDF instead of printing. Most web browsers and operating systems have printer settings that allow you to save as a PDF instead of actually printing.

More contrasting grid

The mesh has more contrast and is now visible even on gray photos, which was a problem before.

Adjusting white balance, saturation, color levels, and color temperature

White balance, saturation, color levels, and color temperature adjustment after taking a photo of your painting is crucial.

ArtistAssistApp now allows you to adjust white balance, saturation, color levels, and color temperature in a few clicks with lightning speed.

Open the new tab White balance, select a photo of your painting, and play around with the sliders. Once satisfied, save the processed photo on your device.

You can darken midtones and correct bluish tones in overcast photos with a few clicks. With these tools, you'll get the perfect photo of your painting!

To determine the colors used in a photo or someone else's painting, you must adjust the white balance! Select a photo of a painting, adjust the white balance, and press the Set as reference button. It will immediately open the adjusted photo in the Color picker.

White balance adjustment is a perfect addition to the automatic background removal feature.

ArtistAssistApp can already automatically remove backgrounds from your illustrations. However, if the lighting conditions were not perfect when you photographed your painting, the entire illustration may appear to have a gray overlay. After removing grayish background objects, the illustration will remain grayish.

But if you adjust the white balance and saturation before removing the background, the results are going to be almost perfect. On the White Balance tab, you can remove the background from the adjusted photo by clicking the Remove Background button.

Different background removal modes

The Background removal feature now has several modes: Fast, Optimal, and Quality.

Fast mode is suitable for devices with limited processing power.
Optimal mode produces good result with average consumption of computing resources.
Quality mode is the most resource-intensive, but gives the best result. For pictures with a lot of fine details, use the Quality mode for perfect results. This mode is available only to paid Patreon members.

Adding custom color brands

ArtistAssistApp introduces a new user interface for adding custom color brands to the app. Welcome the new tab Custom brand.
You can add colors to a custom brand by adding their RGB value.
You can also import a color chart or even your own color swatch with adjusted white balance and use the color-picker to read colors from the image.
If the color chart is of low quality, this method may give poor results. But in most cases this method will give good results.

Logging in by scanning a QR code

Are you using ArtistAssistApp on multiple devices like your laptop, smartphone, and tablet? Now you can sign in via Patreon on your laptop or desktop and instantly sign in on all your other devices by scanning the QR code.

Log in to ArtistAssistApp on your desktop via Patreon.
Click Log in on another device by scanning the QR code.
Scan the QR code with your smartphone or tablet.
Open the link in the QR code.
You are now signed in.

Built-in QR code scanner

A QR code scanner is now built into ArtistAssistApp. Thanks to this you can scan QR codes for login or import a color set without leaving the app.

Open ArtistAssistApp on the other device you want to log in on or import the color set to. Press the Scan QR code button on the Color set tab. Provide a one-time camera permission and scan the QR code.

This method works on any device with a camera: smartphone, tablet, laptop, and even a desktop computer with a webcam.

Better outline quality

ArtistAssistApp received a new mode for the Outline feature. This mode produces better results and is only available to paid Patreon members. The Outline modes are called Fast and Quality.
You can see a comparison of the free and paid Outline mode in the examples below.

Applying various artistic styles to your photos

Meet ArtistAssistApp's newest feature: the Inspire tab. In this tab, you can see your reference photo in different artistic styles to find inspiration.
The following artistic styles are available in the free version:

Futurism,
Pointillism,
Stained glass,
Sketch drawing.

For paid Patreon members, styles of famous artists are available:

Vincent van Gogh,
Georges Seurat,
Claude Monet,
Paul Cézanne,
Henri Matisse.

New color brands

ArtistAssistApp now includes 190 color brands and a total of 15,000 colors!

