Create your very own comic book!
Manga Studio is an enhanced drawing application for artists looking to create comic strips. Designed for Windows, the program offers a range of design tools that can help users create panels, characters, props, and scenes. It also offers an easy workflow for putting together a storyline and using 3D models to refine the layout. Manga Studio offers a trial version so users can explore its features before committing.
What is Manga Studio?
If you’ve always been fascinated by comics and are now interested in designing one yourself, you’re in the right place. Manga Studio isn’t just a drawing application, it’s a program designed specifically for comic book designers and illustrators. Used across Japan to create hundreds of manga volumes, you can use this program to create a range of comic strips.
Developed by Smith Micro Software, Manga Studio free works as a traditional platform with three required stages needed to create a comic book. Users can start by sketching out different characters along with action sequences. Later, they can add color and text to all the scenes, and wrap up the project by adding any detail they may have forgotten to add.
An interface that supports creativity
On launching Manga Studio, you’ll come across a window that’ll remind you of a drawing application like Paint. This is because the idea behind the tool is to give artists the freedom to create everything from scratch. Unlike other anime studio tools, this program doesn’t allow users to put things together. Instead, users get to create their own characters, backgrounds, dialogue boxes, and panels.
The interface of the program provides users with a sketch panel where they can see their comics come to life. The left-hand side of Manga Studio consists of various sketching tools that include a range of drawing pens, markers, effects, perspective rulers, mix raster and vectors, and more. You can even use this panel to import images and 3D formats so you can give your characters the best possible pose.
Multiple features for creating a comic
When you download Manga Studio, you get access to a range of features that not only make drawing a comic easier but also helps in assembling all images into a storyline. The anime studio software comes with a timeline for adjusting transitions and animation, as well as an onion display using which you can see multiple cells of your comic at once.
Apart from the basic drawing and editing features, Manga Studio comes with several 3D models that users can pick as reference for building sites, props, and characters. The micro software also includes a few drawing models for users who want a layout when creating a new pose. Once you load the doll, you can create or apply a pose, change the camera perspective, fill in the colors, and rasterize it for the final look.
Rather than having to limit your work to a standard layout, you get the option to draw original panels. With Manga Studio, you can create anything from 2 co-existing panels to 6 separate panels. Moreover, the program favors convenience and artistic insight and lets users place text anywhere they like and adjust it to the minutest detail.
Easy workflow
Manga Studio provides users with an easy workflow. Users can start with a blank canvas wherein they have the option to create panels, sketch scenes, add colors and dialogues, and refine their drawings as much as they can. Moreover, you’re not limited to the program as you can upload sketches or drawings you may have created on other apps. The only drawback is that it doesn’t provide any PDF support.
That said, the program does feature a layering system that’s similar to the one available on Photoshop. With its help, you can create and finalize one layer for the scene, use another to draw characters, and another layer to add colors. This way, you can easily make edits to one layer without impacting the other ones. You can even move these layers around and transform them as per the layout you want.
Is Manga Studio free?
Though Manga Studio isn’t available for free, it does have all the features you would need to create a comic book. It also provides beginners with a range of tutorials and videos. Moreover, the program does offer a trial version so you can explore all its functions before making a decision.
Are there any alternatives?
Manga Studio is quite efficient when it comes to drawing comics. However, if you’re looking for other design software, you should check out Krita, Inkscape, and Illustrator.
Should I download Manga Studio?
If you’re looking for a drawing application that’s packed with features, you should download Manga Studio. It’s a program using which you can create hundreds of manga volumes, comic strips, and anime characters. The workflow is designed for artists so they can create everything, including panels, models, scenes, and props from scratch.
