Although Clip Studio Paint has been in the market for a few years now, it is not as widely recognised as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. It is possible that marketing it under the name “Manga Studio” had something to do with its limited popularity in the illustration and design circles. However, the reviews from its users have generally been excellent and many rate it on par with, or even higher than, the other popularly used illustration software. Here is some data to help you see Clip Studio Paint in Perspective vis-à-vis Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Editing vs. Illustration
The primary difference between Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint is that while the former is primarily a program for image editing, the latter is an illustration program. This core difference makes Clip Studio Paint the preferred choice for artists looking to create digital content and comic book artwork. Clip Studio Paint is also widely used by storyboard artists. In this context, it is worth mentioning the multi-page feature of Clip Studio Paint which allows the illustrator to have a glimpse of all the pages in the comic book in a single view. Coupled with multiple features that are focused on creating comic books, Clip Studio Paint is becoming increasingly popular in the illustration business.
Price Factor
When it comes to Clip Studio Paint, one thing that all artists agree on is that the software is definitely value for money. To quote one illustrator, “this program is worth so much more than its price that it is difficult to quibble about any of its shortcomings.” The cost has many illustrators looking at Clip Studio Paint not just as a Photoshop substitute but as an actual replacement. Although it is too soon to talk of takeover, the high expense of both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop does make many illustrators turn to alternatives like Clip Studio Paint.
Painting Features
One of the great features of Clip Studio Paint is the ease of painting with the software. One of the illustrators went so far as to call the experience “the most natural feeling brushes in a digital program”. The variety of brushes and the comfortable interface allow the artist to produce artwork that is as close to traditional painting as possible. The feedback from artists is that this software is the closest experience to inking and sketching on paper or canvas. Due to pressure sensitivity and responsiveness, it is possible to draw real-looking, subtle and smooth lines in the illustrations
When it comes to producing comics, sketches and manga style illustrations, Clip Studio Paint is the software of choice for most illustrators. With its quick responsiveness, ability to add word balloons in a jiffy and the multi-page story-mode feature, Clip Studio Art is almost tailor-made for producing high-quality comic books. The software provides for ease of importing and editing 3D models, which makes it easy for illustrators to create characters and background.
3D Tools
Clip Studio Paint has an excellent set of 3D tools for illustrators to work with. The software has a library of 3D mannequins and objects which can be used for reference or dropped right into the artwork. When creating artwork, it is important to get the poses and proportions just right and this software helps illustrators to accomplish this with ease. Using imported 3D models, drawing over them and then erasing the reference layer allows the illustrator to get the perspective right in the artwork, with much less effort than if he were starting from scratch.
With all the positive reviews that Clip Studio Paint has been getting, it is definitely software worth checking out for both illustrators and designers.
