Celsys’ Clip Studio Paint is an outstanding digital painting program specifically tailored for comic and manga artists. Offering a comprehensive set of tools and features designed to help them craft stunning works, Celsys’ Clip Studio Paint provides everything needed to produce truly breathtaking works of art.
We were impressed with how the software responded to pressure on a drawing tablet – with just a hint of line when lightly drawn, or bold lines when press hard pressed down on. Plus, there’s the animation tool!
Features
Clip Studio Paint is an advanced illustration tool used by manga and comic artists, providing concept art, painting, illustration for design projects such as comics and manga, frame-by-frame animation and frame animation support. This program boasts an extensive drawing toolset with various brush types and materials; 3D capabilities that support illustration; customizable keyboard shortcuts and an easy user interface; compatibility with Photoshop files as well as its free, customizable library are just some of the key benefits that set Clip Studio Paint apart from its competition.
Illustrators who want to take their work to the next level should consider this software, with its powerful brush engine allowing users to adjust pressure-sensitivity for optimal results and supporting vector and raster layers (including flatten, lock, hide, adjust transparency). Furthermore, it comes equipped with several useful brushes such as its correct line tool which works great when widening or narrowing lines on vector layers.
Clip Studio Paint offers colorists a host of tools for creating realistic portraits, including perceptual mixing – which adjusts how colors blend for an authentic appearance – and the Shading assistant, which automatically adds shadows. You can even create cel-style effects for more contrasted cartoony drawings! Clip Studio Paint also provides access to user-created palettes as well as a color picker which lets artists select specific hues from photographs.
With PRO and EX versions of this software, artists can customize their workspace in order to optimize workflow and boost productivity. They can create customized palettes, command bars and colors as templates for future use as well as share workplaces with others to streamline collaborative work. Furthermore, there is also a set of keyboard shortcuts which can be tailored specifically to their work patterns and auto actions that allow them to complete repeated or frequent tasks with just a single click.
The software also features a hand scanner, which can use your device’s camera to track your movements and mirror them on a 3D model. Other features include frame divider tools, automatic speech bubbles, vertical canvas presets, smartphone previews and smartphone previews. In addition, its EX version also boasts outstanding animation capabilities so that characters come to life through short frames.
Pricing
With so many choices of art software available today, it can be challenging to select the ideal solution. Clip Studio Paint makes this decision easier by offering a three-month free trial period so that you can test its features and experiment with various art styles to determine whether this program meets your needs.
If Clip Studio Paint is the right solution for you, a one-time fee can be paid upfront to get access to its features. However, in order to access updates in the future, an Update Pass must also be purchased which costs slightly more.
This software is easy to use and compatible with almost all operating systems, featuring video tutorials and a forum to assist with navigation of the program. Furthermore, email support is also provided if there are any issues encountered during usage.
One of the key advantages of this software is its vector lines, which make it ideal for drawing smooth and precise curves. Furthermore, these editable vector lines make adjusting them to suit individual tastes simple – an invaluable asset to anime artists who need to stylize their characters!
Frame-by-frame animation is another fantastic feature, making it easy to add movement and depth to your work. Plus, you can incorporate sound and camera work for even greater impact!
This software comes equipped with not only animation tools but also 3D modeling features to easily sculpt characters. You can adjust their weight and pose them according to your liking, while even their fingertips knuckles are poseable to give a realistic range of motion.
Clip Studio Paint is an excellent way to create manga and comics. With its wide array of drawing and painting tools – realistic-feeling pencils and inking pens among them – along with customizable brushes you can mold to suit your own artistic style, Clip Studio Paint features everything needed for manga/comic creation. Plus it includes textures and filters to further improve illustrations.
Reliability
Clip Studio Paint is a reliable program for artists interested in producing professional works, offering various tools for crafting characters and backgrounds with great detail. Furthermore, its range of brushes and textures help artists produce more realistic work while its brush sensitivity settings enable artists to draw delicate lines when just touching the pen while bold, thick lines can be drawn when pressing hard against it. Furthermore, its support of various file formats makes sharing finished projects easily with clients or colleagues.
This software enables artists to produce various works, from character art and backgrounds to manga and comics. It features an extensive library of templates designed to spark creative inspiration as well as 36 unique panel layouts for comics. Furthermore, there’s even a frame-by-frame animation tool so users can quickly produce short animated GIFs!
Clip Studio Paint offers high-quality rendering and color tools, offering artists access to a selection of watercolor brushes as well as oil ache blending modes, an advanced 3D head model that can be tailored to a specific style or proportion, its liquify tool for smoothing out uneven lines or curves, as well as its shading assist for effortless realistic coloring.
This software also offers other tools that make completing complex tasks simpler, such as its drawing tool for clothing with its ability to create flawless lace and chain details, its texture tool featuring preset patterns easily applied to images and its zipper-making feature.
Clip Studio Paint may contain some minor shortcomings, but overall it is an effective and reliable tool for drawing cartoons and comic strips. It boasts superior levels of stability and reliability compared to many of its competitors, offering impressive responsiveness when used with a tablet computer. Compatible with Photoshop files makes Layers Folder functional easily; and advanced artificial intelligence also make this an effective option for color correction, closing gaps in lines, animating and more.
Overall
Clip Studio Paint offers an all-inclusive suite of tools for character design, illustration for design, comic and manga illustration, animation and more. From 3D drawing models to an automatic photo-to-drawing feature and coloring CMYK printing at low prices – Clip Studio Paint covers it all for artists. Furthermore, its 3D capabilities cater specifically to artists by providing 3D model head/pose tools as well as perspective rulers that snap brush strokes to vanishing points or symmetrical lines for seamless compositions.
The software is highly adaptable, supporting various workspaces and interface configurations. Its layered file structure supports both raster and vector layers – useful when dealing with more complex drawings – with brushes available in multiple sizes and shapes as well as various pens and markers to produce subtle or harsh light reflections. Other notable tools include correct line tool (which eliminates wobbly or wavering lines) and closing gaps in lines tool (which fills holes in vector paths).
It also features a unique brush engine that bridges traditional painting programs with digital painting features, using pressure sensing technology to accurately record every nuance of stylus touch and produce precise yet natural brush behavior, enabling you to achieve artistic effects without altering your style. Furthermore, it offers comprehensive color management functions, such as its easy color system which makes working with multiple channels and blending modes straightforward.
Another stand-out feature is the ability to create frame-by-frame animations. This enables you to bring characters to life through short animated clips. This software offers numerous options for frame-by-frame animation creation, such as customizable timelines and the option of displaying frames in various formats.
Clip Studio Paint offers several tutorials to get you up and running quickly on its website, as well as access to expert creators who can answer questions about using Clip Studio ASK and submit support requests through Clip Studio ASK. While technical support may be limited, the company provides an email address and YouTube channel as options.
