Clip Studio Paint EX for Mac

Clip Studio Paint for Mac is a fully-featured drawing application specifically optimized to enable manga and comic artists to easily realize their inspiration and quickly design, evolve, and finalize their illustrations with the help of streamlined tools and effects.

Built on top of the popular Clip Studio Paint for macOS platform, this standalone digital drawing application manages to collect all the necessary tools that are regularly used by illustrators from all over the world, enabling them to effortlessly focus on the drawing of comic, manga, illustrations, graphic novels and stylized environments without encountering issues with the user interface, tools, services, and other roadblocks.

As a stark difference to many other similar offerings, Clip Studio Paint EX is fully focused on enabling both new and seasoned users to get immersed in the process of drawing and finalizing illustrations.

This is achieved with the help of a streamlined interface, fully customizable layout of the editing tools, and a wide array of paintbrushes and coloring tools that make drawing a breeze. Users can even create their own unique bushes that can help them achieve the final image design with ease.

The process of drawing can be done with both mouse and touch inputs on Mac, and if you are feeling inspired on the go, you can even find this exact app available on Apple’s iPad platform.

Once finished with the drawing, coloring, compositing, and making final touches, users can access a comprehensive Export tool that will prepare their painting for use in your specific projects, saving to long-term storage, immediate sharing on social networks, and more.

Features and Highlights

• The industry-leading suite of tools for comic and manga illustrators.
• Sketch, ink, color, and publish your new comic with ease.
• Take advantage of the large toolset to capture every detail imagined in your mind.
• Support for all types of input, including Wacom tablets with 8192 levels of pen pressure.
• Integrated tools for separating comic panels, adding speech balloons, effect lines, special rules, and much more.
• Guidance perspective rules for creating of the accurate background art.
• Customizable 3D figures for easier character drawing.
• Customizable and user-friendly interface.
• Available for FREE via a 30-day Trial period.

Installation and Use

Once up and running, you will notice at first glance that the user interface of Clip Studio Paint EX resembles many other similar apps. In the center you get large canvas where you can start drawing, and on the sides are either tool pickers, or specific properties for handling every element of your image.

The app is optimized for comic and manga designers and illustrators, promoting their most commonly used tools to prominent positions where you can access them quickly.

What`s New

• Easily attach hats, shoes, and more to 3D models and move them all together using hierarchical settings
• Adjust the upper and lower arms, as well as the upper and lower legs, individually. You can also change body shape by adjusting hip height and shoulder thickness
• Improved operability of 3D drawing figures (pose symmetry)
• Integration with 3D Pose Site POSEMANIACS
• Import in VRM formats
• Support for 3D Objects with Shape Keys
• Import normal maps
• Select multiple grid points and increase the number of divisions for more control during Mesh Transformation
• Color Match allows you to intuitively change colors by setting images and gradations for target colors
• New Filters added! Make your work shine online with the Retro Film Filter, or get a hand-drawn feel with the Pencil Drawing Filter
• You can now use a font ideal for comics, manga, and webtoons that incorporates artist feedback and was developed jointly with Iwata Co., Ltd.
• Arrange text more freely with justify, alignment, kerning, and circular layouts
• Font search
• Save your frequently used settings as presets and use them to export your work
• Set an image of your choice as a watermark when exporting images and timelapses
• You can now import and export in WebP format, the lightweight file format used for web pages

User Interface

Clip Studio Paint's user interface is designed to be both powerful and intuitive.

The workspace is highly customizable, allowing users to arrange tools and panels according to their workflow. Key features of the UI include:

• Dockable Panels: Panels can be docked, floated, or hidden to maximize workspace.
• Custom Shortcuts: Users can assign custom keyboard shortcuts to streamline their workflow.
• Brush Preview: A brush preview window shows how the selected brush will look on the canvas, helping artists choose the right tool for the job.
• Material Library: The material library provides quick access to a vast collection of textures, patterns, and 3D models.

How to Use

Creating a New Project: Open this program and select "New" from the File menu. Choose the type of project you want to create (illustration, comic, animation) and set the canvas size and resolution.

Using Brushes: Select a brush from the toolbar or create a custom brush. Adjust the brush settings such as size, opacity, and blending mode.

Layer Management: Use the Layers panel to create and organize layers. It supports various layer types, including raster, vector, and 3D layers.

Coloring: Choose colors from the color wheel or use the eyedropper tool to select colors from the canvas. Utilize blending modes and gradient maps for advanced coloring effects.

Adding Text: Use the text tool to add dialogue, captions, and other text elements to your project. Customize the font, size, and color as needed.

Animation: For animations, create a timeline and add frames. Use the onion skin feature to see previous and next frames, aiding in the animation process.

FAQ

Can I use Clip Studio Paint for Mac for professional work?
Yes, the program is widely used by professional artists, illustrators, and animators for commercial projects.

What is the difference between Clip Studio Paint Pro and EX?
Clip Studio Paint Pro is geared towards illustrators, while EX includes additional features for comic creation and animation, such as multi-page management and advanced animation tools.

Is Clip Studio Paint available on multiple devices?
Yes, this software is available on Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Users can sync their work across devices using cloud storage.

Can I import Photoshop files into Clip Studio Paint?
Yes, it supports importing PSD files, allowing for seamless integration with Photoshop projects.

Does Clip Studio Paint have a community for sharing resources?
Yes, Clip Studio Assets is an online community where users can share and download brushes, materials, and other resources.

Alternatives

Adobe Photoshop: A powerful and versatile digital painting software known for its wide range of features and extensive support.

Corel Painter: Offers a natural painting experience with realistic brushstrokes and textures, making it a favorite among traditional artists.

Krita: An open-source painting program that provides professional-grade tools for digital artists, available for free.

Rebelle: Focuses on realistic watercolor and acrylic painting simulations.

Pricing

Clip Studio Paint Pro: $54 for a one-time purchase

Clip Studio Paint EX: $237 for a one-time purchase

System Requirements

• OS: macOS 10.13+
• Processor: Intel Core i3 or higher
• RAM: 2GB or more
• Hard Disk: 2GB free space
• Graphics: 256MB VRAM or more, OpenGL 2.1 compatible

PROS

• Extensive brush customization
• Vector layer support
• Comprehensive animation tools (EX version)
• 3D model integration
• Timelapse recording feature
• Affordable pricing

CONS

• Some features locked behind EX version
• Occasional performance issues with large files

Also Available: Download Clip Studio Paint EX for Windows