Do you want to try making a comic or webtoon but are you afraid of the panel tool? Fear no more, this tutorial is perfect for you!

 

My name is Stefani, and in this tutorial, I will be teaching you tricks you can use for your comics with the Clip Studio panel tool~

Basic 101

Overview of Panel Tools

A panel acts like a window or frame that restricts visibility to only what is contained within its folder.

Where are they?

Clip Studio's panel tools are categorized into:

●Creation Tools

●Division Tools

 

 

Another tool that will be our ally is: “Object”

 

 

Panel Creation

● Rectangular Panel

To create a panel like this, we're going to click on the canvas where we want the panel to start and drag. Once you release, it will be ready!

If we open the “Sub Tool Detail” window and go to the “Figure” tab, we will find that we can change the panel's shape to an ellipse, polygon, or leave it as a rectangle.

I recommend activating this checkbox with the eye icon, and it will appear directly in the tool properties.

You can do this with almost any option within the “Sub Tool Detail” menu if you find it more convenient to have it in “Tool Property”.

 

Returning to the Figure tab…

 

If we have rectangle selected, in that same menu we see that we have the option to modify whether we want rounded corners or not.

 

 

In polygon, we can also round the edges.

However, the most interesting option is that we can choose the number of vertices of the polygon.

And finally, there is the “aspect ratio settings” option found in all the previous figures.

 

Note: if you wish, you can use the “Shift” key when making the panel, and this will make the figure proportioned equally in width and height.

 

Also remember that in aspect ratio settings you can play with the width and height; it doesn't have to be equal.

● Polyline Panel

To create a panel like this, we will click where we want to start and then click by click we will create the shape of the panel; to close it, we return to the starting point.

Another way to close the panel is to press the “Enter” key. Keep in mind that wherever the cursor is, it will create a control point.

Good news! We have more options besides straight lines. We can choose to use continuous curved lines (Spline) or quadratic and cubic Bézier curves. To do this, go to “Tool Property” and then to “Curve” where we can choose the one we want.

 

 

Personally, the one I use most is Cubic Bézier. I feel it has the best of both worlds as it allows me to easily switch from straight lines to curves.

Keep in mind that if we use the “Shift” key, the lines will be straight, and if you use the “Ctrl” key, you can modify the curve and position of the control points.

 

If you want to modify the panel once it's closed, all you have to do is click on the panel line with the “Ctrl” key pressed, and you can then edit it. This works with any panel, not just those created with “Polyline Panel”.

 

Note: you must keep the “Ctrl” key pressed while editing; once you finish making changes, release Ctrl and you're done.

● Panel Border Pen

This tool is ideal for more creative and irregular panels, as it allows us to draw them by hand just as if we were using a brush. However, it must be a continuous line, otherwise the panel will close.

 

 

Continuous stroke:

If you want a cleaner stroke, I recommend adjusting the “Post-correction” option and also the “Stabilization”. We can find them within “Tool Property”.

Stabilization does not appear in “Tool Property” by default; we must activate it. You need to open the “Sub Tool Detail” menu, go to “Correction”, and where it says “Stabilization”, activate the eye icon.

Basics of Panel Creation Tools

Panel creation tools share many common attributes/options. Join me as I tell you about the ones I consider most useful

1. The Multiverse of Folders

When creating a panel, a folder with a clipping mask (in the shape of the panel) is generated by default. Inside this folder, there are two layers: one rasterized and one background.

 

Note: The background layer can be changed in color with a double-click.

 

Depending on how you feel most comfortable or what kind of interaction the panels have, you can have a folder for each panel, so they would act independently of each other, or you can create several panels within a single folder.

 

Example of panels separated by folder:

Example of panels in the same folder:

Managing panels this way is especially useful if what we are drawing requires continuity across several panels.

As I mentioned before, the “Create new folder” option is assigned by default. As the name indicates, it will create a new folder for each panel you create, but you can change it to: “Add to selected folder”, which will allow you to add more panels to a single folder. You can find this within “Tool Property” in any panel creation tool (rectangular / polyline panel and border pen).

