Introduction!

Hello everyone!! I’m sunnysora! I like to create Webtoons and bring my stories to life!

 

In this post I wanted to show you a few of the tips and tricks from Clip Studio Paint EX that help me create my Webtoon faster!

 

Note: I’m by no means a professional artist and still have a lot to learn but it’s helpful and fun to test the different featues Clips Studio Paint has to offer!

Setting Up Your Canvas!

Before we really start, we need to create the canvas!

You can auto-create a vertical scrolling canvas, perfect for Webtoons!

Change the size or use one of the preset sizes and adjust the number of pages you want to work with!

 

Go to File ➞ New ➞ Webtoon

I usually use 800x10000 with 6 pages.

(Through Story you can add, delete etc. pages later on too!)

⟫ QUICK TIP 0 : Layer Templates

You start to save time right away by adding a template to all your pages at once, so you start with all your Layers/Folders already set!

You won’t need to add and name all your important folders one by one!

 

This is a Template I found in the Clip Studio Assets store!

⟫ TIP 1 : Speed Up Your Workflow With Auto Actions

If you prefer a different sequence of folders or different colors for your Folders/Layer it’s not a problem!

You can use Clip Studios Auto Action feature to set them up with one click!

What Are Auto Actions?

Auto Actions are one of Clip Studio Paint’s most effective time-saving features. They let you record and then replay multi-step tasks with a single click.

Auto Actions record steps like adding layers, changing blending modes, resizing, adding filters, effects, etc. This saves a lot of time for Webtoon artists who repeat the same steps across many panels or pages.

You can find the Auto Action tool through:

Window ➞ Auto Action

 

 

This opens the Auto Action window, where you can for example:

—See default actions

—Create new action sets

—Record new action

—Play actions with one click

 

How to Create and Use your Auto Action

Now let’s see how we can create our own Auto Action!

 

First: Click the folder icon (New Action Set) if you want a new set and name it

(e.g. “Auto Action for TIPs”)

Second: Click the “Create new auto action” icon (the little button at the end of the window with a +)

Third: Name your action (e.g. “Auto action 1”)

Fourth: Click “Record” the red circle button at the bottom of the window

 

CSP will now record every step you make, layer creation, blending modes or filters, etc.

 

 

 

Fifth: Press “Stop” to finish recording (the red square button at the bottom of the window)

 

Your new Auto Action is now saved and ready.

Important: Please keep in mind that CSP records commands, not brush strokes and anything else you do directly on the canvas itself:

e.g.

✔ “Create Layer”

✔ “Set Blending Mode to Multiply”

✖ “Drawing lineart/ colour/ etc.” (not recorded)

To use the Auto Action you created simply click the Play button (Start to play auto action) at the bottom of the window.

It will run all the recorded steps instantly.

 

Optional: Go to File ➞ Shortcut setting ➞ Assign Shortcut

This allows you to run your custom auto action with a single key.

You can also uncheck steps with one click on the ✔-button if you don’t want one of the steps applied.

Register as Layer Template

To save your folders as Layer Templates:

 

First: Select all the Layers/ Folders you want to save

Second: Go to Edit ➞ Register Material (Template)

Third: Give it a name, add TAGs and choose a location to save it in.

You can now use your own Layer template! The same steps as in QUICK TIP 0.

Search for it using the TAGs you added earlier.

More Auto Actions on the CLIP STUDIO ASSETS store

Clip Studio’s Asset store has thousands of user-made Auto Actions that can help you speed up your workflow! Many are free, and you can import them instantly into your Auto Action palette to expand your toolkit.

 

For example:

Creating a pretty and colorful speechbubble with just one-click!

⟫ TIP 2 : Frame Border Folders in Clip Studio Paint

What Are Frame Border Folders?

Frame Border Folders are automatically generated layer folders when you create a panel using the Frame Border Tool.

Anything you draw inside those folders is masked to the panel shape!

Easier said, everything you draw that goes beyong the outline/frame is hidden and won’t be visible, it saves a lot of time because no cleanup is required!

How to use Frame Border Folder

Through the Frame Border Sub tool you can choose a frame border style:

—Rectangle

—Polyline (for irregular panel shapes)

—Custom shapes (e.g. circle)

 

Click and drag on your canvas to create your panel.

Clip Studio automatically generates a “Frame Border Folder” containing a empty raster layer and a white frame background!

Everything drawn inside the “Frame Border Folder” now stays neatly inside and only reacts to what’s in the specific folder!

Frame Border Tools in the CLIP STUDIO ASSETS store

You can find a lot of different Frame Border Tools in the Clip Studion Assets store!

⟫ TIP 3 : Saving time with 3D Objects

Clip Studio’s Assets store has thousands of different 3D objects in so many different styles, shapes and genres, from Sci-Fi to Fantasy and Modern to Historical!

3D models are amazing time-savers, for Webtoons/ Comics to save time with backgrounds. But they can look out of place next to hand-drawn characters.

3D to Lineart in seconds

First I’ll show you the “Line and Tones conversion” feature, and different layer Filters to make 3D backgrounds blend with your Webtoon/ Comic style.

 

And after I’ll show you how to turn your 3D object into “Lines” in seconds.

 

First: Drag your 3D model into the Frame Folder so it stays masked to the panel.