Arteza Acrylic Paint (54 colors)
Arteza Acrylic Paint Markers (31 colors)
Arteza Pro Series Colored Pencils (120 colors)
Arteza Pro Series Watercolor Pencils (120 colors)
Arteza Watercolor Paint (36 colors)
Artist's Loft Acrylic Paint (49 colors)
Artist's Loft Oil Paint (30 colors)
Blick Artists' Acrylic (61 colors)
Blick Artists' Fluid Acrylics (35 colors)
Blick Artists' Oil (60 colors)
Blick Artists' Watercolor (41 colors)
Blick Matte Acrylic (66 colors)
Blick Studio Acrylic (46 colors)
Blick Studio Oil (50 colors)
Craft Smart Matte Acrylic Paint (97 colors)
Craft Smart Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint (59 colors)
Craft Smart Satin Acrylic Paint (55 colors)
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint (244 colors)
DecoArt Americana Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint (52 colors)
Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolour Pencils (120 colors)
FolkArt Matte Acrylic Paint (90 colors)
FolkArt Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint (56 colors)
Liquitex Basics Acrylic (60 colors)
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Fluid (38 colors)
M. Graham & Co. Artists' Acrylic Color (50 colors)
M. Graham & Co. Artists' Gouache (35 colors)
M. Graham & Co. Artists' Oil Color (75 colors)
Meeden Acrylic Paint (73 colors)
Meeden Artist Grade Oil Paint (36 colors)
Meeden Gouache Paint (24 colors)
Meeden Oil Paint (24 colors)
Meeden Watercolor Paint (60 colors)
Mungyo Gallery Artists' Watercolor (44 colors)
Prime Art IRIS Acrylic (44 colors)
Prime Art IRIS Gouache (18 colors)
Prime Art IRIS Oil (18 colors)
Rockwell Classical Watercolor (49 colors)
Royal & Langnickel Acrylic (24 colors)
Royal & Langnickel Acrylic (24 colors)
Royal & Langnickel Acrylic (24 colors)
Royal & Langnickel Oil (24 colors)
Utrecht Artists' Acrylic (72 colors)
Utrecht Artists' Fluid Acrylic (26 colors)
Utrecht Artists' Gouache (24 )
Utrecht Artists' Oil (97 colors)
Utrecht Artists' Watercolor (67 colors)
Utrecht Studio Series Acrylic (31 colors)
Utrecht Studio Series Oil (24 colors)

Try it now!

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.

What’s New in ArtistAssistApp? November 2024 Enhancements Unveiled

Eugene Khyst — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:59:49 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there have been new releases of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

ArtistAssistApp's June 2025 Update is Here!

Game Changing Improvements to ArtistAssistApp in February 2025

It is now November 2024, and it's time to share the new features and improvements to the ArtistAssistApp added since the previous major release in July 2024.

ArtistAssistApp on Patreon
New mediums: pastels
New color brands: 140 color brands in total
Scientifically proven model to simulate real color mixing
More accurate color similarity calculation
Displaying color similarities instead of confusing color differences
Visual comparison of spectral reflectance curves
Sharing color sets using QR code
Removing backgrounds from photos of your illustrations
Printing large images on multiple pages
Try it now!

ArtistAssistApp on Patreon

Probably the biggest change is that ArtistAssistApp now has a paid version. All ArtistAssistApp features are available for free without registration. However, the free version only offers a limited number of color brands. To get access to more than 140 color brands and all app features without ads, join ArtistAssistApp on Patreon as a paid member.

Thanks to the support of paid Patreon members, we can continue to develop the app.

New mediums: pastels

The app supports a variety of mediums, including watercolor paint, gouache, acrylic paint, acrylic gouache, oil paint, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, and now it also supports soft pastels, hard pastels, pastel pencils, and oil pastels.

New color brands: 140 color brands in total

The app has 140 color brands and more than 12,000 colors in total.

The free version of the app includes Rosa and Koh-i-Noor brands for all mediums:

Rosa Gallery Watercolours
Rosa Gallery Oil Colour
Rosa Gallery Acrylic
Rosa Studio Gouache
Koh-i-Noor Polycolor
Koh-i-Noor Mondeluz
Koh-I-Noor Gioconda Soft Pastel Pencils 8820
Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or Artists' Soft Pastels 8500
Koh-I-Noor Toison D'or Artists' Soft Pastels 8580
Koh-I-Noor Gioconda Hard Pastels 8100
Koh-I-Noor Gioconda Artist's Oil Pastels 8300

Scientifically proven model to simulate real color mixing

We have greatly improved the accuracy of color mixing and matching in ArtistAssistApp! ArtistAssistApp now uses a scientifically proven Kubelka-Munk model to simulate real color mixing. Previously, the color mixing was based on the weighted geometric mean of spectral reflectances (functions of wavelength). Working with colors' spectral reflectances instead of RGB or other color models made it simple to transition to the Kubelka-Munk model.

