How to Get Started with Processing
Download the Processing application, open it, pick one of the built-in examples, and press Run. That four-step loop is the fastest way to see something happen on screen, and it is the path the official site recommends. Processing is a free, open-source development environment and language created for learning how to code, with a strong following in the visual arts since 2001. This guide covers installation, your first sketch, and where to go next.
What Processing Is
Processing is described on its own site as "a flexible software sketchbook and a language for learning how to code." Two things come bundled together:
- The Processing Development Environment (PDE) — the application you download and write code in.
- The Processing language — the syntax you use inside that environment.
Programs written in Processing are called sketches. The environment is free and open source, so there is no license to buy before you start.
Step 1: Download and Open the Application
Go to processing.org and download the Processing software for your operating system. Once it finishes, open the "Processing" application.
The site's own getting-started instructions are deliberately short: "Download and open the 'Processing' application." There is no account setup or configuration step described before you can write code.
Step 2: Select an Example
The Processing environment ships with built-in examples. From the application, open the Examples and choose one that looks interesting.
Starting from an existing example rather than a blank window matters for a first session: the code already runs, so you can change one number or color and immediately see the effect. The official recommendation is to "try a few of the built-in examples" as part of learning the language.
Step 3: Press Run
With an example open, click the Run button. The sketch executes and its output appears in a display window.
This is the whole loop the site describes: select an example, hit Run, then repeat with variations. If a sketch does not run, the usual causes are a partial download of the application or an edit that introduced a syntax error — the environment reports errors in its console rather than failing silently.
Step 4: Learn the Language
Once you can run examples, two resources carry you further:
| Resource | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Getting Started Tutorial | A guided walkthrough of the basics if you don't know where to start |
| Reference | Documentation of the Processing language, including the environment itself |
The site also points to a group of books written for different goals and skill levels, so you can pick one that matches how you prefer to learn.
Where to Get Help and See Other Work
- Forum — the official place to ask questions and learn from other users.
- OpenProcessing — a gallery of Processing sketches and creative applications.
- Processing Subreddit — community discussion and shared work.
- Vimeo and Studio Sketchpad — additional places the site links to for seeing what others make.
Contributing Back
The core software is extended by community-contributed libraries and tools. If you want to go beyond using Processing, the project directs contributors to its GitHub repository, where instructions cover downloading the code, building from source, reporting and tracking bugs, and creating libraries and tools.
A Note on Timing
Processing turns 25 in 2026, and the project is marking the occasion with worldwide events organized by local communities in October. If Processing has been part of your work, teaching, or creative practice, the site suggests planning a Processing Community Day (PCD) in your city.
The Short Version
Download the application, open it, choose an example, press Run, and repeat. Everything else — the tutorial, the reference, the forum, and the contributed libraries — builds on that loop.