Use the Object Tool to rotate, move, and match the camera angle.

You can also change the light direction, add a Fog effect or adjust the outline width!

Second: Right-click the 3D layer ➞ convert to Lines and Tones

Or open it though Layer ➞ convert to Lines and Tones

 

As mentioned I’m no professional so I can’t tell you what the right way to adjust your Lines/ Tone/ Posterization is. But Clip Studio Paint EX features are easy to understand and experiment with, so just play around with it a little until you get the result you like.

I like to merge tones to a single layer for easier editing.

Now if you want to edit even furthur and save even more time it’s a prefect time to use a Auto Action again!

 

Steps of my Auto Action :

—Gaussian Blur

—Gradient Map layer ➞ set to Glow doge (empty)

—New layer➞ set to Add Glow (empty)

 

Now you have all these steps done and ready with just one click and can add the effects you want on your empty layers!

Another super quick method to turn your 3D object into Lineart is by using the “Extract Line” feature.

 

Go to Layer Property ➞ Extract Line

 

With this you can turn the 3D object your using into lines immediately, change the lines width and adjust the blackfill to your liking.

 

After that you can use a clipped layer and color it with methods you like, e.g. I use a clipped layer and add a gradient map.

3D Objects in the CLIP STUDIO ASSETS store

Clip Studio’s Asset Store has thousands of 3D objects as mentioned!

A lot are free, and you can import them instantly into your project and save a lot of time!

⟫ TIP 4 : Save Layers as Reusable Materials

To save a lot of time while making your Webtoon/ Comic it’s super useful to save any layer or folder you use often as a “Material” so you can later just drag them into any project if you need them again!

E.g. speech bubbles, effects, backgrounds, etc.

Eyeshape Material for quick access

One of the most important things for a consistent look for your Webtoon/ Comic characters are the eyes!

I love to create different eyeshapes for my characters, but it can be really time consuming to draw eyes for every singe panel through multiple pages!

 

By saving them as Materials I have instant access and can add them into my canvas in seconds!

Select the layer or folder of what you want to turn into a Material!

 

I merged the Folder of my eyeshape, then:

Go to Edit → Register Material → Image (or Template, if it’s a Layout/Folder)

 

First: Give it a name, add tags and choose a location to save it in.

✔ “Use for brush tip shape” (if needed)

Second: Click OK.

Now it appears in the Material palette and can be dragged into any canvas at any time!

⟫ TIP 5 : Custom Brush Using Your Saved Material

For certain materials it could be even more time-saving if you save them as Brushes!

E.g. accessories, special effects(magic), etc.

How to Create a Brush

First: Choose any brush similar to what you want to make (e.g., Pen, Decoration), I’m using one of the eye brushes I made in the past!

 

Second: Right-click ➞ Duplicate Sub Tool

Third: Go to Sub Tool Detail (wrench icon)

Fourth: Brush Tip ➞ delete existing material➞ Add Material

Important to know, you can only add a material as the brush tip if you clicked “Use for brush tip shape” while you saved it as a material earlier.

Materials in the CLIP STUDIO ASSETS store

I made a few Bruhses that are available on the Clip Studio Assets store!

You can find so many different Materials to help speed up your working progress!

E.g. Backgrounds, Speechbubble, Hair materials/ bruhses, jewelry, magic tools, etc.

⟫ TIP 6 : Speed Up Panel Rendering With Shading Assist

Clip Studio Paint’s Shading Assist automatically adds shadows and simple lighting to your drawings. It’s one of the most useful features for speeding up production and maintaining consistent lighting across multiple panels and pages.

 

 

Prepare Your Lineart and Base Colors

The Shading Assist feature works best when your Lineart is clean and your color base layer has no gaps and is mostly closed (use “Close and Fill” if needed)

Important: Base colors are all either grouped or on a single layer and your Lineart is set as a “Reference Layer“

Using Shading Assist

Please note I’m still learning how to use this feature myself, but I can say that even with the way I use it, it helped me so much with shading and lighting in a faster way because it’s easy to use!

But of course I still have a lot to learn!

 

First: Click on your Base Color Layer ➞ Go to Edit ➞ Shading Assist

A window will appear where you can adjust the light direction and shadow parameters.

 

Second: Click the light source globe to drag and adjust the direction where the light source falls from.

This determines where shadows fall on the Layer.

 

 

Shading Assist lets you select between different Presets and also adjust the colors further!

E.g. :

—Warm shadows for romantic or indoor scenes

—Dark, cool shadows for suspense, horror, or nighttime

—Neutral shadows for more casual daytime scenes

 

 

 

Third: Click OK to apply

You now have a:

—Shadow layer

—Light layer (optional)

—Tone or color layer (depending on your settings)

 

You can edit these layer even more by erasing parts or using a brush to add a little more details or blur the edges.

Save Time by Reusing the Same Light Setup

If you didn’t use one of the Presets and adjusted your own lighting/ shadows, you can save it as a new Preset!

This can definitely help you keep the light source consistent across an entire scene with different panels.

Thank you for reading!

Thank you for your time and reading thought my TIP, I’m still learning and finding new ways an more tricks and tips myself! So I hope you found this post a little useful and thank you again for reading!