Let's try mixing these colors on paper and compare them to the simulation made by ArtistAssistApp.

More accurate color similarity calculation

The first version of ArtistAssistApp used CIEDE2000 for color difference calculation. Then, we transitioned to Oklab and Delta E OK, which worked well. But none of the formulas provide satisfactory results. The app now calculates the similarity of two colors using the geometric mean of Eucledean distance and the cosine similarity of their spectral reflectances. The results are absolutely amazing. Color matching accuracy was greatly increased.

Previously, ArtistAssistApp had problems finding a matching color mixture for very dark target colors. This problem has been fixed! Just look at the result of working with a limited palette. The app now accurately matches even the darkest parts of the image.

Before changes

After changes

The limited palette tool demonstrates the improvement in color matching. The app creates an image almost identical to the reference photo using only three primary colors!

Before changes

After changes

Displaying color similarities instead of confusing color differences

The app now displays color similarity as a percentage instead of a unclear and misunderstood color difference metric. 100% means a perfect match. 0% means completely different colors, like black and white.

Before changes

After changes

Visual comparison of spectral reflectance curves

The app now computes color similarity by comparing the spectral reflectance curves, it makes sense to visualize them on the chart. You can check how similar the spectral reflectance curves of the target color and the suggested color mixture are.

Sharing color sets using QR code

Importing a color set from a laptop to an iPad or from a tablet to a smartphone is now super easy. Click the "Share" button and scan the QR code with the camera on the device you want to import the color set to. Simply open the link to import your color set to your new device.

Removing backgrounds from photos of your illustrations

Now, the app can remove the background from your illustrations. Some paintings, especially botanical illustrations and pet portraits, really shine on the snow-white background. You no longer need to manually erase the background on illustrations. Just open the new tab "Remove background", select a photo of your illustration, wait a bit, and download your illustration on a transparent background!

Printing large images on multiple pages

Do you print the image from the "Outline" tab? Have you ever wanted to trace a photo that is larger than the standard printer paper size?
ArtistAssistApp enables you to print a large image onto multiple pages using your home printer.

Try it now!

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.

ArtistAssistApp Is Now Available Offline and Has Other Cool New Features 🖌️🎨

Eugene Khyst — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 17:23:36 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there have been new releases of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

ArtistAssistApp's June 2025 Update is Here!

Game Changing Improvements to ArtistAssistApp in February 2025

What’s New in ArtistAssistApp? November 2024 Enhancements Unveiled

ArtistAssistApp is the best painting and drawing assistant app. It's an essential app for beginners and professional traditional artists and digital artists starting their journey in traditional art. The app allows artists to see the reference photo more clearly and to draw and mix colors more accurately.

ArtistAssistApp was launched in November 2023 and received a major update on March 2024. But a recent update released in July 2024 has taken the app to the next level.

ArtistAssistApp now helps artists to accurately mix any color from a photo, analyze tonal values, turn a photo into an outline, draw with the grid method, paint with a limited palette, simplify a photo, compare photos pairwise, and more.

📦 Install on any device and use offline
🎨 Improved color mixing algorithm to avoid muddy and dull colors
🔲 Displaying paint transparency
🎨 Sets with Unlimited Number of Colors for All Mediums
🏷️ Many new color brands
⚖️ Pairwise comparison of photos
💾 Save multiple color sets for the same medium
🪟 Higher contrast grid that can be printed
⬇️ Saving processed images to your device
🍏 Fully supported on iPhone and iPad
👨‍💻 Implementation details
🧑‍🎨 Try it now!

📦 Install on any device and use offline

ArtistAssistApp is now a Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be used offline without an Internet connection.

