Mastering Clip Studio Paint E-Book

Bruna Belfort

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 487

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Packed with powerful tools for creating high-quality illustrations, Clip Studio Paint (CSP) is a digital artist’s dream, but truly harnessing its potential to transform your art requires you to master its advanced features and techniques. Written by Bruna Belfort, a seasoned digital artist with over 15 years of experience in creating digital art and a gift for making complex techniques easy to grasp, Mastering Clip Studio Paint is your ultimate guide to standing out in the digital art world.
This book guides you through efficient workspace customization, streamlining workflows, and organizing projects with precision, deepening your understanding with each turn of the page. You'll learn time-saving painting techniques, create clean line art, maximize layer efficiency, and customize brushes for advanced painting styles. The book allows you to explore 3D space and materials as you manipulate objects on the canvas, illuminate your artwork with 3D lighting, and create immersive backgrounds. Along the way, you'll gain insights into character design, environment illustrations, and digital painting that will expand your creative toolkit.
By the end of this book, you’ll be able to confidently tackle any creative challenge with CSP, optimizing your artistic process, applying advanced techniques, and adding depth and dimension to your artwork.

Leseprobe

Mastering Clip Studio Paint

Discover advanced CSP techniques to create breathtaking illustrations quickly and easily

Bruna Belfort

Mastering Clip Studio Paint

Copyright © 2025 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

The author acknowledges the use of cutting-edge AI, such as ChatGPT, with the sole aim of enhancing the language and clarity within the book, thereby ensuring a smooth reading experience for readers. It’s important to note that the content itself has been crafted by the author and edited by a professional publishing team. The images in this book were created solely by the author without the use of AI-based processing.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author nor Packt Publishing or its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

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First published: May 2025

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Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

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B3 1RB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-80512-403-0

www.packtpub.com

To my mother, Mary Anne, and to the memory of my father, Aliomar. Thank you for your love, your sacrifices, and the quiet strength that taught me to keep going.

– Bruna Belfort

Contributors

About the author

Bruna Belfort is a digital artist who specializes in character-focused and story-driven illustrations, with over 15 years of experience in digital media. Since 2021, she has worked with book publishers, comic editors, and independent writers to make covers, interior pages, character design, and character spotlight art. Bruna focuses on the use of light and color to tell stories, change the mood of a scene, and touch the audience’s heart. Her art can be found on Instagram at @brunabelfortartist.

Writing this book turned out to be one of the most fulfilling challenges I’ve ever taken on. It was far from easy, but the growth, discovery, and support I experienced made it all worthwhile. I couldn’t have done it without the incredible people who stood by me.

I’m thankful to my mom, Mary Anne, and my sister, Deborah, for supporting me in my artistic journey and frequently asking “How’s the book going?”. I know an art career doesn’t always make sense to you, and that makes me even more grateful for your support.

To my partner, Hugo. I can’t fully express how grateful I am for your constant love and encouragement. You believe in me more than I do and there’s nothing in the world I would trade for that.

To Juli, my best friend. Thank you for dealing with my insanity for over two decades! Our conversations always help me see the world from a new perspective.

Thank you to my dear friends who helped me laugh even when things were tough. I can’t name everyone here (what if I forget someone?), but when you read this, you know it’s you!

I would also like to express my appreciation to the entire team at Packt Publishing—especially my editor, Nathanya—for their guidance, patience, and dedication. This book would not exist without your assistance.

And finally, to you, dear reader—thank you for picking up this book and bringing it to life with your curiosity and creativity. I’m so glad you’re here!

About the reviewer

Shauna Hadinger is a 35-year-old full-time forgery investigator who spends her free time as an online hobby artist posting under the name @postingmyartxo on Instagram. She has been working on her art for several years and has read many art enhancement training books. This was her first-ever book review.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1: Workflow Optimization

