25 / 29
Sep 2021

Switching to CSP was really painful for me, but now that I'm used to it I like it pretty well. There are some things about it I would change if I could but all in all it's a pretty useful program.

It does have many features that makes comic making much easier. So much that it's overwhelming with how much you can do with your comics

Oh my, now that's quite the reaction to CSP

It's something I might have to take more time to use. I prefer Sai's brushes more than I do CSP, especially with lineart because they come out cleaner.

Yes! Like, I honestly don't like any of the default CSP brushes. I'm sure there's... ones I like out there made by someone, but I have to find them, test them, get used to them. At least with Sai and Medibang, I found 2-3 stock brushes I really enjoy using, and I don't need much else.

Never used CSP, have been surviving with Photoshop and Procreate all this time...the temptation is definitely there though.

Yeaah i dont like csp brushes too! Ive tried downloading some brushes, but im not 100% happy with any of them. SAI brushes were much better

So I like CSP, I do use it occasionally, but my biggest problem when I bought it (which was a while ago) is that a lot of the brushes and tutorials just...aren't in English. So, because I have to buy Photoshop anyway for a majority of my work, I use Photoshop. CSP isn't really a requirement for comics though--you can make comics with pen and ink, after all (and a scanner of course...to put it on digital.)

Another thing is that the font tools are just...pretty bad. They're getting better, and I think CSP is almost there where I can actually use it for a page start to finish, but I mostly use it for when I want a certain quality of linework or if I want to use their other tools like their paint bucket and their brushes that allow me to use like stickers for flora and other detailing (which is not a thing in Photoshop because I think Adobe is trying to pivot illustration needs to Fresco--I don't really fully get Adobe's deal right now. It's a mess.).

Overall, though, as much as I've listed complaints--a great program. Especially for people starting off. They just need way better tutorials because there are some things that I cannot get to work although I am using the same brushes and honestly, it's because my brushes are the Japanese version and I don't know what they say.

I tried Corel Painter, SAI, Photoshop and CSP.
I loved Corel Painter, closest to traditional drawing effect (what I really enjoy when drawing illustration pics, but not really when it comes to draw comics), coloring had a really nice feeling to it.
Photoshop, well... that's photoshop. Illustrator was cool for vector art but I mostly enjoyed playing with Flash a lot.
I got frustrated with SAI, it lacks a lot of tools and I couldn't customize the brush enough for my taste.
CSP has some very useful stuff for drawing, it's seriously a life saver when you don't draw much perspective and buildings for example. The brushes are quite easy to play with, the possibility of customizing them is quite wide even if it takes time. And I'll probably test the animation tool as well.
Talking about flexibility, CSP is the best in my eyes.

It seems like CSP has it's ups and downs for everyone. I love Sai and I like CSP for a few things so I'm sticking to both of them 50/50

Overall I like CSP...the only thing I wish was that the lettering capabilities/options were a LOT better, like on par with Illustrator. I can use the lettering/text stuff on projects that dont require much but I won't be lettering my comics with it until it gets better.

Invest in Frenden brushes- they are a LOT better than the default CSP brushes- and some of the stuff available through CSP assets...I snagged Frenden's ink brushes back when I first bought Clip Studio and havent regretted it. they're not free, but the level of quality can't be measured.

I like CSP well enough, though I don't use it often. Even after having it for a few years, it doesn't feel as intuitive to me as the art program I use regularly, which is firealpaca. Plus, firealpaca has a brush I really like. I think I don't use CSP often cuz the tablet I use is kinda old and small and doesn't have as many express keys on it as some bigger tablets. Maybe when I change my tablet I'll use it more, but until then I'm happy with what I have.

I went from PaintTool SAI to Clip Studio, and I HATED Clip Studio at first.
I thought it was a waste of my money. The brushes were not doing what I wanted, the pen pressure seemed wonky, there was too much going on in the UI, etc....

It took months of using it on and off before finally something clicked with me and I started "getting it." :sweat_smile:
I now use CSP for all my comic work.

I still use SAI for my illustrations, because I have a brush setting in SAI that I really like and haven't found any equivalent for CSP.

The learning curve is a nightmare but once I got more used to it I stopped using Sai and Photoshop to save both money and time (you waste a LOT of time jumping between programs, it really adds up) and CSP was the one that did the most that I needed in concerns to making comics.

The only thing I miss is pretty much the text options in photoshop. They're really lacking in CSP (even though they HAVE slowly been improving them over the years.

I personally adore CSP, despite the learning curve.

Following their official account on Twitter made the transition from (in my case) Photoshop mostly painless. They retweet a lot of really incredible tips that other users have offered or found.

10 days later

I LOVE CSP and STAN it HARD. It is an amazing program that can do just about anything that you want to in terms of art and comics. That being said, Paint Tool Sai ain't a bad choice either

I have been using Photoshop for about 15 years, so using a different art program is sort of jarring for me. I don't think it is a bad program, just different. I think it is good for someone who is mostly interested in digital drawing. I feel it is lacking when it comes to text editing and color/photo editing, which are resources I like to have.

I feel like you should use the program which you feel can give you your best work. Just like how someone can make a comic in MS Paint, but they will also be held back by the limitations of the program. CSP does have features that assist comic creators, however you could use Sai is that is better for you.