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Intro

Hello there! This is Tamil. Get ready to explore new filters in Clip Studio Paint. With the recent addition of four dynamic filters - Chromatic Aberration, Noise, Retro Film, and Pencil Drawing - in Clip Studio Paint Ver. 3.0, there's a world of creative possibilities waiting to be explored.

 

Filters are the secret weapon for transforming your illustrations with ease. Whether you want to infuse your artwork with retro vibes, add texture and depth, or experiment with sketch-like effects, these filters have you covered.

 

Let's dive into the world of new filters, learning how to use them to elevate your artwork and bring your creative visions to life like never before! 🎨✨

Results + Free Images

Check out what happened when I decided to have some fun with all the filters at once! The result? A delightful blend of nostalgia and creativity that gave my painting that perfect vintage touch. Picture a mashup of '90s anime with a trendy retro twist - it's the best of both worlds!

 

In the upcoming sections, I'll walk you through the entire process and provide insights into each filter used. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into the magic of these filters!

Plus, I decided to use my photo from traveling, snagged from an old hotel. It had that interesting, slightly aged look that got me excited to spice up my art. Don’t hesitate to download my photo and the painting for free! Play around with filters and see how it feels. Just please don’t sell it or post without credit :)

Beforehand: Duplicate + Flatten

Before we get started, here's a good tip: always duplicate or flatten your image. Since all the filters are destructive, it's important to stay on the safe side and have a backup. Plus, flattening the image ensures that the effects apply seamlessly across your entire artwork, rather than being limited to just one layer.

Pencil Filter

The pencil filter is pretty neat! If you're aiming to give your drawing a bit of texture and a traditional vibe, it's perfect. In this quick image, I even applied it to a notebook background to create the illusion of being drawn during school hours.

There are numerous options for utilizing the filter, and for the most part, they are quite straightforward. I believe anyone can easily grasp them without encountering any issues.

1 - let's talk about the outline option. It adds a distinct line along the edges of the image, somewhat resembling the "convert to lines and tones" function. If desired, you can disable all other options in this panel, resulting in a clean line sketch with a transparent background! This feature is beneficial as it enables us to colorize images from photos or achieve a manga-style feel.

2 - Enabling "show hatching" will introduce a textured feel to our image. As the name suggests, it incorporates hatching into your painting. The "hatching size" determines the scale of the texture, while "roughness" controls the randomness of the hatching. Lastly, "angle" dictates the direction of the hatching. I usually opt for angles around 45 or 90 degrees in most cases, as they lend a less digital appearance.

This is with the settings turned up more. It will feel very strong and digital. My suggestions is if you use it, try to paint over it a little bit.

More subtle effect is really nice in this case. I really like the feel it gives.

This filter works particularly well when applied to black and white images. After all, pencils typically produce shades of gray, right? That's why there's a dedicated button to convert your image to grayscale. This feature can be a real time-saver when you're looking to streamline your workflow.

I primarily applied the filter to the background, removed the hatching, and retained the outlines. My aim was to simplify the background while maintaining its essence. As for the colors, I opted for purples and oranges to infuse the scene with a vibrant and warm atmosphere.

Chromatic Aberration

Chromatic aberration is a photography “error”. It creates color fringing effect. It’s a very a common optical phenomenon that occurs when a lens cannot bring all wavelengths of light to a single converging point.

 

I know it sounds super nerdy and complicated, but I just wanted to bring it up because a lot of people don’t know why it happens :D I think it’s really cool science side to it.

How can we use it in our art? Well there are many ways to use it. You could add it to a futuristic cyberpunk painting. It will make a glitch effect that makes it more modern.

 

If you keep it small and barely noticeable, you can use it to simulate old school tv formats from early 90s. This is what I decided on this this case.

o apply chromatic aberration, simply navigate to the "Filter" menu, then select "Effects," and choose "Chromatic Aberration."

There are three main components to this filter, which makes it super easy to use and most importantly, fun!