Install ArtistAssistApp o your device and use it like any other app: launch from the home screen, open photos with the app, use the app as share target, etc.

Supported operating systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS.

🎨 Improved color mixing algorithm to avoid muddy and dull colors

ArtistAssistApp now has a better color mixing algorithm that helps to avoid muddy and dull color mixtures. It produces less mixing options but all of them are clean and vibrant or pleasant muted colors.

You will no longer get lost in a huge number of mixtures and can be sure that you will not mix muddy or dull colors.

Before ArtistAssistApp helped you to paint like on the reference photo. Now it helps you to paint better than on the reference photo because all color mixtures will be clean and pleasant. The new algorithms better utilizes the traditional color theory.

🔲 Displaying paint transparency

ArtistAssistApp now shows the paint opacity next to the color.
Now it is easier to choose the most transparent or opaque color mixture. The app will immediately tell you whether the paint is transparent, semi-transparent, semi-opaque or opaque.

🖌️ Gouache and Acrylic gouache support

ArtistAssistApp now supports Gouache and Acrylic gouache.

Supported mediums include Watercolor paint, Acrylic paint, Oil paint, Colored pencils, Watercolor pencils, and now Gouache and Acrylic gouache.

🎨 Sets with Unlimited Number of Colors for All Mediums

ArtistAssistApp now supports color sets of unlimited number of colors for all mediums.

Previously, ArtistAssistApp supported color sets of up to 36 colors for paints. Now this limit has been removed.

You can add 12, 24, 36, 48 or even 100 colors to your set for any medium including watercolor, gouache, acrylic gouache, oil paint, acrylic paint, colored pencils, and watercolor pencils.

For your convenience, when selecting more than 36 colors in total, mixtures of 3 colors are not used.

🏷️ Many new color brands

A lot of color brands have been added recently.

ArtistAssistApp supported color brands
Watercolor paint

A. Gallo
Blockx
Da Vinci
Daniel Smith Extra Fine
Daniel Smith PrimaTek
Holbein
M. Graham & Co.
Maimeri Blu
Michael Harding
Mijello Mission Gold Class
Old Holland
QoR
Rembrandt
Renesans
Roman Szmal Aquarius
Rosa Gallery
Schmincke Horadam Aquarell
Schmincke Akademie Aquarell
Sennelier l'Aquarelle
ShinHan PWC
Van Gogh
White Nights
Winsor & Newton Professional
Winsor & Newton Cotman
Kokuyo Camlin Camel Artist Water Colours
Aquatone Artist Watercolor
Thoovi Premium Watercolours
Tri-Art
Turner
Daler Rowney Artists' Watercolour
Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolour

Oil paint

Gamblin
Michael Harding
Old Holland
Schmincke Mussini
Schmincke Norma Professional
Schmincke Norma Blue Water Mixable Oil Colours
Williamsburg
Winsor & Newton Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying
Winsor & Newton Winton
Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil
Daler Rowney Artists' Oil
Cobra Artist Water Mixable Oil Colours
Daler Rowney Georgian Oil
Daler Rowney Georgian Water Mixable Oil

Acrylic paint

Golden Fluid
Golden Heavy Body
Golden OPEN Slow-Drying
Golden SoFlat Matte
Lascaux Artist
Liquitex Heavy Body
Liquitex Soft Body
Old Holland New Masters
Schmincke PRIMAcryl
Vallejo Acrylic Artist
Vallejo Acrylic Studio
Winsor & Newton Professional
Winsor & Newton Galeria
Daler Rowney Cryla
Daler Rowney System3
Atelier Interactive
Amsterdam Expert Series
Amsterdam Standard Series

Colored pencils

Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901
Caran d'Ache Pablo
Crayola
Derwent Chromaflow
Derwent Colour Drawing
Derwent Coloursoft
Derwent Lightfast Colour
Derwent Procolour
Faber-Castell Goldfaber
Faber-Castell Polychromos
Holbein
Koh-I-Noor Polycolor
Prismacolor Premier Soft Core
Van Gogh

Watercolor pencils

Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle
Caran d'Ache Supracolor Aquarelle
Derwent Inktense
Derwent Watercolour
Winsor & Newton