1

Customizing Your Workspace for Efficiency

Understanding the basics of workspace configuration

Main canvas area

Tool-related palettes

Color-related palettes

Command Bar

Navigator and other reference palettes

Layer-related palettes

Other palettes

Configuring the Command Bar

Tailoring the Tool Property palette

Configuring my workspace

Summary

2

Streamlining Your Workflow with Shortcuts and Actions

Creating personalized shortcuts

Changing a tool temporarily with modifier keys

Getting the most out of auto actions

Using and modifying auto actions

Creating your own auto actions

Downloading pre-made auto actions

Summary

3

Setting Up Materials for Consistency and Speed

Navigating the Material palette

Creating Image materials

Making your own patterns

Creating seamless patterns

Applying patterns efficiently

Setting up templates

Registering other types of materials

Downloading and uploading materials in CLIP STUDIO ASSETS

Summary

4

Organizing Your Projects Effectively

Organizing your layers efficiently

Naming your layers

Color-coding your layers

Grouping layers

Non-destructive editing for a stress-free process

Streamlining your workflow with best practices

Maintain a consistent file structure

Use clear naming conventions for files

Save and back up your work

Review and reflect on your workflow

Summary

Part 2: Fine-Tuning Your Drawings

5

Unlocking the Full Potential of Brush Settings

Understanding brush dynamics

Pen pressure

Tilt

Velocity

Random

Angle Dynamics

Direction of particle Dynamics

Mastering brush properties for complete customization

Brush Size

Ink

Color Jitter

Anti-aliasing

Brush shape

Dual brush (2 - Brush shape)

Watercolor edge

Erase

Correction

Starting and ending

Anti-overflow

Creating custom brushes

Summary

6

Enhancing Your Lines with Vector Layers

Understanding what vector layers are and how to create them

Creating vector layers from scratch

Importing SVG files from other software

Converting raster layers into vector

Editing and transforming vector lines

Transforming vector lines with the Object sub tool

Editing vector lines with the Correct line tool

Erasing vector lines

Summary

7

Utilizing Rulers and Guides for Precision

Understanding guides in CSP

The Ruler bar

Guide lines

The Grid tool

The Ruler tool

Using Linear, Curve, and Figure rulers

The Linear ruler

The Curve ruler

The Figure ruler

Making the most out of the Ruler pen and the Special ruler

The Ruler pen

The Special ruler

Applying a Perspective ruler for dynamic images

Using the Perspective ruler for 1-, 2-, and 3-point perspectives

Understanding the parts of a Perspective ruler

Using the Perspective ruler in practice

Optimizing your use of the Symmetrical ruler

Summary

Part 3: Time-Saving Painting Techniques

8

Maximizing Efficiency and Organization with Layers

Navigating the Layer palette

The Layer palette’s menu

The Layer palette’s property bar

The Layer palette’s command bar

The layer list

Customizing your layers with the Layer Property palette

Border effect

Extract lines (EX only)

Tone

Layer color

Expression color

Display decrease color

Mask expression

Tool navigation

Overlay texture

Color mode

Optimizing your layers with pro techniques

Summary

9

Mastering Layer Blending Modes for Stunning Colors

Understanding blending modes

Enhancing shadows

Darken

Multiply

Color burn

Linear burn

Subtract

Darker color

Illuminating your artwork

Lighten

Screen

Color dodge

Glow dodge

Add

Add (Glow)

