MANGA STUDIO EX 4: ALMOST THE BEST COMIC SOFTWARE

MANGA STUDIO EX 4: ALMOST THE BEST COMIC SOFTWARE


MANGAKA YOSHIKADU USING COMIC STUDIO (MANGA STUDIO)FOR HIS ECHII MANGA, TSUGUMOMO

HERE ARE SOME COMIC BOOKS MADE USING MANGA STUDIO FROM WRITER/ARTIST DOUG TENNAPEL

I've been doodling with Manga Studio since the first quarter of last year and I think it's one of the most phenomenal programs for comic book artists ever.

Anyone with Photoshop or Illustrator experience will be able to transition easily to Manga Studio. The program interface is extremely intuitive and the program tools mimic the the real-world tools very well (real-world tools meaning tools that comic artists really use). It's as if the software developers went into a comic artist studio and watched him/her work--then went out and built an application based on the work flow they saw.

So what makes Manga Studio Stand out? Let me enumerate:
1.) Panel Tools (from simple panel cuts to advanced panel layouts). 2.) Speech Balloon Tools - The most professional-looking speech balloons can be achieved here. I've seen people who use other programs for speech balloons...and the results can be very disappointing. And as any artist knows, lousy balloons can kill the best artwork.

3.) Ruler Tools. MS EX 4 has the most comprehensive and flexible set of rulers (perspectve, concentric, parallel, etc.). So get rid of that T-square and that extra piece of paper you had to stick to your art board for your vanishing point.

4.) INKING Tools - The best pens that simulate G-Pens (Japanese dip pens) Maru pens, etc.

There's so much more but I don't have the time to list 'em all down.

So, why do I think that Manga Studio is almost the top software for making comics and not the top software for making comics?

I think it lacks just a tiny bit of bells and whistles compared to the original Japanese version. In Japan, Manga Studio is actually called Comic Studio (developed by the Japanese company, CELSYS)...and I've seen quite a few Youtube videos of professional mangakas using Comic Studio. They were using tools that seemed to have extra improvements. I just hope that Manga Studio EX 4 gets a few updates soon. Manga Studio is available from the good people of SmithMicro.

Go on! Make a comic!

I ordered Tsugomomo from Amazon Japan to see how Yoshikadu's lines translate to the printed page---and they are awesome. I think Yoshikadu makes full use of the program. If you want to study Yoshikadu's art you'll have to be around 18 or above. Unfortunately, his comic has mature content...extremely funny though. If you want to learn about lines, composition and the other possible techniques of illustrating with Manga Studio, you should watch all of Yoshikadu's "speed art" on youtube.