Gouache

Da Vinci
Daler Rowney Aquafine Gouache
Daler Rowney Professional Designers' Gouache
Daniel Smith
Holbein Artist Gouache
Holbein Irodori Artist Gouache
Lefranc & Bourgeois Linel Extra-Fine Gouache
Maimeri Gouache
Schmincke Designers Gouache
Talens Gouache Extra Fine
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache

Acrylic gouache

Holbein Acrylic Gouache
Lascaux Gouache
Liquitex Acrylic Gouache
Turner Acryl Gouache

⚖️ Pairwise comparison of photos

New big feature - pairwise comparison of photos. It can be difficult to choose between multiple photos. Comparing each photo with others in pairs simplifies the choice and helps to identify the most preferred one.
ArtistAssistApp will help you determine the best photo through pairwise comparison and get a photo rating.

💾 Save multiple color sets for the same medium

ArtistAssistApp now supports saving multiple color sets for the same medium.
Artists often have several color sets they paint with. Either sets of different color brands, or sets of the same color brand, but for different purposes (for example, landscape, cityscape, flowers).
Optionally you can give a name to your color sets.

🪟 Higher contrast grid that can be printed

The Grid has received a new look. It's now more contrasting and pleasant-looking.

A photo with a grid over it can also be printed with a click of a button.

⬇️ Saving processed images to your device

ArtistAssistApp now supports saving to your device all processed images.
Press ⋮ and then Save and the image will be saved as PNG file.
This feature works on "Tonal values", "Simplified", "Grid", "Outline" and "Limited palette" tabs.
After saving you can import images in ArtistAssistApp again.

🍏 Fully supported on iPhone and iPad

ArtistAssistApp is now fully supported on iPhone and iPad. Thanks to user feedback, all bugs and problems were found and fixed.

👨‍💻 Implementation details

ArtistAssistApp is now a Progressive Web App (PWA) with Web App Manifest and Service Worker. Web app manifest provides information that the browser needs to install your PWA on a device, such as the app's name and icon, associate files with your PWA, acts as a content sharing target (Web Share Target API). Service workers act as proxy servers that sit between web applications, the browser, and the network and are designed to create an efficient offline experience.

ArtistAssistApp now uses Oklab and Oklch instead of CIELAB and CIELCH color spaces. Thanks to this, it was possible to create an algorithm that determines that a mixture of certain colors will be muddy or dull.

Using Oklab also makes it possible to use the much simpler Delta E OK color difference formula instead of the complex Delta E CIEDE2000 formula. Delta E OK is simply the Euclidean distance in the Oklab color space.

Pairwise comparison of photos uses the Elo rating system. Each comparison between two photos is considered a match of a tournament. After comparison, each photo gains or loses points, moving up or down in the rating. The usage of Elo rating system helps to unambiguously determine the best photos.

The grid over the photo is now drawn using an image with inverted colors and CanvasRenderingContext2D.globalCompositeOperation instead of simple red lines. Such grid is much more contrasting and pleasantly-looking.

Thanks to the user feedback it figured out that the Grid functionality was broken in Safari (meaning all iPhones and iPads). The problem was using CanvasRenderingContext2D.filter to invert the colors of the image, which is not supported in Safari. But this means that all this time the Outline function (converting any photo into an outline) was not working in Safari either. CanvasRenderingContext2D.filter is used in Outline to convert image to grayscale and invert colors. The solution was to avoid using CanvasRenderingContext2D.filter and instead manually implement color inversion and grayscale filters. Luckily, image pixel manipulation is easy using the Canvas API.

I tested the app thoroughly in Safari and found another bug. Safari does not support storing Blob in IndexedDB. The solution is to store ArrayBuffer and MIME type instead. Blob to ArrayBuffer conversion is easy: await blob.arrayBuffer().

All these changes have improved ArtistAssistApp's performance and browser compatibility.

Try it now!

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.

ArtistAssistApp: New Major Update to the Best Free Painting Assistant for Traditional Artists 🧑‍🎨

Eugene Khyst — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:40:51 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there have been new releases of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

ArtistAssistApp's June 2025 Update is Here!