The background fill when you create the panel is optional. If you have a sketch you want to draw over, it's more practical to have this option disabled so you can see the sketch without problems. You just need to uncheck the “Fill inside panel” box located in “Tool Property”.

2. The World of Borders

Visibility

The visibility of borders can be activated or deactivated when creating a panel, using the “Draw border” checkbox. You activate or deactivate it according to your needs; it is located within “Tool Property”.

 

Even if the panel border is not visible, it functions correctly by restricting content within the panel.

 

 

Border Size

 

You can change the thickness of the borders by modifying the “Brush size” bar (within “Tool Property”) or the “Brush size” window.

We can also choose the smoothing level of the border:

Below “Smoothing” is the “Brush shape” section. If we unfold the panel there, we can see that there are many shapes to assign to our border.

we can make the border look more interesting and dynamic. Let's go back to the “Brush size” bar and click the icon at the end; it will show a small window where you can activate a checkbox called "Random" and also assign a minimum value. What this option will do is, at random, it will change the size of the shape assigned to the panel border.

Here's a comparison of various shapes:

Designing borders for panels (???????????????=

 

When we make the panel border invisible (by deactivating the “Draw border” checkbox), we can get creative and manually draw the border.

3. Modify Your Panel

3.1. The Power of the Object Tool

Remember I mentioned this tool would be our best friend? Well, here's why.

 

It turns out that with this tool we can modify panels: we can move them, adjust their scale, rotate, change borders, etc., but let's go step by step.

 

The first thing we must do is, with the Object tool, touch the panel folder or the panel border on the canvas, which will show us options that will allow us to modify the border.

The white point on the upper border allows us to rotate

The blue points within the blue line allow us to change the scale of the panel as we please.

If we hover over the blue line, we can move the panel anywhere on the canvas we desire.

The blue points on the red line of the panel allow you to move the panel borders, which enables you to change the scale in a more controlled manner.

Additionally, if there are other panels around it, the panel will respect the space between them, avoiding any possible overlap.

You can deactivate this if you wish: see tool properties (of Object tool), and where it says “Maintain spacing”, expand the options and you can deactivate it. If you haven't changed the default setting, it will be in “Horizontally only” mode.

There is also the “Maintain all” option, which will ensure spacing is maintained both horizontally and vertically.

The red squares at the corners will allow us to change the control points of the panel border. Again, if we have “Maintain spacing” set to “Horizontally only” or “Maintain all”, it adjusts the changes you make in the surrounding panels.

By default, the “Align with other panels” checkbox is active. As its name indicates, it helps us align the borders and control points with adjacent panels. I like that it doesn't restrict you if you don't want to align them.

With the Object tool you can also: Change the border color, border size, and its shape! You can even remove the border if you wish!

The yellow triangles on the panel borders allow you to move the edges of the panel until they overlap with those of surrounding panels. If there are no other panels, the panel will stick to the canvas edge.

If you have several panels in a single folder, when using the “Object” tool, the same options will appear for each of the panels, with the difference that the blue line and blue points will affect the entire set of panels.

We can modify the borders independently or as a group, depending on where we touch the border. If we touch the space within the blue line, we can modify several panels at once.

If we want to select a specific panel, we touch the red line. To avoid moving anything unnecessary, I always deactivate “Maintain spacing”.

 

Now we can start modifying our panels individually as we wish.

In the case of panels created with the tools: “Polyline panel” and “Panel border pen”, what was previously explained applies equally. On the other hand, I believe that depending on their complexity, it might be better to use the “Correct line” tool; I feel that making certain adjustments there is more comfortable.

The ones I use most often are: move control points, add control points, delete control point, and convert vertex.

 

Two other tools I frequently use are “Simplify line” and “Redraw width”.

Panel Division Tools

Both tools divide the panel but are approached slightly differently:

 

1) Divide panel folder

2) Divide panel border

 

In both, the division can be done in three different states:

Divide with Straight Line

We touch the part of the panel where we want to start the division. By default, it will be horizontal. If we want to make it vertical or diagonal, we click and hold, then give direction to the line. If you want it to be perfectly straight, press the “Shift” key.

Upon releasing the click, the division will be ready.

