Here we will explain how to create speech balloons, a unique form of expression in comics, and will introduce the balloon tools along with some other useful tips.

 

[1] Speech balloons in Clip Studio Paint

Speech balloons consist of a vector outline and an inner fill part (painted white in the figure below). The color and the opacity of the inner fill can be adjusted freely, and you can also hide or tone it. Furthermore, there are other ways to create balloons by freely drawing curves and going about it free hand all-together. In the example shown below, the outline is selected with the Object tool.

 

There are 3 different ways to create speech balloons in Clip Studio Paint: using balloon tools, using balloon materials, and flashes.

 

 

 

1. Creating a speech balloon with tools

 

Using the Ellipse balloon tool, you can create speech balloons in the following steps.

 

(1) Enter text

Enter text using the Text tool.

 

(2) Create a balloon

Create the balloon’s body using the Ellipse balloon tool. The balloon will be created on a Balloon layer.

Note: In the default settings, the Ellipse balloon tool is under the Comic tool > Balloon tool group.

 

(3) Create a balloon tail

Create the “tail” part sticking out of the balloon with the Balloon tail tool.

Note: In the default settings, the Balloon tail tool is under the Comic tool > Balloon tool group.

 

Tip:

The order of creating balloons or text does not matter.

You can create the balloon or text first and a layer for either will be created. By adding text or a balloon on the same layer, you can edit them as a unit on the same layer.

 

(4) Adjust the balloon

After creating the balloon, select it with the Object tool to display the handles. You can change the size and aspect ratio by adjusting the individual handles.

 

The settings can be adjusted in the Tool Settings and Advanced Tool Settings palettes before using the Balloon tool, or when selecting a balloon with the Object tool.

For details on the settings of the balloon tools, please refer to “[2] How to use balloon tools.”

 

 

 

2. Speech balloons from balloon materials

 

Apart from using tools, speech balloons can also be created with default balloon materials, which can be selected from the Material palette under Manga material > Balloon, and pasted onto the canvas.

The operations after pasting the balloons onto the canvas are the same as for the balloons created with the balloon tool.

 

 

 

3. Balloon flash

 

Flash speech balloons consist of vector effect lines and an inner fill (painted white in the figure below). Like balloons, the color and opacity of the inner fill can be set freely, and be hidden or toned.

 

Flash tools are under the Comic tool > Flash tool group.

The steps to create flashes are identical to normal speech balloons. However, as newly created flashes are drawn on a “focus lines” layer, operations differ from speech balloons created with balloon tools.

 

(1) Create a flash

Use Flash from the Tool Group palette to create a flash.

 

(2) Enter text

Enter text using the Text tool. Unlike the Balloon tool, the Flash tool does not combine as a text layer, and is operated separately.

 

(3) Adjust the flash

After creating the flash, elect it with the Object tool to display the control handles. Change the size or aspect ratio by adjusting the individual handles.

 

Settings, such as the length of effect lines or the density of lines can be adjusted in the Tool Settings and Advanced Tool Settings palettes when using the Flash tool before creating the flash, or selecting the created flash with the Object tool. These can be used in the same way as the Focus lines tool.

 

[2] How to use balloon tools

The following will introduce how to create speech balloons using the Balloon tools.

 

 

 

1. Ellipse balloon

 

Drag to select the start and end point of the ellipse, and determine the aspect ratio and size of it. Holding the Shift key while dragging the balloon will create a perfect circle.

 

These are the Tool Settings of the Ellipse balloon tool.

 

(1) Line color and Fill color

Change the color of the line art and the balloon fill with these options. Be aware that when making a new balloon, the colors may be limited to gray or monochrome depending on the canvas settings. Confirm or change this using the Edit menu > Canvas Properties or the Story menu > Change page settings (EX only).

 

(2) How to add

If a text layer is already selected, selecting Add to selected layer will add a balloon to the same layer.

 

(3) Toning

Use Toning layer effect to apply a tone based on the color set by Fill color to the created balloon. Set Anti-aliasing to None when toning.

 

(4) Figure

Select a balloon shape. Even if the figure changes, it can be created with the same steps.

 

(5) Brush Size

Adjust the line width with this.

 

(6) Anti-aliasing

Set whether or not to add anti-aliasing.

 

(7) Brush shape

Select the shape of the brush tip.

 

The following are examples of Pen, Dotted line, and Waved line brush shapes.

 

 

 

2. Curve balloon

 

Create a free shaped balloon by making curves. The method to create it changes with the selected Curve.

 

(1) Curve

Select a method to create a line.

 

・Straight line

Each time a point is clicked, a straight line between points will be drawn. Double click the final point to confirm.

 

・Spline

A curve is drawn by clicking different points. Double click the final point (or press the Enter key) to confirm.

 

・Quadratic Bezier and Cubic Bezier

Create a balloon using a quadratic bezier or a cubic bezier.

 

Making (2) pointed

If there are any corners on the line, they may become round when scaling up, due to the shape of the brush being used. Choose whether to sharpen these lines at the corners or not.

Items other than (1) and (2) in the Tool Settings are the same as those in the Ellipse balloon tool.

 

 

 

3. Balloon pen

 

Create a balloon as if you are drawing with the Pen tool. This also supports pen pressure, so you can create speech balloons with uneven strokes.

 

In the settings, the thickness of the line can be adjusted so that the pen pressure works just like the Pen tool.

 

(1) Brush size

In the same way as the Pen tool, the line width can be changed by adjusting the brush size.

 

(2) Controlling brush size

Click on the icon to adjust the elements that affect the brush size. To apply pen pressure similarly to the Pen tool, check the Pen pressure and set it to ON. To prevent the pen pressure from being applied, turn all check marks OFF.

