Best software? or do traditional inking?

[theofficialcooked]

ok so the question is pretty self explainatory, i have been blessed pretty much, and money isnt an issue so i could buy new software if needed, but i have clip paint studio pro in a bundle i bought years ago, which i believe is manga studio?? but the functionality seems pretty weak to me over photoshop. is there a reason to use manga studio? it has preset shading and effects but they are extremly limited from what iv seen, theres like 5 premade effects too, maybe im missing something but i havnt spent THAT much time in it.

i own photoshop the real thing not elements i think its cs6 and illustrator as well. basically im wondering should i just use photoshop? get the manga studio ex? which i think i read is even better than pro? i really want to pursue comics and make the best i can. so im wondering everyones thoughts.

i have a pretty steady hand, although iv never inked before but bought some basic inking pens. pigmas and could buy more as i said money isnt an issue. so dropping another 500 or whatever isnt a problem. but wouldnt want to have to keep dropping another 500 here and there after finding out theres a better option or whatever...

iv been watching tutorials and it seems like inking and adding pen can really bring out life from the shading and make even simple line art POP so to speak... iv been kinda down thinking my art isnt that good, but its not terrible. but maybe inking can help it as well

so... photoshop? illustrator? manga studio? traditional inking with pens??? what is the best choice, sorry for rant and i know it varies but i do have a tablet wacom i bought years ago but im horrible with that, i just hate the idea of looking at the screen while drawing even if i did practice it.....

i just want to get my comic as crisp and clear as it can be, but im not sure how to go about that...color really isnt an issue btw... though might be nice to have..

[eslameldeeb]

manga studio or clip paint studio is way more better than Adobe's products when i comes to making comics
everything about it smells Ready-2-Go, the user interface is all editable and the brushes are way more easy to create and there are bunch of cool ones online
one of the things i really like about MS over PS and Illustrator is that it supports both vector layers like Illustrator and raster layers like photoshop and you can choose from them
why that is important? well, if you're familiar with Illustrator, you'd know that a vector layer consists of a bunch of "strokes", meaning that each single line on this layer is editable without worrying about it getting pixelated
you can thicken/thin a vector line or stroke (as it's called in Illustrator) and erase certain parts of the line.. etc.
other tools i like about MS like "Bucket" tool, which makes coloring so easy
not to mention the Page Frame Templates that enables you to easily manage your panels.. etc.
i used to jump between, PS and MS in the past, but now 'am doing everything with MS including my comic

cannot recommend it enough...

[theofficialcooked]

which version of manga studio? i have pro and it doesnt seem like you can select things??? maybe im just mising something but i was only going to use photoshop because you can select things freely...

[eslameldeeb]

LOL
forgot to ask about which version you're using
mine in Manga Studio EX5

[theofficialcooked]

ima try to see some of the webinars and tutorials on manga studio then i just dont know why i cant see an option for toning and adjusting it... maybe its only in EX version but the website didnt say that on the comparisons... gonna see if i can use my pro and if not maybe upgrade soon idk

[indagold]

don't ever use photoshop, ever for lines. EVER. Unless you like painstakingly drawing paths for hours for linework.
I'm not familiar with the newest version of Photoshop, but line quality is terrible from all the versions i've used.

[shazzbaa]

The others can definitely tell you the pros and cons of each system and tool, and I do think that's really useful! But I also gotta add that I think a HUGE part of it is what you're comfortable with (especially when you're talking about traditional tools). If you're really comfy with a suboptimal tool, it can still give you good results!

Full disclosure: I'm biased because I ink my comic with a freaking ballpoint pen.

If I were you, I honestly wouldn't advise dropping $500 on the best possible version of whatever thing someone recommends. I know 500 is a probably just a random number for sake of example, but like.... if someone tells you brush pens are the best and you like the results they're getting, just get a nice one and see if you like using it. Because if you've never inked before, this is gonna be something that takes practice and experimentation to find out what method works best for you -- digital or traditional included! There's not really a single, objective Best Way To Ink, and most of the time a $100 brush pen isn't gonna make your experience that much better if you don't like using the $20 version.

