Help with Manga Studio ex4: How do you export pages for online/tapastic?

[BluezArt]

Hello! I'm new here and I've been re-learning Manga Studio Ex4 for my comics & stuff but I've been having trouble keeping the quality of the toning of my test image when i upload it (been testing it out on tumblr). If anyone here can help me i'd really appreciate it.

[UzukiCheverie]

There are several things you can do to help maintain image quality.

1. Work bigger, not smaller. I know websites like Tapastic and LINE both require you to have certain width/height dimensions for the sake of uploading. Do not draw your original files in these sizes. You shouldn't be drawing your files at 940 pixels wide. This is just too small for an original file to be, and if you ever plan on printing your work or moving it anywhere else that has larger image dimension rules, you're gonna find yourself left with small files that can't be made bigger. It's a lot easier to shrink down images than it is to make them bigger. So make your files big, whether it's 8.5 x 11 inches or large, and when your page/comic is done, SAVE the file, then change the Image Resolution/Size (you should be able to do this in Manga Studio EX 4) to your required dimensions for Tapastic/LINE/wherever, and save it SEPARATELY as a JPG. DO NOT OVERWRITE the original file.

2. In addition to making sure your canvas size is large, make sure you set your dpi to a large number too. 350 is a good number to start at and work in with color, with 600 being one of the most common for high quality work. Note that a lot of programs (including Photoshop) set the dpi to 72 by default, so make sure you change this to a better quality when you open new files.

3. If you're working in detailed color, save in JPG. If you're working in vector/simple linework, then save in PNG. PNG is great to preserve the quality of your images if your lines are bold and simple. It doesn't do much good though for painted pieces that have a lot of detail, so if that's what your work is like, just save as JPG. Save all your files as the highest quality.

4. Many comic/image uploading sites have their own compression tools. Seeing as how these websites (Tapastic, LINE, Facebook, Tumblr, etc....) have to manage THOUSANDS upon MILLIONS of photos at once, they can't have too many images go over a certain requirement in resolution/canvas size/file size, otherwise risk the website performing slowly for everybody. So when you upload your files, even when the sizes are correct, the website's built-in programming will still compress the file to a certain degree (which is why you might see that your files are lower quality when posted online vs. viewing in an image viewer). There's really nothing you can do about this one, but it DOES help if you follow the tips I gave you above to get the best result possible even with image uploading compression.

[BluezArt]

Ah I see! i'll have to recheck my settings, then, i thought i had them right. Thank you for responding, much appreciated!

[BluezArt]

also, i forgot to ask, will i have to merge all of the layers or flatten the image myself when i'm done like on photoshop? or does it do that automatically when printing or exporting? i'm not used to this layout lol

[UzukiCheverie]

You shouldn't have to be flattening layers to make JPG's. Just hit "SAVE AS" and select JPG. You don't need to use the specific Export options IMO If you do flatten layers (would it would technically do automatically when saving JPG's), make sure you DO NOT save them over your original files - otherwise you'll lose all your layer information and original file sizes/resolutions.

When I save JPG's in Clip Studio Paint/Manga Studio 5, for example, I SAVE the original file, then change the image resolution to my required size. I hit Export, then JPG, then I save the JPG's in a folder made specifically for JPG's. Then I close out of the file, without saving over it with the compressed layers. This way I get both my JPG and can keep the original high-res file with the layer info intact. Same goes for Photoshop.

[BluezArt]

aaaaah ok gotcha. I figured that was the case but i just wanted to make sure. Much appreciated, i'll start fresh tomorrow