# ArcBrush – Node-based 2D image editor > Source: > Published: 2026-05-20 16:11:15+00:00 # The node-based image editor. Build once. Export everything. Wire 79 nodes into non-destructive pipelines that produce every color variant, every format, every asset, automatically. One graph replaces hours of repetitive manual work. Free to use. No account needed for the editor. Native C++ desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Built for: Game Artists · Pixel Artists · Illustrators · Concept Artists · Texture Artists · Designers · Anyone tired of repetitive exports Who it’s for ## If you’ve ever exported the same thing twice, this is for you. ### Game Artists 200 item icons in 12 color tiers. ArcBrush builds the pipeline once and exports all 2,400 variants. Drop them straight into your project folder. ### Pixel Artists & Indie Devs Pixelate, outline, and dither nodes handle retro styling. Sprite sheet export packs variants into a single atlas with a TexturePacker-compatible JSON manifest. Quantize and Palette Remap keep everything within your target palette. ### Illustrators Character sheets, commission variants, color explorations. Define your palette, see every version instantly. Adjust one and all update. ### Concept Artists AI Image Edit takes your rough sketch and fills in the detail. You control the composition. Iterate on style without starting over. ### Texture Artists Seamless Blend makes any source tileable. Normal Map generates 3D lighting data from grayscale. Noise and Pattern nodes create procedural bases. Tile Preview shows any output tiled in a grid. All in one graph. ### Designers Logos in every brand color on product mockups. Marketing assets at every size. Systematic pipelines that produce every variant without repetitive manual exports. **Familiar territory.** If you’ve used node-based tools in Houdini, Blender, Nuke, Substance, or Unreal, you already know the paradigm. ArcBrush applies it to 2D image production. How it works ## Your process, as a graph. In ArcBrush, every operation is a node. Load an image. Apply a filter. Warp it. Mask an area. Remap colors. Export. Wire them together and the graph does the rest. Change one parameter and only the affected nodes re-evaluate. Nothing is ever baked. Everything stays live. ### Wire anything to anything Typed connections ensure compatibility. Images, masks, palettes, and variants each have their own pin type, and the graph prevents invalid wiring automatically. ### Non-destructive forever Every parameter stays live. Adjust blur radius, swap palettes, change AI prompts, even six months later. The graph re-evaluates only what changed. ### Portable graph files Save your workflow as a `.arcb` file. Share it with your team. Open it on Windows, macOS, or Linux. It just works. Every parameter, every connection, every embedded asset, exactly where you left it. ### Live pipeline Layer-based tools produce one output at a time. ArcBrush pipelines produce N outputs from one configuration. Toggle "Watch File" on your source images and the graph re-evaluates every time the file changes on disk. Edit in Photoshop and see the result in ArcBrush instantly. The killer feature ## One graph. Every color variant. Automatically. Define a palette with 9 named colors. Wire it into Palette Remap. Connect Export Batch. Click export. Nine named PNG files appear in your folder, each one recolored while preserving every highlight, shadow, and gradient from the original. Change the palette, re-export. Done. ### Luminance preserved The remap shifts hue and saturation in perceptual color space. Highlights stay highlights. Shadows stay shadows. The recolor looks painted, not tinted. ### Import palettes from your tools Drop in palette files from Aseprite, Photoshop, GIMP, Krita, Illustrator, Affinity, or Inkscape. ArcBrush reads `.gpl` , `.ase` , `.pal` , and `.aseprite` files, including names and colors. ### Sprite sheet export Export all variants as individual files or pack them into a single sprite sheet with a TexturePacker-compatible JSON manifest. Ready to drop into your game engine. ### Named variants Each palette slot has a name. Export Batch uses that name in the filename. `potion_red.png` , `potion_blue.png` . Consistent, automatic, every time. ### Palette From Image Don't have a palette? Feed any reference image into Palette From Image. It extracts the dominant colors automatically. Wire that into Palette