[kaelwithme]

I do both but since I move around a lot (addicted to traveling unfortunately), I prefer digital. What I use most of the time is Photoshop though. I've been using it for almost a decade and although it's quite the bulk of a software, it's what i'm most comftable with.

@shazzbaa holy shit your linework is gorgeous!

[okellymx]

I agree with Shazzbaa. But beware of the pros and cons of what people suggest. People praise clip studio for being able to make nice lines via stabilizer but that's the exact reason why I hate it. There is no way to turn it off efficiently like you can with Lazy Nezumi. I have fantastic control of my lines in Photoshop that I hardly use stabilizers. Plus there are other settings outside the drawing program that can affect your work. I also don't use any of the comic features, because I feel like they make my work look to artificial. Use what you are comfortable with. Save your $500 and buy some art classes. Just keep using what works, there is hardly any reason to switch.

Honestly, my art looks very similar regardless of what program I use or if I go traditional. Not to mention Clip Studio Paint lacks design tools and a decent text editor. Focus on making good, not on the tools.

I made this in Photoshop
http://ghostnxs.deviantart.com/art/Wolf-and-Raven-601800031

[Shanny8]

Yeah I have to say work with some stuff and see what is best for you. I do both traditional inks and digital; it's just a matter of preference. I like both, so I'm not gonna say digital is better than tradition and vice-versa. I like working with digital coz there's no mess, it allows me to do certain effects easily, and if I mess up, I can just hit the "Undo" option. I like traditional coz my lines are crisper, seeing/feeling the actual artwork is cool, and I could possibily sell the actual physical piece.

[Heck]

If money isn't an issue for you, you could probably get a cintiq. They've gone down in price and can be a much better option if you have trouble with hand-eye coordination when drawing. I think the cheapest one goes for $800, but they may have gone down further.

As far as I can tell Clip Studio is an "affordable" substitute to Photoshop or illustrator and unlike other programs, is specifically for comics. If you enjoy the look of traditional inking, you could also scan it and use Photoshop to pull the lines so it can be colored and shaded. Photoshop is a widely-used program so I'm sure it'd be worth-while to learn how to use it.

Here's one of many videos on comic book making in photoshop. This video uses an older version of photoshop, however it is a good example of a page which has been inked traditionally then colored digitally. There are also previous parts to this video which show how the artists sketch and ink a page.

[insomniascrawl]

Okay, so personally, I like traditional and everything, in some aspects, I like it better than digital, but digital art is just more convenient for me. I can go from creation to posting in a few minutes rather than having to scan and upload.

I use both the latest clip studio art as well, and while I love the painting tools and brushes and how easy actual comic creation is in there, I find photoshop easier to draw in as I feel that the lines flow a little nicer for me. If anything, I would suggest perhaps doing a mixture of both programs. I use Photoshop for line work and flat colours and Clip Studio for toning, fx and speech bubbles.

However, if you'd like to try traditional, the Copic multi liner pens are great if you plan to use their markers, otherwise Micron pens are fine as they use water proof ink (again in case you want to use watercolour or something) but micron pens will smudge with copic markers since they're alcohol based markers and not water based. Another option are the speed ball dip pens and ink, which I use more often then not, it's a bit awkward to get used to at first, but it's not too bad.

Persoanally, I'd recommend doing the combo of clip studo and Photoshop like I mentioned before. It's hard to get used to drawing on the computer, I get it, I still draw way better tradtionally, but with practice, it does get easier and start to look better, just hang in there and stick with it and you'll see your growth. Hope this was helpful.

[clockworkhands]

I use Clip Studio Paint for absolutely everything in my Tapastic comic, from storyboard to pencils, inks, lettering and colour:

https://tapastic.com/series/Rise-From-Ashes

I used to draw traditionally with a pencil, ink over that, rub out the lines then scan in for colour....hooo boy do I NOT miss that process. Doing it all in the one program is so much faster and easy peasy. Can't remember life before it!