Game Changing Improvements to ArtistAssistApp in February 2025

What’s New in ArtistAssistApp? November 2024 Enhancements Unveiled

ArtistAssistApp Is Now Available Offline and Has Other Cool New Features 🖌️🎨

ArtistAssistApp is the best ever painting assistant tool that allows traditional artists to see the reference photo more clearly and mix colors more accurately.

ArtistAssistApp provides various tools for artists for accurate color mixing from a photo based on real paints that you have on hand, tonal value study, grid method for drawing, simplified sketching, color mixing with limited palettes, etc.

ArtistAssistApp is free, no login or registration required.
It's a web app that runs in web browser on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. There is no need to install a new app that will clog your device.

Since the initial launch, we have received a lot of feedback and recently released the new version of ArtistAssistApp.

Find the main updates in the new ArtistAssistApp version below.

Better UI
New mediums: acrylics, pencils
New color brands
Print tonal values
A palette for each photo
Saving the point in the photo for each color mixture
The grid method for drawing
Converting a photo into an outline
Simulating real color mixing
Limited palettes
Saving recently imported photos
Printing palettes
Sharing your color sets between your devices
Video tutorials & step-by-step guides
Try it now!

Better UI

We completely redesigned the app and gave it a more intuitive UI.

New mediums: acrylics, pencils

We added acrylic paint, colored pencils, and watercolor pencils to the existing mediums of watercolor and oil paint.

New color brands

The app now has dozens of popular color brands for all mediums.

Print tonal values

It's now possible to print tonal values with a single click of a button.

A palette for each photo

The app now has an individual palette for each reference photo and a single common (shared) palette for all photos.

Saving the point in the photo for each color mixture

The color picker saves the coordinates in the photo along with the color mixture in a palette so that you can easily remember what the mixture belongs to.

The grid method for drawing

Square grids of various sized and non-square 4x4 and 3x3 grids with diagonal lines are supported.

Converting a photo into an outline

You can now convert a reference photo to accurate outline and print it with a single click of a button.

Simulating real color mixing

You can now manually mix specified colors in specified proportions to not waste your real paints on color mixing experiments.

Limited palettes

You can now preview your reference photo painted with a limited palette of 1 to 7 colors. Limited palettes help to achieve color harmony.

Saving recently imported photos

The app saves the latest 10 imported photos for quick access. There are some sample photos available, so you don't need to import your own photos to test the app.

Printing palettes

You can now print compact palette with a single click of a button.

Sharing your color sets between your devices

You can now share your color set and color mixtures between your devices or with friends using links.

Video tutorials & step-by-step guides

Check out new video tutorials and step-by-step guides.

Try it now!

Try it now for free at https://app.artistassistapp.com to improve your painting and drawing skills and create stunning artworks.

ArtistAssistApp - the open source web app to paint better with ease 🖌️🎨

Eugene Khyst — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:12:32 +0000

IMPORTANT
Since this publication, there have been new releases of ArtistAssistApp.

ArtistAssistApp New Features and Improvements – November 2025

ArtistAssistApp Improvements – August 2025

ArtistAssistApp's June 2025 Update is Here!

Game Changing Improvements to ArtistAssistApp in February 2025

What’s New in ArtistAssistApp? November 2024 Enhancements Unveiled

ArtistAssistApp Is Now Available Offline and Has Other Cool New Features 🖌️🎨

ArtistAssistApp: New Major Update to the Best Free Painting Assistant for Traditional Artists 🧑‍🎨

Are you a professional or beginning artist? Or have you always wanted to learn how to paint with watercolors, oil paints or acrylics?

ArtistAssistApp is the open source web app to paint better with ease.

🖌️ 🎨 🖼️ Tools for realistic color mixing based on real paints, tonal value drawing, simplified sketching, and more.
🧑‍🎨 Perfect for artists of all levels and styles, whether you prefer watercolor or oil, realism or loose techniques, landscapes or portraits.
📱 💻 🖥️ Works on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
🔓 No login or registration required.
#️⃣ The source code is available on GitHub.

