[1] What is a pattern material ?

There are two types of pattern materials: color and monotone.

Patterns created in color are stored in [Color pattern] of the [Material] palette.

Patterns created in monotone are stored in [Monochrome pattern] of the [Material] palette.

• If the [Material] palette is not displayed on the screen, please select it in the [Window] menu → [Material] to display it.

 

Patterns created in color or gray can be turned into screen tones, and are used for works of monochrome such as manga.

A pattern material included in the material palette is registered as a layer called an image material layer.

The display range of an image material layer can be adjusted with a layer mask, just like a tone layer.

If you check an image material layer pasted on the canvas in the [Layer] palette, the following icon in the red frame will be displayed.

 

[2] Paste a pattern material

When using a pattern material for your work, select an area where you want to apply a pattern, using tools such as [Auto select]. (As seen in the red rectangle below)

 

From the [Material] Palette, select the pattern you want to paste then drag and drop it onto the canvas, or click the [Paste Selected Material to Canvas] button (as seen in the red rectangle at the bottom of the palette).

 

The pattern will be pasted inside the selected range.

 

Note:The operation handle design has been changed from Ver. 1.9.1

The current course uses screenshots from Ver. 1.9.0 or earlier.

 

The pasted tone is a single image material layer.

Similar to the tone layer, the outside of the pasted selection area is masked. If you want to add a pattern, paint on the mask with a drawing tool. You can erase the pattern by using the eraser or by painting over it with a transparent color.

 

When pasting a pattern onto the canvas, if you drag and drop it from the [Material] palette without setting a selection range, the pattern will be pasted on the whole canvas. as no mask was created.

 

Additionally, if you want to replace the pasted pattern with another, select the material you want to replace it with and click the [Replace material] icon at the bottom of the [Material] palette.

 

If you replace the pattern using this icon, you can change the current pattern to another while still keeping the area where the original pattern was pasted.

You can also change the material directly by dragging and dropping it onto the corresponding layer in the [Layer] palette.

 

[POINT]

In the case of colored materials, the line art may be hidden depending on the material. If the line art becomes hidden, move the image material layer under the line art layer in the [Layer] palette.

 

Additionally, if you set the pattern layer [Blending mode] to [Multiply], it will overlap the line drawing.

 

[3] Scaling and moving pattern materials

■1. Scaling patterns

 

When pasting a pattern material, the tool switches to [Object] of the [Operation] tool, and handles to adjust the pattern material are displayed.

By operating these handles (as seen in the red frames below), you can move, scale and and adjust the angle of the patterns.

 

If you drag the corners, you can scale the pattern up or down.

 

 

 

■2. Pattern rotation

 

When dragging the control point at the top of the frame, the pattern will rotate relative to the center point (+) (as seen in the red circle below).

 

 

 

■3. Move the pattern

 

If you drag the drawn part of a pattern, or drag the guide line (the red part below), the pattern will move. When creating a selection area and pasting a pattern, the pattern will move within the mask.

Be careful, as the pattern will not move if the cursor is on the transparent part of the pattern.

 

When you move a pattern with [Object] of the [Operation] tool, the pattern will move within the mask.

 

To move the patterns with the mask, use the [Move layer] tool.

 

 

 

■4. Operating tool properties

 

The patterns’ movement and transformation can also be set with the [Tool Properties] palette in the [Object] tool.

※If the [Tool Properties] palette is not displayed, it can be displayed by selecting [Tool Properties] in the [Window] menu.

 

①Operating transparent parts

You can set the action for when a transparent part is clicked. If you check [Move even transparent if within border], you can move the pattern material, etc. even when selecting transparent parts, as long as they are within the guide frame (red part shown below).

 

②Reset transformation

Return the pattern to its original state.

 

③Flip Horizontal

Rotate the pattern horizontally relative to the center of rotation (+).

 

④Flip Vertical

Flip the pattern upside down relative to the center of rotation (+).

 

⑤ Mode

Select [Scale up/Scale down/Rotate] or [Free Transform] to alter the pattern using the handles.

 

In [Scale up/Scale down/Rotate], patterns can be scaled up/scaled down while maintaining the ratio of the original image.

 

[Free Transform] allows you to freely deform patterns.

 

[POINT]

When you want to mesh transform a pattern material

Select the pattern you want to mesh transform with the [Layer] palette and select [Rasterize] from the [Layer] menu.

 

After rasterizing the layer, you can apply a mesh transformation by selecting [Mesh Transformation] from [Transform] in the [Edit] menu.

 

Mesh transformation settings can be adjusted in [Tool Properties].

 

Additionally, as the mask will be transformed along with the image if the link between the layer image and mask is checked (red frame in the figure below), when applying a mesh transformation, make sure to remove this check.

 

⑥ Center of rotation

you can specify the location of the center of rotation (+). It will be set to [Free position] when the rotation center is already moved to a desired location. It is very useful when trying to reset the rotation center.

 

⑦ Scale ratio W & H

Designates scale ratio values for patterns.

You can move the slider or click on the numerical portion to directly input value.

 

⑧ Rotation angle :

Designates the pattern’s rotation angle by slider or value.

 

⑨ Tiling

You can specify the direction and the pattern of the alignment.

You can specify how to align the pattern from [Repeat], [Reverse], and [Flip].

The repeat method of the pattern changes depending on the tiling.

The direction of tiling can be selected from [Vertical and horizontal], [Only horizontal], and [Only vertical].

You can configure the direction to align the pattern from the direction of the tiling.

If you remove the check from the [Tiling], the pattern will be pasted without any repetition.

 

[4] Toning the pattern material

Color and gray pattern materials can be dotted (toned) for use in manga.

 

 

 

■1. Method of toning

 

Click on the layer you wish to dot (tone) from the [Layer] palette.

 

When the [Tone] in the [Layer Property] palette is clicked, the selected layer will be toned.

• If the [Layer] palette is not displayed on the screen, it can be displayed via the [Window] menu → [Layer Property].

 

[POINT]

If you configure the [Basic expression color] to monochrome when creating a new layer, materials created in color or gray will be automatically toned when used.

If the basic expression color is gray or color, the materials will be pasted with its original color.

 

 

 

■2. Layer Property of the Toning

 

The type of dot and number of screen frequency of the toned pattern can be configured in [Layer Property].

 

① Number of Screen frequency

You can set the number of screen frequency. The smaller the number, the bigger the dots; the bigger the number, the smaller the dots.

 

You can choose settings frequently used in manga from the pull-down.

 

② Density

You can select either from [Use color of image] or [Use brightness of image].

 

When selecting [Use color of image], areas that are colored with the pattern will not be transparent.

 

When selecting [Use brightness of image], areas with colors will become transparent. When using patterns as tones for manga, these settings are mainly used.

 

③ Dot settings

You can select the type of dots when toning. Aside from dots, you can select line screen, cross, and noise.

Depending on the configured type, the mood of the pattern changes.

 

④ Angle

You can change the angle of the dots.

 

⑤ Noise Size/Factor

This can be only set when noise is selected for the dots setting.

 

In the noise size settings, small numerical values produce a fine noise pattern, while higher numerical values create rough noise patterns.

 

Within the noise factor settings, the shape of the noise changes as the number increases.

 

⑥ Position of the dots

You can adjust the location of the dots. Since only the dots move and not the pattern, it is very useful when trying to overlap with other tones.

Dots will move horizontally with X and vertically with Y.