If you choose to work traditionally, just make sure you have a decent scanner for getting your work into the computer. @shazzbaa, that's some nice linework there! @okellymx I don't think I'd have the patience to do that in Pshop...Yow!

[okellymx]

I ink in it just like I would do in Clip Studio, it takes the same amount of time. Why does everyone think it takes longer to do things in Photoshop?

[theofficialcooked]

so iv been looking at tablets to do inking on the screen and i think ima go with the huion gt 185... not sure if thats the best choice but the ipad pro is 300 dollars more and i dont need all that it does... so im thinking a simple huion to start and see if i like it and go the digital route with my aplications since i already seem to have the ones i need, photoshop, manga studio pro. ect.

[okellymx]

I'd recommend getting a wacom, driver quality means a lot. Just read the reviews.

[WasHNooB]

Well it all depends…
I personally prefer traditional line work because I feel it’s harder to draw on screen from a tablet (the whole coordination thing was hell for me too XD ). Also my style of drawing uses a lot of lines so digital was out of question. (so maybe you can base your decision on your art style!)
I actually use Photoshop to clean up the scan, edit, color and add dialogue. I prefer photoshop because it has certain features that can bring up the traditional line work (e.g. filters; sharpen, brightness/contrast, multiple layer modes e.g. overlay, color burn, screen). Also it has different brushes that I use to give certain texture/look when coloring. TheDumplingKing

However if you are looking at digital line work, for me photoshop may not be the best. I had to create a brush that could give me a good line, but you have to have a sturdy hand and good coordination with your tablet
I see a lot brought up clip studio paint, manga studio, etc so maybe these programs are of better choice for digital line work.
If you’re looking in getting photoshop, it might be a little overwhelming with the variety of options and functions when you first get it.
But hey have fun experimenting!
- WasH

[spadesart]

I use a version of paint tool sai that came with dozens and dozens of premade brushes and textures. it's been really good to me with lineart since it's got a stabilizer but it doesn't have a super great straight line tool (theres no way to get perfectly horizontal or vertical lines unless you use the box select. it also has no text tool so i usually import the sketch to photoshop and write the text over that and switch back to sai. it's been good to me so far aside from those small complaints, it lets me do a pretty good job visually.

[ahkwardkat]

It really depends on what you want from it. IF you want portability and to save volume space, then go digital. If you are the sort of person with places to store all that paper (believe me it adds up VERY fast), and prefer to FEEL the paper and pen in your hand, then maybe traditional will work for you. You'll need access to a scanner too big enough for your paper. The traditional comic paper is 11x17, so you'd need to take that into consideration. When it comes to supplies and cost, it depends on how much you ink, if you use black fills and how many pages you do.

For example, I used to use a LOT of black fills on my pages and I went through ink really fast, now I don't and I use Photoshop to put in some of the fills. Some like shading I need to put in traditionally, but if it's not a big deal or a solid fill, I'll put it in digitally.

In my experience so far, it takes me longer to ink digitally than traditionally, but that's just me. XD I do all my inking for the Naor Comic on bristol. Then I'll scan it in and color digitally. I used to use a Cintiq 13HD but now I just use a 90$ Intuos Draw. My cintiq is currently being fixed, but I've noticed little difference going from a cintiq to a teeny tiny intuos. So it's not the tool really that will make a difference in skill, just ease and convenience. My cintiq was about 800$, again a 13HD cintiq and I love it! I'm a big traditional person, but I'm not comfy with traditional coloring yet. Maybe someday.

For inking, I'll use a copic brush pen called "Gasenfude", Copic Microns and Pentel Pocket Brush, and Dr. PH Martin Bleed White. The below colors were done with an Intuos Draw (since my cintiq is in the shop) so the tablet really doesn't matter TOO much. Not as much as your own personal skill does.