Remap. ### One change, all variants update Adjust the source art. Every variant re-exports with the change. Adjust the palette. Every variant shifts. The graph is live. AI integration ## AI on your terms. Not the other way around. ArcBrush is a complete image editor without AI. Every filter, mask, warp, color tool, and export pipeline works without an account or internet connection. AI nodes are optional. They wire into the graph like any other node, receive your masks, edge maps, and images as structured inputs, and produce images as outputs. Use them when they help. Skip them entirely if you prefer. The graph is the product. ### Nano Banana 2 AdvancedThe most capable model in the lineup. Powered by Gemini, Nano Banana 2 accepts multiple input images simultaneously: reference photos, style examples, and masks in one call. Text-to-image, image editing, multi-image fusion, and guided generation. ### FLUX.2 Max MaxHighest fidelity generation and editing from Black Forest Labs. Premium quality for both text-to-image and image editing workflows. ### FLUX.2 Pro ProHigh-quality generation and editing. Great balance of quality and capability for production art and professional editing workflows. ### FLUX Fast FastLow cost, high speed. Perfect for exploring ideas before committing to a higher-quality generation. Ideal for rapid iteration. ### FLUX.2 Turbo Edit Fast EditFast, affordable image editing. Great for quick instruction-based edits and simple transformations at the lowest editing cost. ### Background Removal UtilityTwo models at the same cost: rembg (fast, reliable) and Bria RMBG 2.0 (higher quality on complex edges like hair and fur). ### AI Upscale Utility4x super-resolution powered by AuraSR. Two model versions: v1 for general use, v2 for photographs and non-AI images. Enable overlapping tiles for seamless results on large images. **“Just another node.”** AI outputs wire into filters. Filter outputs wire into AI. Chain multiple AI calls. Branch into parallel paths. The graph doesn’t care what a node does internally — it just connects typed inputs to typed outputs. ArcBrush is fully functional without AI. All 75 non-AI nodes, including every filter, transform, mask tool, warp, and export, work without an account, without signing in, without limits. AI generation is an optional add-on powered by credits. If you want to try AI, sign in with one click and get 10 free credits. ### Starter Best for trying AI features and occasional generation. ### Plus For regular AI-assisted workflows. ### Pro For heavy AI use and production pipelines. Lowest per-credit cost. #### Generations per model At standard resolution (up to 1024x1024). Higher resolutions use more credits. | Model | Credits | Starter | Plus | Pro | |---|---|---|---|---| | FLUX FastText to Image | 0.2 | 1,750 | 4,000 | 9,000 | | FLUX.2 Turbo EditImage Edit | 0.5 | 700 | 1,600 | 3,600 | | Remove BackgroundRemove BG | 1 | 350 | 800 | 1,800 | | AI UpscaleUpscale | 1 | 350 | 800 | 1,800 | | FLUX.2 ProText to Image / Edit | 2 | 175 | 400 | 900 | | Nano Banana 2Text to Image / Edit | 5 | 70 | 160 | 360 | | FLUX.2 MaxText to Image / Edit | 5 | 70 | 160 | 360 | Under the hood ## Native. Not a web app. Not Electron. Not a wrapper. ArcBrush is a C++20 desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. OpenCV processes your images on the CPU and GPU. OpenGL renders your previews. Every operation runs natively on your hardware. AI nodes reach out to the cloud only when you tell them to. ### C++20 Native binary compiled for Windows, macOS, and Linux. No runtime dependencies, no browser engine. Lightweight installer, fast startup. 14.9 MB Win · 22.1 MB Mac · 11.0 MB Linux ### GPU-accelerated Image processing automatically offloads to your GPU when available. Larger images route to GPU for speed, with full CPU fallback on every operation. Automatic GPU/CPU routing ### Parallel processing Every per-pixel operation distributes across all your CPU cores automatically. Large images process in fractions of a second. All cores · Adaptive threading ### Smart evaluation Only nodes downstream of a change re-evaluate. Fast nodes update instantly, heavy nodes wait for you to stop dragging. Nothing recomputes unnecessarily. Incremental · Adaptive debounce ### Typed connections Five pin types (Image, Mask, Palette, Variants, Size Reference), each with strict connection rules. The graph prevents invalid wiring automatically. 