 

(3) Post correction

This feature corrects lines to make them smoother.

 

 

 

4. Other settings when creating balloons

 

In the Advanced Tool Settings palette of the Balloon tool, there are items that are not displayed in the Tool Settings palette. These special settings are as follows.

 

(1) Line/Fill

Select whether to display the balloon’s lines and fills. Increasing the transparency of the inside of the balloon, and adding edges when characters and images are superimposed will make it easier to read.

 

(2) How to add

・ Create new layer

・ Add to selected layer

When creating a balloon near an existing balloon or text, select whether to create the balloon on a new layer or on the same one.

 

(3) Combine with the text in the drawing area

Creating a balloon above inputted text will group the elements on the same text layer. Multiple text/balloon layers can also be combined into one layer afterwards.

 

[3] How to create balloon tails

Here we will show how to create a tail for a speech balloon. From How to bend, choose a drawing type from Straight line, Polyline, or Spline.

 

How to bend

Choose between Straight line, Polyline, or Spline.

 

A: Straight line - Creates a straight tail. Dragging between the start point 1 and the end point 2 creates a straight tail.

B: Polyline - Creates a tail with corners. Click to create corner parts starting from point 1, and keep clicking further to create more points. Confirm by double clicking at the last point.

C: Spline - Creates a curved tail. Start clicking the point 1to start, click in further to add more points, and confirm by double clicking at the last point.

 

[4] How to use the flash tool

Depending on the registered tool settings, the drawn content will change drastically.

 

To create a flash, set the size by dragging from the start point to the end point in the same way as the Ellipse balloon.

 

 

 

1. Create a flash

 

Use the tool Sea urchin flash to create a flash.

 

 

 

2. Adjust the flash

 

Adjust the created flash. In this example, we’ll adjust the line length, line density, and the inside of the flash.

Select the flash with the Object tool to display the path.

 

 

 

3. Adjust the line width and density

 

Adjust the flash with the Tool Settings palette.

・Make the lines thinner by adjusting the Brush Size.

・Adjust the line density using Gap of line (distance).

This process is done as thinner lines create wider gaps between lines.

 

 

 

4. Adjust the line length

 

・Shorten the Length.

 

 

 

5. Adjust the “Rough edges”

 

Open the options under Uneven reference position to access more settings. Lowering the value of Height and shortening the rough edges makes it more like a sea urchin flash.

 

 

 

6. Adjust the flash size

 

Using the handle displayed on the path of the flash, adjust the size of the flash so that it matches the text.

 

[5] Advanced use of balloons and flashes

1. Combining multiple balloons (only speech balloons)

 

The overlapping balloon parts will combine when created on one layer. Keep the balloons on separate layers to display them separately, and create them on one layer to combine them.

 

To consolidate multiple existing balloon layers, select the layers and use Layer menu > Merge with layer below or Merge selected layers.

 

 

 

2. Fitting a balloon in a frame border - advanced use of layer masks

 

Each balloon and flash that is created will be managed on its own layer. Drawing tools such as Pen and Eraser are unavailable on these layers. When erasing a section, use a mask. Furthermore, by rasterizing the layer with the Layer menu > Rasterize, you can directly draw and erase the balloon. However, you will not be able to make any further edits to the contents.

 

When using balloon and flash tools, it may overlap with frame borders. A layer mask can be useful in that case.

For more details on layer masks, please refer to “How to master the layer mask 1”.

 

(1) Specify the display area

Mask so that the speech balloon does not overlap with the frame border or the characters. Select the area using tools such as the Auto select tool.

Using the Selection area menu > Quick Mask is beneficial as the area can be selected using the Fill tools or other drawing tools.

 

(2) Create a layer mask

After creating the selection area, select Layer menu > Layer Mask > Mask Outside Selection to create a layer mask. To hide the selected area, choose Mask Selection. The created mask can be checked via the thumbnail displayed in the Layer palette.

 

Tip:

Display the mask from the Layer menu > Layer Mask > Show Mask Area.

 

The mask can be toggled on/off with the following operations.

・Color over the masked area: Hold Alt + tap mask thumbnail

・Toggle the masking on/off: Hold Shift + tap mask thumbnail

 

(3) The completed masked flash

The flash is completed if the created flash is partially masked and hidden. Further adjustments are possible as long as the layer of the flash is not rasterized (by combining images or other operations).

 

・Masking multiple flashes

For balloons created with the Balloon tool, multiple balloons can be registered on a single special layer, but for flashes created using the Flash tool, one flash occupies one layer.

To use the same mask on multiple flashes, make a folder containing multiple flash layers and apply a mask to the folder.

 

It is useful to use Divide frame folder when creating frame borders, as a mask is created on each frame. By creating a balloon or flash inside the frame border folder, the mask will hide the part sticking out of the frame border.

Note: In the initial settings, the Divide frame folder tool can be found under the Comic tool > Frame border tool group.

 

3. Turn balloons off

From Version 5.1, you can now use the Object tool to turn speech balloons on or off from Selectable object.

If you turn text on and speech balloons off, you can select multiple texts in a speech balloon layer.

Use this feature when you want to change the formatting of the text inside speech balloons all at once.

4. Exclude balloons

In Ver. 5.0 and earlier, selecting Text under Exclude applied the setting to both speech balloons and text. However, in Ver. 5.1 and later, you can set text and speech balloons separately under Exclude.

Therefore, you can fill in the area while referencing the speech balloons, but without referencing the text that isn't enclosed by them.

This concludes the lesson on how to use the balloon tool. When creating balloons, please also have a look at “How to use text tools”.