1 - This filter offers two modes: radial and global. Let's start with radial mode. When you activate it, you'll notice a small red X appearing on the screen. This X indicates the areas of the image that won't be affected by the filter, essentially providing us with a mask. I find this feature incredibly useful. For instance, if I want to emphasize the eyes on a character, I can move the red X to the middle of the face. This ensures that the filter is applied everywhere except the face, creating a focal point amidst the surrounding details. It's a clever way to direct the viewer's attention to specific areas of the painting!

In lateral, or global, mode, the effect is applied uniformly across the entire image. However, you can still adjust the angle parameter to achieve interesting results. Personally, I prefer to stick with angles around 90 degrees, as it tends to yield fantastic outcomes for my artwork.

2 - The intensity slider allows you to control the strength of the effect. Feel free to experiment with it to find the perfect balance that complements your painting.

 

3 - As mentioned earlier, the angle parameter determines the direction of the glitch effect. It's a handy tool for experimenting with the overall appearance of the chromatic aberration. Feel free to adjust it to achieve the desired visual impact in your artwork.

In my painting, I applied the effect sparingly. I added a subtle hint of glitch to the background to enhance its visual appeal. Since my lines were primarily black and white, I aimed to introduce more visual interest. For the character, I strategically applied the effect to the edges and carefully erased certain areas from the face. Utilizing a duplicate layer allowed me to make these adjustments seamlessly, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free process.

Retro Style

Clip Studio Paint has also introduced retro-style filters, offering a fantastic way to infuse nostalgia into your images and artwork. Personally, I'm a big fan of this filter as it perfectly complements my artistic style.

As always, you can access the retro film effect under the "Filter" menu, followed by "Effect," and then select "Retro Film."

So what do we actually get in this Filter?

This is just a base image I decided to use in this case.

1 - Presets. Clip Studio Paint presets are pre-configured settings that streamline the creative process by allowing users to apply specific effects or adjustments instantly, without manual tweaking. They offer convenience and efficiency, enhancing the digital art workflow by providing ready-made options for achieving desired looks.

 

Let’s Try them OUT!

Vintage Preset. Colors becomes more yellow and orange. The image is so soft and nostalgic :)

Modern preset. Has some chromatic aberration and some color adjustments. The bottom right corner becomes ore washed out.

Warm preset. Just a subtle effect with some sepia feel. Colors are a little washed out and grey/orange.

2 - Effect tab is simple. If presets is just a combination of a few effects that come together, effect is just individual parts of it. Let’s say you only want sepia to be included. You can play with strength and just apply that part to the image. Nothing else. Preset is the full filter, and effect is a small part of the effect.

3 - Intensity is simple. Just how strong the filter is going to be. How far the colors will be pushed.

4 - Noise is part of film photography. Since we use retro style, there will be a lot of noise in there. Usually I like to keep it super low. Then apply noise separately later since it is a separate filter :)

Noise

Noise is a versatile tool that adds texture, grain, or randomness to your artwork, enhancing its visual appeal. Whether you're aiming for a vintage film effect, gritty texture, or subtle grain, Noise offers a range of options to elevate your digital creations. Let's dive into how you can use Noise to add depth and character to your artwork!

 

This is also a nerdy talk, but in real world noise comes from either film or low light. So if your painting is very dark, it will feel more natural to have a little more noise, while whites and very bright parts of the image should have less.

Accessing Noise in Clip Studio Paint is straightforward! Simply navigate to the "Filters" menu, choose "Effect," and then select "Noise." It's that easy!

 

There are mainly 2 options here. Color and gray. Pretty easy to use too. Depends on the effect you want to achieve. I personally love to use color. Sometimes I set it to 1-5% to keep it subtle. Sometimes I do a lot more just to get a weird style. Experiment :)

Color style

Gray Style

The end

Thanks for diving into this exploration of Clip Studio Paint filters! I hope you found it insightful and practical for your creative endeavors. If you have any questions or need extra guidance, don't hesitate to drop a comment on youtube. I try to help if I know the answer.

 

Keep on creating and improving your skills!

Feel free to follow me on social media for more art-related content! 🎨