Simple Use of Page Management Function: Organizing Practice Sketches [EX]
This time, the topic is an introduction to the "Page Management Function".
This is a feature of Clip Studio Paint EX version, specifically designed to manage multi-page works including comics, doujinshi, portfolios, booklets, etc.
Although I don't frequently create manga or doujinshi type works, the page management function actually has other uses! What I'm recommending this time is to use this function to manage a collection of drawing skill practices.
Next, I will briefly demonstrate how to effectively use the page management function and explain its benefits.
▶Demonstration
1. Create File
When you click [File] → [New] (Hotkey: Ctrl+N), the following window will appear.
In the orange box, you can select the type of work to create:
①General one-page illustration
②Webtoon (Vertical-scrolling comic)
③Manga
④Doujinshi
⑤Show all comic settings (includes options ③ and ④)
⑥Video
②③④⑤ are all work categories that can use the page management function. Here are their differences:
②Webtoon: Only includes multi-page settings; no print-related settings.
③Manga: Includes print-related settings; more flexible page settings.
④Doujinshi: Includes print-related settings; can apply doujinshi printing company settings.
⑤Show all comic settings (includes ③ and ④)
[Print-related settings]: Primarily refers to bleed lines. During the printing process, the edges of the paper need to be trimmed. To prevent blank spaces appearing at the edges of the finished product or important information being cut off, settings for printed works such as manga or doujinshi often include auxiliary lines called bleed lines, allowing authors to arrange their visuals more effectively. (For example, important speech bubbles won't be placed outside the frame.)
For detailed explanations about bleed and binding, please refer to the following official tutorial:
Since the following demonstration is for personal drawing practice and does not require printing, choosing [②Webtoon] is sufficient.
After selecting Webtoon as the work purpose, the following options will appear:
Basic settings can be made, such as file name and file location.
For canvas size, you can set it to portrait or landscape according to personal preference.
For resolution, it can be set to 72 for online publication; if you wish to print it later for reference, it can be set to 300 (for regular color art), up to 600 (for monochrome detailed art).
Regarding page settings——
[Split pages]: The total canvas height is divided by the entered number of pages to determine the height of each page.
[Multiple pages]: The canvas height is set as the height of each page.
After clicking [OK], a .cmc file and .clip files corresponding to the number of pages will be created in the selected computer folder.
.cmc file: The file responsible for page management, which displays thumbnails of all pages when opened later;
Individual .clip files: Store the image content of individual pages.
Open the .cmc file, and the following screen will appear in the CSP interface:
(If a new multi-page file is created, it will open automatically)
Double-click a page to open it, then you can start drawing on that page:
Depending on personal preference, you can drag the page management window above individual pages:
Then adjust the window height to get the following configuration:
In the bottom-left corner of the page management window, you can adjust the thumbnail size:
Once you've adjusted to a comfortable configuration, you can start drawing!
2. Start Drawing
Before you start drawing formally, I recommend preparing your layers. Since you're creating multi-page works, this further highlights the importance of systematic operations for increasing efficiency.
In the Layer window, you can place the necessary layers in layer folders.
For my personal drawing practices, I always set up the following layers (bottom to top):
Photo Reference
Drawing Layer
Redline Corrections (Layer Mode: Multiply)
Notes
Of course, the number of layers to create can absolutely be decided according to personal preference.
For example, if drawing a monochrome comic, you might separate layers for rough sketches, line art, screentones, backgrounds, effects, etc.
After preparing your layers, drag the layer folder to the Material palette to save that 'layer' as a material.
Next time you need to use it, simply drag it from the Material palette to the Layer window, saving the time of repeatedly creating layers.
Alternatively, register it as a [Template].
The method is to prepare your layers, then click [Edit] → [Register Material] → [Template].
When registering, be sure to add search tags.
This way, the layer structure can also be registered into the Material palette, and can be dragged and used directly, similar to the first method.
Furthermore, you can also check to use it when creating a new file, and it will be automatically applied to every page, saving even more work time.
3. During Drawing
While drawing, you can open and edit more than one page simultaneously.
Pages that have been modified but not saved will have a '*' next to their page number.
At this point, click on the page management window with your mouse, then press the hotkey [Ctrl+S] to save all pages at once.
To add pages, right-click in the page management window and select [Add Page] or [Add Page (Detailed)]. This function can also be found in the [Page Management] menu at the top.
If needed, you can also select [Duplicate Page].
Similarly, if you need to delete pages, you can select that function in the same location.
To change the page order, you can directly edit it by dragging and dropping within the page management window.
For unfinished practice goals, you can also add large text on blank pages to remind, motivate, and encourage yourself 🥹
The key is to be able to identify the content of the text in thumbnail view.
Similarly, if you often need to refer to notes, you can add larger text as a title for each page, and when setting up a template, you can add a preset text layer to save time.
4. Completion
...Will there ever be a day of 'completion' for various practices and skill studies?
The sea of knowledge is boundless, but file size and page count are not.
Generally, I would not recommend continuously adding an unlimited number of pages within the same file, as this can slow down performance.
You can categorize your files based on different learning themes.
For example, anatomy, color schemes, material rendering, composition, and other different learning themes, each is a worthwhile subject to study.
Of course, this is also a highly personal choice; simply decide according to your preferences.
And as your practices continually grow, you can move pages from File A to File B at any time!
Right-click in the page management window and select the [Replace Page] function. This function can also be found in the [Page Management] menu at the top. This allows you to select and replace pages from other files:
Since the original page file will be deleted, I recommend using a blank page for replacement.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this far!
Some might think that using the page management function to organize practice sketches is a bit of 'overkill'.
But that's not the case.
Using the page management function can certainly make your notes tidier; furthermore, you can edit or correct your previous notes at any time, and flexibly arrange the order of information without getting lost in scattered layers or files. You can also quickly find the information you need through the thumbnail function, saving a lot of time.
More importantly, being able to see all your accumulated practices at once provides a significant boost of encouragement that shouldn't be underestimated!
💭As a side note, this can also constantly remind you of any blank pages (i.e., 'gaps' or 'unfinished tasks') that need to be filled.
Let encouragement and motivation go hand-in-hand!
What do you think of this sharing?
Feel free to leave a comment and let me know! I hope this content is helpful to you.
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