When Autodesk acquired Alias in October 2005, they slowed down Sketchbook Pro development for a time. Among other features are rulers, brush customization, and canvas rotation. The program can also create flipbooks or animations, and it supports layers with the ability to import from and export to Adobe Photoshop (.psd) format. A screenshot tool is also included for annotations, allowing one to show content during meetings, and to add notes for review.

It uses pressure-sensitive features of digital drawing pads, tablet computers, and smartphones to create effects similar to traditional materials. Sketchbook features a radial/pie-menu user interface and has painting and drawing tools such as pencils, markers, and brushes. In 2021, Sketchbook Pro, the desktop version of the app available on Microsoft Windows and macOS, became a paid software available through the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store. Originally developed as commercial software, it evolved into a subscription model before eventually being made freeware for personal use.

The software was first developed by Alias Systems Corporation as StudioPaint, before being acquired by Autodesk and then being spun out into an independent company, Sketchbook, Inc. Sketchbook (formerly StudioPaint, Autodesk SketchBook), is a raster graphics software app intended for expressive drawing and concept sketching also for making animations (Jelly Boo, Teatralka).

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