Divide with Polyline

First we touch the point where we want to start dividing (we don't need to hold the click). With each click you make, a point will be created from which we can rotate the division line. To finish, we press the “Enter” key, and the division will be complete.

Divide with Spline

This division state is similar to the previous one. We click where we want to start and then where we want to create a curve. When we are satisfied, we finish the division with the “Enter” key.

Both tools allow us to change the spacing in the divisions both vertically and horizontally.

 

Division with a straight line allows changing vertical and horizontal spacing. In the case of division by polyline or with spline, it is a single interval for any direction.

 

 

Both tools allow us to change the spacing in the divisions both vertically and horizontally.

 

As mentioned before, the biggest difference between both tools is what is divided. In the “Divide panel folder” tool, there are three division methods:

 

1- Divides the folder and duplicates content.

2- Divides the folder, but this new folder is empty.

3- The folder is not divided, but the panel border is, and the parts remain within the folder.

Templates that Save the Day

If you're short on time, you can always use a template! Clip Studio has many pre-made comic/manga templates to choose from.

 

You just need to go to: File > New > Select one of the comic canvases (except webtoon) > activate the template checkbox. When activated, a window will appear with options for you to choose the one that works best for you. Click “OK”, and you're done.

 

If the checkbox doesn't appear, click the button next to the checkbox, and the menu will pop up there.

I usually use the basic one-frame template and start working there.

 

I recommend having your canvas settings clear, as for a comic, the canvas size and margins should be consistent for better harmony. When I make comics, I do it for the web, so my ideal resolution is 72 dpi, and depending on how detailed I want the comic and its content, I usually choose between A4-A6 size and the basic template.

Put What You've Learned into Practice!

Now you know everything you need to create panels. I invite you to put it into practice! Remember that every artist has their creative process and way of doing things. I invite you to practice and discover yours.

 

If you don't know where to start, to make comic panels, I usually follow these steps:

 

1- Create your canvas (you can use a one-frame template) or place your base template. Use your sketch as a guide to begin.

2- Divide the sections of your page:

first the larger divisions and then the smaller ones.

And voilà, now you can draw your comic without problems!

 

 

Depending on your preferences and the type of composition in your comic panels, you can create your panels without relying heavily on panel division tools; it's up to you.

Improve How You Tell Stories with Your Panels.

Now that you know how to create panels like an expert, here are some tips so you can make the most of what you've learned and tell your story as clearly as possible!

Reading Flow

The pace at which your story unfolds can be controlled through the size, design, and amount of detail within each panel. By varying these elements, you can create a sense of rhythm and cadence that enhances your storytelling.

 

 

Remember to define whether you want your comic to be read from right to left or vice versa, and always maintain that direction throughout your story. Changing the reading direction of one or more pages can be confusing for readers. Understanding how the reader will perceive the page and making it as easy as possible will make your pages visually pleasing and easy to read.

Use small panels for fast actions

 

Small panels tend to be read more quickly; eyes spend less time on them. These are best used for quick actions and inserting panels. Many of these small panels together can give the impression of a brief succession of small actions.

 

Use large panels to emphasize and slow down the pace

 

Adding a larger panel would make the eye linger on this longer panel for more time, so we can use this resource to show landscapes or give emphasis to an action/event that we want to have a slower pace.

 

 

If you're unsure whether a page is easy to read, show your comic page to someone you trust, without drawings, if you want, just the speech bubbles, without dialogue. Ask that person to read in the corresponding reading direction and check how easy to follow your panel layout is.

The Power of Dialogue

Use speech bubbles strategically to guide the reader through your comic to create a fluid and readable experience.

 

To do this, we consider what we want the reading order to be and work based on that. You can use speech bubbles to indicate which is the next panel.

The placement of dialogues can help improve the reading flow.

Draw a line of how you want your panels to be read and then place the speech bubbles following that same line. It won't always be possible to guide the flow this way, but it's something that when you can apply it, don't hesitate to do so; that way you can contribute to the reading flow.

 

Remember not to make dialogues complicated to read and ensure they follow a logical order.

 

 

Final

Thank you for making it this far in the tutorial! I hope it was helpful. It was great doing it! See you in the next tutorial!