5 types · Strict rules ### Open format & auto-save `.arcb` files are human-readable JSON. Your work is auto-saved at regular intervals with crash recovery on next launch. JSON · Portable · Crash recovery Node library ## 79 nodes. 9 categories. Infinite combinations. From basic inputs to AI generation, from pixel-level color control to mesh warps and batch export, every operation in your workflow has a dedicated node. Each one is composable with every other. ### Inputs 2Load PNG, JPEG, WebP, TGA, BMP from disk or clipboard Vector import with resolution-independent rasterization ### Generators 6Solid color starting point at any resolution Linear, radial, angular, diamond gradients with multi-stop colors and seven interpolation modes Perlin, Simplex, Clouds, Voronoi, White noise with fBm and domain warp Checkerboard, stripes, dots, hexagons, brick Circle, rectangle, polygon, star, ring with optional stroke and tile mode Render text with system fonts or custom .ttf/.otf files. Searchable font picker, weight/style selection, alignment, rotation, and interactive drag positioning ### Transform 17Place up to 5 images side by side or stacked for comparisons and layouts Four-point perspective warp with optional background plate Extract a region by pixel coordinates or percentage Pixel displacement driven by a grayscale or red/green channel map Flip horizontal, vertical, or both Interactive bicubic Bezier grid deformation. Drag control points to sculpt images freely Shift the image horizontally or vertically with optional edge wrapping Add border padding with color or extend modes Cartesian-to-polar and polar-to-Cartesian coordinate transform Scale to exact dimensions or percentage with multiple algorithms Pixel-perfect 90°/180°/270° rotation with no interpolation Content-aware resize via seam carving. Shrinks images while preserving important content Barrel and pincushion lens distortion Pack palette variants into a single grid image for game engines or further processing Grid-based image repeat with mirror mode, row/column offset, and size reference Translate, rotate, scale with interpolation control and interactive manipulator Auto-crop transparent or solid-color edges ### Filter 16Gaussian, box, median, motion, bilateral, edge-preserving, radial, and zoom blur Layer blending with 18 modes (Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, and more) Noise reduction preserving edges and detail Configurable offset, blur, color, and opacity Canny edge extraction with adjustable thresholds, kernel size, and custom edge/background colors Directional emboss with angle and strength Bloom/glow effect with threshold and radius control Isolate detail by subtracting a blurred copy. Per-channel or luminance modes for sharpening, frequency separation, and texture flattening Content-aware fill using mask regions Generate normal maps from height/grayscale images for 3D lighting Inner, outer, or center stroke around non-transparent regions Interactive freehand painting directly on images Reduce to chunky pixels with configurable block size. Essential for pixel art Mirror-fold and content-aware blend to make any image tileable Unsharp Mask and edge-preserving Detail Enhance Edge darkening with shape, size, and falloff ### Mask 8Select pixels by color similarity with eyedropper pick, tolerance, and softness controls Flood-fill contiguous color selection from seed points with tolerance and softness Apply a mask as the alpha channel of an image Union, intersection, subtraction, XOR of two masks Extract masks from alpha, luminance, or any channel Freehand mask painting with brush tools Erode, dilate, feather, and threshold masks Interactive bezier spline rotoscoping ### Color 22Convert to grayscale with per-hue channel sliders and film-style presets Simple brightness and contrast with S-Curve or Linear modes Combine four single-channel images into one RGBA image, with per-channel fill defaults for any unconnected input Rearrange, swap, or fill RGBA channels Split an RGBA image into four single-channel images (R, G, B, A) for independent downstream processing Shadows/midtones/highlights color shifting Solid color overlay with 18 blend modes and adjustable opacity Single-color hue/saturation shift preserving luminance Bezier curve adjustment per channel Floyd-Steinberg, ordered, and blue noise dithering for retro and print styles Adjust exposure in EV stops with offset and