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Charlie Gavin’s Process in Manga Studio

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Cartoonist Charlie Gavin created a step-by-step look at how he uses Manga Studio (along with Photoshop) to create his webcomic, Silver Age.

I quite like Manga Studio. It’s a product quite unlike any other, offering cartoonists and comic artists a tool designed specifically for creating comics. It’s hindered a little by an unpolished user interface, imperfect screen rendering at certain zoom levels, and a product name that might scare away customers who think it’s only for Japanese-style manga.

Plus, Smith Micro isn’t quite sure how to market it. Confusingly, there are two versions of the software, EX and Debut. Neither version’s page links to the other one’s, and the differences between the $50 and $300 pricetags aren’t evident.

See our previous post about how Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons used it to create an illustration of Rorschach.

  • http://spookylaboratory.blogspot.com/ Castle Monster

    Yep, I bought “Debut” (thinking it was a real program and not just a lousy demo) in which you can’t even edit vectors. It’s basically worthless.

  • http://spookylaboratory.blogspot.com/ Castle Monster

    Yep, I bought “Debut” (thinking it was a real program and not just a lousy demo) in which you can’t even edit vectors. It’s basically worthless.

  • http://www.crtoons.com/ CartoonMike

    There’s a bunch of stuff that Debut doesn’t have, that EX does; but Debut is still useful. I really haven’t used Vectors in Manga Studio, as the bitmap drawing tools are so good, imho. But even if I did use vectors — they are exported as bitmaps anyway, so you can’t import a Manga Studio document into Illustrator and edit the vectors. Same goes for importing, can only import bitmapped formats.

    With version 4, I’m using it to color my artwork — it’s faster and easier (for me, anyway) than using Photoshop or Painter.

  • http://www.crtoons.com CartoonMike

    There’s a bunch of stuff that Debut doesn’t have, that EX does; but Debut is still useful. I really haven’t used Vectors in Manga Studio, as the bitmap drawing tools are so good, imho. But even if I did use vectors — they are exported as bitmaps anyway, so you can’t import a Manga Studio document into Illustrator and edit the vectors. Same goes for importing, can only import bitmapped formats.

    With version 4, I’m using it to color my artwork — it’s faster and easier (for me, anyway) than using Photoshop or Painter.

  • http://spookylaboratory.blogspot.com/ Castle Monster

    Oh, I see. Debut has the coloring package? Well, the price should have tipped me off anyway, I suppose. I got it off Amazon for about thirty bucks.

  • http://spookylaboratory.blogspot.com/ Castle Monster

    Oh, I see. Debut has the coloring package? Well, the price should have tipped me off anyway, I suppose. I got it off Amazon for about thirty bucks.

  • http://www.crtoons.com/ CartoonMike

    Here’s a color character sheet, all done in Manga Studio:

    http://www.crtoons.com/thingies/char_misc.jpg

    On black and white (2 bit) layers you can have any single color be “Black” and any single one be “white” so you can have a layer with colored inks and then a full color layer with the fill colors/flats below it. Kinda neat once you get into it.

  • http://www.crtoons.com CartoonMike

    Here’s a color character sheet, all done in Manga Studio:

    http://www.crtoons.com/thingies/char_misc.jpg

    On black and white (2 bit) layers you can have any single color be “Black” and any single one be “white” so you can have a layer with colored inks and then a full color layer with the fill colors/flats below it. Kinda neat once you get into it.

  • http://web.ncf.ca/ad696/ DEWLine

    I understand you’re supposed to be able to export into Photoshop in EX…?

  • http://web.ncf.ca/ad696/ DEWLine

    I understand you’re supposed to be able to export into Photoshop in EX…?

  • http://www.crtoons.com/ CartoonMike

    Exporting Photoshop from EX is a piece of cake. Only a few gotchas — if you reduce the size/dpi resolution in the export panel, Photoshop will do wacky things to the DPI, so be sure to check the image size and make sure the DPI is 300 or what ever dpi you want. Text is rasterized, but you have the same layers (and layer folders) in the exported file as you do in the original MS page.

  • http://www.crtoons.com CartoonMike

    Exporting Photoshop from EX is a piece of cake. Only a few gotchas — if you reduce the size/dpi resolution in the export panel, Photoshop will do wacky things to the DPI, so be sure to check the image size and make sure the DPI is 300 or what ever dpi you want. Text is rasterized, but you have the same layers (and layer folders) in the exported file as you do in the original MS page.

  • http://camilografico.blogspot.com/ camilografico

    very clean line , excellent!!!

  • http://camilografico.blogspot.com/ camilografico

    very clean line , excellent!!!

  • http://www.fooksie.com/ Fooksie

    I tried to use this program, and it kept freezing up and crashing my box.
    So, I draw in Flash, and export out.

  • http://www.fooksie.com Fooksie

    I tried to use this program, and it kept freezing up and crashing my box.
    So, I draw in Flash, and export out.

  • Deucerok

    Student versions of these programs are freaking cheap. I love it! I paid $30 for debut, because I was so frustrated with the lack of correction (or my own inability in finding the setting) in PS.

    -Deuce

  • Deucerok

    Student versions of these programs are freaking cheap. I love it! I paid $30 for debut, because I was so frustrated with the lack of correction (or my own inability in finding the setting) in PS.

    -Deuce