Try it now at artistassistapp.com

Features
- 🎨 Realistic color mixing
- 🎨 Palette
- 🖌️ Simplified sketch
- ✏️ Tonal values
Implementation details
Try it now!

Features

🎨 Realistic color mixing

Import your own photos, select any desired color directly from the image, and learn how to mix it with your paints.

Our web app provides a step-by-step guide on how to precisely mix that color using your own paints using atomic or optical mixing.

Atomic mixing is the physical mixing of colors together, while optical mixing is the result of placing a transparent layer of color over another color (glaze technique).

The color of a paint mixture is calculated as the weighted geometric mean of the paints' reflectance curves. The reflectance curves of paints and mixes can be visualized.

🎨 Palette

Save instructions on how to mix your favorite colors from the paints you have for quick reference.

🖌️ Simplified sketch

Smooth your photo to reduce detail and focus on the big shapes and proportions of your subject, and learn how to simplify and abstract your paintings.

✏️ Tonal values

Use tonal value sketches that capture the light and shadow of your subject to learn how to create contrast and depth in your paintings.

Implementation details

This project does not use artificial intelligence (AI), but rather mathematics.

The core logic of the project doesn't depend on any math or color library and includes the implementation of the following:

converting between color models (e.g. sRGB to CIELAB),
sRGB to spectral reflectance curve,
matrix operations,
matrix inversion using LU decomposition,
solving a system of linear algebraic equations using forward and backward substitution,
weighted geometric mean,
the average color of the circular area of the image
color difference using CIEDE2000,
vector operations,
fast median blur using sliding window and histogram,
RGB to grayscale conversion based on luminance,
and more.

The source code is available on GitHub.

Try it now!

🖌️ 🎨 🖼️ ArtistAssistApp was created together with professional artist for professional and beginning artists. It's easy to use, interactive, and fun. Try it today and unleash your creativity!

Lightweight implementation of Event Sourcing using PostgreSQL as an event store 🚀🕗🔙🕘

Eugene Khyst — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 12:52:18 +0000

Do you use the Event Sourcing pattern?
If you have a Java Spring Boot application with a PostgreSQL database, you can implement Event Sourcing without introducing new specialized databases or frameworks.

How do I know that I need the Event Sourcing pattern?

If you have an application dealing with an entity called Order, you should adopt Event Sourcing to keep track of all changes, and know how the Order got into the current state.

Event Sourcing gives you:

the true history of the system (audit and traceability),
the ability to put the system in any prior state (debugging),
the ability to create read projections from events as needed to respond to new demands.

Order entity CRUD vs Event Sourcing

There are several well-known specialized frameworks and databases for Event Sourcing: EventStoreDB, Marten, Eventuate, to name a few.

Do I really need a specialized database and framework for Event Sourcing? It would be easier to convince colleagues and management to try Event Sourcing if there was a way to use an existing PostgreSQL database as an event store and implement the Event Sourcing pattern with several classes without specialized frameworks.

Adopting a new framework or database you are not familiar with may stop you from trying the Event Sourcing pattern in your project. But you can actually implement Event Sourcing with a few classes and use PostgreSQL as an event store.

The postgresql-event-sourcing project is a reference implementation of an event-sourced system that uses PostgreSQL as an event store built with Spring Boot. Fork the repository and use it as a template for your projects. Or clone the repository and run end-to-end tests to see how everything works together.

The project describes in detail:

database model for storing events,
synchronous and asynchronous event handlers,
CQRS,
Transactional Outbox pattern,
Polling Publisher pattern,
optimized publisher that uses PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY capabilities,
and more.

PostgreSQL Event Sourcing

This project can be easily extended to comply with your domain model. Event sourcing related code and application specific code are located in separate Gradle subprojects:

postgresql-event-sourcing-core: event sourcing and PostgreSQL related code, lightweight shared library,
event-sourcing-app: application specific code, simplified ride-hailing sample.

To adapt the project to your domain model, make changes to event-sourcing-app subproject. No changes to postgresql-event-sourcing-core subproject are required.

The source code is available on GitHub.