gamma. Works in linear light Map luminance range to a color gradient Hue, saturation, brightness adjustment Channel inversion (all, RGB only, or per-channel) Input/output range with per-channel gamma control Clarity/local contrast enhancement Define named color slots for variant generation Sample a palette from a gradient with seven interpolation modes. Edit colors via the gradient editor; slot names persist across swatch count changes Auto-extract dominant colors from any image Full palette-driven variant generation (N colors → N outputs) Reduce color levels for stylized flat-color look Reduce to N colors with optional dithering ### Keyer 2Green/blue screen removal with spill suppression Extract matte from brightness values ### AI 4Edit existing images with text instructions One-click AI background removal to clean RGBA Generate images from text prompts (4 quality tiers) 4x super-resolution via AuraSR. Adds realistic detail beyond simple resize ### Export 2Export all palette variants as named files or packed sprite sheets with JSON manifest Save single output as PNG, JPEG, BMP, WebP, TIFF, or TGA Features ## Everything you need. Nothing you don’t. ### Auto-save Your work is saved automatically at regular intervals. Crash recovery restores your last state on relaunch. Never lose progress. ### Interactive tools Mesh Warp (drag a Bezier grid), Roto (bezier spline masks), Corner Pin (perspective warp), Text (drag-position and rotate), Paint and Mask Paint (freehand brush). Draw and sculpt directly in the preview. ### Warp & distortion Five warp nodes: perspective (Corner Pin), freeform mesh (Mesh Warp), displacement maps (Displace), polar coordinates (Polar Remap), and lens distortion (Spherize). ### Text rendering System font browser with instant search, weight and style selection, custom .ttf/.otf loading. Position by dragging, rotate with the ring handle. Missing fonts flagged on file open. ### Pixel art workflow Pixelate for chunky retro pixels. Outline for sprite borders. Dither (Floyd-Steinberg, ordered, blue noise) for stylized color reduction. Quantize to a limited palette. Export as sprite sheets. ### Sprite sheet export Export Batch can pack all variants into a single sprite sheet PNG with a TexturePacker-compatible JSON manifest. Configurable columns, padding, background, and power-of-two dimensions. ### Texture tools Seamless Blend makes any image tileable. Normal Map generates 3D-ready lighting maps from grayscale. Noise generates seamless tileable output. Pattern produces geometric bases. Tile Preview shows any node tiled in a grid. ### Channel isolation View individual Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha channels in the preview panel. Instantly see what's in each channel without exporting. ### Histogram Live histogram overlay in the preview panel shows the tonal distribution of any node's output. ### Node groups Backdrop boxes to organize complex graphs. Drag, resize, rename. Nodes automatically belong by spatial containment. ### Node notes & sticky notes Attach text annotations to any node. Drop standalone sticky notes on the canvas for documentation and reminders. ### Undo/redo Full undo stack for every operation: node creation, parameter changes, connections, group edits. Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y. ### Minimap Bird's-eye view of your entire graph. Click to navigate. Toggle on/off. ### Preview panel Full-resolution preview with zoom, pan, pixel grid at high zoom, and color value readout. Lock to any node. Channel isolation and histogram overlay. ### Quick-Lock preview Double-click any node to lock its output to the preview panel, so you can inspect upstream nodes without losing your view. Double-click empty canvas to release. ### Display color management Images display correctly on monitors with non-sRGB color profiles. ArcBrush reads your monitor's ICC profile and applies color correction automatically. What you see matches what you export. ### 6 color themes Violet (default), Emerald, Ocean, Rose, Amber, and Graphite. Choose the UI tone that suits your eye. ### Wire styles Curved (default), rounded, straight, or right-angle wires with automatic node avoidance. ### Snap to grid Nodes snap to a configurable grid when moved or created. Adjustable spacing from 8px to 64px. Enabled by default for clean, aligned layouts. ### Graph search Find any node by name instantly. Ctrl+F to search, Enter to navigate. ### Favorites Star any node from its Properties panel header to pin it to a Favorites section at the top of the Node Library and the right-click Add Node menu. Your most-used nodes stay one click away no matter how categories are arranged. ### Keyboard shortcuts Standard shortcuts for all operations. Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+Z undo, Delete to remove, F5 to re-evaluate, Tab to open add-node menu. ### Drag-and-drop Drop image files onto the canvas to create Image In nodes. Drag from the node library panel. ### Clipboard paste Ctrl+V to paste images from clipboard directly as new Image In nodes. ### Quick export Ctrl+Shift+E to export selected export nodes. Export All in the File menu runs every export node in the graph at once. ### 6 export formats PNG, JPEG, BMP, WebP, TIFF, and TGA. Both single-image and batch export support all formats with quality control. ### Relative export paths Type export/sprite.png and the path resolves relative to your .arcb file. Directories are created automatically. Keep exports portable alongside your project. ### File watching Toggle "Watch File" on Image In or SVG Import nodes. When the source file changes on disk, the node reloads automatically. Edit in Photoshop, see it live in ArcBrush. ### SVG import Load vector graphics at any resolution. Resolution-independent rasterization via ThorVG. ### Collect Files Copy all referenced assets into a single folder next to your .arcb file. Share or move projects with everything included. No broken links. ### Smart node deletion Delete a node and its upstream and downstream connections are automatically reconnected. The signal chain stays intact. No rewiring needed. ### Relative file paths Image In, SVG Import, and Export nodes all support relative paths. Type assets/logo.png and it resolves relative to your .arcb file. Projects stay portable. ### Node bypass Disable any node without deleting it. The graph routes around bypassed nodes. ### Y-key wire cut Hold Y and drag across wires to slice them. Fast graph restructuring. ### Package as .zip Bundle a project and every file it references (images, SVGs, fonts, AI outputs) into a single shareable archive. Recipient unzips and opens with no missing-file errors. ### Parallel AI generation Run multiple AI nodes at the same time: generate an image, edit another, and remove a background all in parallel. No waiting for one to finish before starting the next. ### Generation log Track all AI generations with timestamps, prompts, and per-call costs. Session and lifetime cost tracking. ### Eyedropper Every color picker in the app has an eyedropper button for picking colors directly from the canvas. Color Range node uses it for pixel-precise selection. ### Multiple blur modes Gaussian, box, median, motion, bilateral, edge-preserving, radial, and zoom. Eight algorithms, each optimized for different use cases. ### 18 blend modes Composite node supports Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Color Dodge, Color Burn, Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Luminosity, and more. ### Procedural noise & patterns Noise node generates tileable textures with a seamless toggle. Pattern node produces geometric patterns. Five noise types, five pattern types, all with full parameter control. ### Pro gradient engine Seven interpolation modes including perceptual OKLab and OKLCh, pigment-mixing Kubelka-Munk, and stepped Constant, with Hue Path control for directing the sweep around the hue wheel. Floyd-Steinberg dither eliminates banding. Shared by the Gradient, Gradient Map, and Palette From Gradient nodes. Get started ## Download ArcBrush. Build your first graph in 5 minutes. Free to use. No account required for the editor. All 75 non-AI nodes work immediately, with no signup, no activation, and no trial period. When you’re ready for AI features, sign in with one click and get 10 free credits to start. [Download for Windows](https://api.arcbrush.com/api/downloads/windows?source=website) [Download for macOS](https://api.arcbrush.com/api/downloads/macos?source=website) [Download for Linux](https://api.arcbrush.com/api/downloads/linux?source=website) ### Install & launch Run the Windows installer, drag the macOS app to Applications, or make the Linux AppImage executable. ### Build a graph Right-click to add nodes. Wire them together. ### Export everything Connect an Export node. Click export. Done.