What softwares do you use to add text and speech bubbles to your comics?

[Leyelle]

I'm finally starting my own comic, but I'm at a loss for what to use, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Aeneas1]

I just use Paint 3D. I use basic shapes for word balloons and I insert a text box into those shapes.

[skidiggy]

Clip Studio Paint is great for bubbles and text. Or you can also use something like Affinity Photo or Photoshop. I come from an Adobe background and do my bubbles in Photoshop/Illustrator as smart objects. Clip Studio Paint also has a word balloon tool that's super easy to use:

[KevinReijnders]

I do everything in photoshop.

Clipstudio has some great tools too.

[ArtGremlin]

One of the reasons I got CSP is so I could have better speech bubbles. I did not like drawing them by hand

[thepenmonster]

The balloon tools and the rulers are the only reasons I haven't made the jump to Krita.

I probably will once they stop all support for my "forever" version of CSP and try to cope with using Inkscape to cover what Kita can't

[Shanny8]

I use Illustrator...Clip Studio is okay, but not as polished to me as Illustrator. When I do use CSP, I use it in capacity of placing text in spots like signs, script on papers, or such...but when it comes to downright lettering/sound FX, I use Illustrator.

[skidiggy]

Excellent point on Krita! It's a free alternative to Photoshop that I've been meaning to try.

[lizardlullabye]

I hand-draw the speech bubbles for my one very short comic, so I added the text over my sketch, then draw the speech bubble in a layer underneath. This works OK for simple stuff.

For the text tool, you might want to check if you can:
* edit/ rewrite text after placement
* resize text-box -- aka, sentences rerrange themselves to fit in text box

These are super helpful functions for the arranging text, but if not -- more messing around, messing up. It might be fine.

[Wolsal]

In my opinion, it’s always best to hand draw them, using assets tends to cheapen the look and it doesn’t taken much longer. I also hand write the text.
(To anyone curious, the art program I use is IbisPaintX and the brush I use for text and inking is available if you scan the QR code :))
My rules for making them are pretty simple:
Try to keep the bubbles as small, yet readable as possible. Have the minimum amount of text to convey what you mean. Don’t have too many text bubbles on one panel/page. Use all caps for max readability. Handwriting is best, if your program allows it making a font out of your handwriting is great, however my program doesn’t allow that so I just write it by hand.
Plan out what you’re gonna say, have the bubble fit the text, not vice versa.

[ThunderChicken]

Krita is the only thing I'll use, because after a 6 month affair with CSP I had to pack it in. It turned the brain sideways in my head.

But Krita's text tool sucks balls.

For word bubbles I do them the same way I do my drawings. I used to try using the keyboard but am never happy with the results so now I just draw them. And I write in them. I transparent the background so I can use the checked pattern as a ruler to keep the lines relatively straight.

Relatively.

[BoomerZ]

I use Anime Ace font and CSP dialogue balloons. I just customized the balloons to be a little thicker on the edges than the middle.

[NickRowler]

When I used Photoshop, there was a feature to spell check but CSP does not have that.

So I will write out the sentences first in another program where I can spell/grammar check them. Then copy and paste them into CSP.

Photoshop had a better text wrap feature while CSP will sometimes cut off words right in the middle. While I don't like it, I do have to push ENTER at the end of lines to help wrap them properly.

Word bubbles are put on their own layer so that I can move/edit them if I don't like them. Starting out I did put them on the same layer as a the art and it was a bit obnoxious when it came to making changes. Usually I will place my text first before I start sketching so that I am not covering anything too important. It also allows me to rewrite things if bubbles get too big.

[justincarbunkle]

I make them in Procreate with the rest of my comic. I add text during the storyboarding phase so I have an idea where the bubbles will be and what part of the image they may block, then I draw/fill in the bubbles at the very end of the process.

[kyupol]

Ibis paint... for everything

[VibrantFox]

medibang paint for everything though i typically use the shape tools or hand draw my bubbles than use their comic materials to add them to the canvas (the screentones come in handy though)

[allisoncandraw]

Clip Studio Paint has bubbles in their Assets store, I just use some free ones I found. As for fonts I use SF Toontime, which I found on a free font site

[beebutterbee]

I hand drawn mine too like some other people have said! I don’t have a comic making program but I do use procreate on the IPad and I also use an mspaint emulator, which is just mspaint ‘98. But you’ve already seen my mspaint ones I think my real digital art might be more helpful for reference?

I sort of do speech bubbles different depending on the scene though, I think about how it will fit in the composition. I use it almost like a decorative element, and sometimes it can even set tone so it might be fun to change the speech bubbles color or something too if you wanna try that :0 hope you have fun figuring out what works best for your comics tho @Leyelle There’s so many different styles as you can see on this topic what vibe are you thinking of going for though?

Here’s a page from a mini comic I did:

[llobucervallince]

personal sugestion, Panel Layout and Sketch -> Text and bubbles -> Line art ->...
It helps to save time when cleaning the sketch, allowing you to hide details that you don't have to draw, just be mindful of not putting them on important parts of the panels, like the hands if they're gesturing, an important item in scene that they might be using, etc.

[Lensing]

I admire that attitude and I agree. Handdrawn really looks better.
The speech bubbles done with the various apps always look too clean and that
kind of makes them look amateurish (imo) and not as good as the bubbles in printed comics