Divide

Lighter color

Refining contrast, hue, saturation, and color

Overlay

Soft light

Hard light

Difference

Vivid light

Linear light

Pin light

Hard mix

Exclusion

Hue

Saturation

Color

Brightness

Applying blending modes to a real painting

Summary

10

Perfecting Your Selections

Using the Selection area tool like a pro

The Rectangle and Ellipse sub tools

The Lasso sub tool

The Magnetic lasso sub tool

The Polyline sub tool

The Selection pen and the Erase selection sub tools

The Shrink selection sub tool

Mastering the Auto select tool

Using Quick Masks and Selection Layers

Quick Mask

Selection Layer

Optimizing your use of the selection tools

Practical uses of selections

Summary

11

Applying Color Quickly with Pro Techniques

Using the Lasso fill sub tool for quick color blocks

Mastering the Fill tool for fast painting

Applying Color Match and Gradient Maps for quick experimentation

Color Match

Gradient maps

Saving color sets for quick access to frequently used colors

Summary

12

Enhancing Your Art with Post-Processing Adjustments

Utilizing correction layers for final touches

Brightness/Contrast

Hue/Saturation/Luminosity

Posterization

Reverse Gradient

Level Correction

Tone Curve

Color balance

Binarization

Gradient map

Exploring filters for creative enhancements

Blur filters

Correction filters

Distort filters

Effect filters

The Render filter

Sharpen filters

Maximizing the Liquify and the Puppet warp tools for quick structural changes

Liquify

Puppet warp transformation

Summary

Part 4: Leveraging 3D Models and Materials

13

Manipulating 3D Objects on the Canvas

Introducing 3D materials onto your canvas

Mastering 3D manipulators for precise adjustments

Movement Manipulator

Object Launcher

Root Manipulator

Modifying the camera angle of a 3D scene

Maximizing the 3D material hierarchy for easier manipulation

Summary

14

Altering and Posing 3D Figures

Changing the proportions of your 3D figure

Altering the 3D body shape

Modifying a 3D head

Posing your 3D figure

Importing 3D poses into CSP

Setting up poses with Posemaniacs

Using Pose Scanner

Modifying 3D character poses

Posing 3D hands

Summary

15

Illuminating Your Artwork with 3D Lighting and Shading Assist

Setting up light in 3D space

Changing the main light source of a 3D scene

Adding ambient light and a secondary light source

Using Shading Assist for quick light experiments

Summary

16

Creating 3D Backgrounds

Crafting background representations with primitive shapes

Modifying a 3D Primitive’s shape

Altering the color and texture of a 3D Primitive

The Billboard primitive

Making complex backgrounds with multiple 3D objects

Using 3D Panorama materials for 360-degree backgrounds

Editing and creating 3D Panoramas

Summary

Index

Other Books You May Enjoy

Preface

Digital art has come a long way in recent years, and Clip Studio Paint (CSP) has emerged as one of the most versatile and powerful tools available to illustrators, comic artists, and character designers. With its vast array of brushes, intuitive interface, and growing library of features—including advanced 3D tools and customizable automation—CSP has become a cornerstone of digital workflows around the world.

This book was created to help you take full advantage of what CSP has to offer. Whether you’re already familiar with the software or just beginning to explore its capabilities, this guide is designed to walk you through the tools, functions, and strategies that can make your process faster, smoother, and more enjoyable. You’ll learn not just what each tool does, but how and why to use it in your creative workflow.

This book will help you to utilize the technical possibilities of CSP while maintaining the personal style you want to express through your art.

Important note

Clip Studio Paint and Clip Studio are the trademark or registered trademark of Celsys.

Who this book is for

This guide is for intermediate to advanced digital artists, illustrators, character designers, environment and prop designers, and comic artists familiar with CSP. You’ll be able to build on your foundation in digital media and CSP to fully personalize your experience with the software.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Customizing Your Workspace for Efficiency, will teach you how to tailor CSP’s interface to your needs so that you can work faster and stay focused on your art.

Chapter 2, Streamlining Your Workflow with Shortcuts and Actions, is where you will discover how to automate repetitive tasks and speed up your process using keyboard shortcuts and auto-actions.

Chapter 3, Setting Up Materials for Consistency and Speed, will show you how to save time and maintain consistency across projects by creating custom templates and tool presets.

Chapter 4, Organizing Your Projects Effectively, will help you to master file and layer organization techniques to keep complex illustrations clear, manageable, and easy to update.

Chapter 5, Unlocking the Full Potential of Brush Settings, will dive into brush customization to gain more control over your lines, textures, and painting techniques.

Chapter 6, Enhancing Your Lines with Vector Layers, will explore the power of vector layers to create clean, editable linework that’s easy to adjust without compromising on quality.

Chapter 7, Utilizing Rulers and Guides for Precision, will show you how to use CSP’s ruler and guide tools to create accurate shapes, patterns, and perspectives with ease.

Chapter 8, Maximizing Efficiency and Organization with Layers, will help you master the Layer and Layer Property palettes to streamline your workflow using features such as reference layers, masks, and layer color for better control and clarity.

Chapter 9, Mastering Layer Blending Modes for Stunning Colors, will show you how to unlock the creative potential of blending modes to add depth, lighting, and dynamic effects to your artwork.

Chapter 10, Perfecting Your Selections, will help you get precise with your edits and color placement by mastering selection tools and advanced selection techniques.

Chapter 11, Applying Color Quickly with Pro Techniques, will enable you to discover efficient methods to apply colors using smart tools and layer techniques that speed up your coloring process.

Chapter 12, Enhancing Your Art with Post-Processing Adjustments, will teach you how to elevate your final image using tonal corrections, Liquify, and other finishing touches to refine composition and impact.

Chapter 13, Manipulating 3D Objects on the Canvas, is where you will get hands-on with 3D objects as you learn how to move, scale, and rotate them for accurate perspective and quick scene building.

Chapter 14, Altering and Posing 3D Figures, will explore how to pose, customize, and adjust 3D figures to match your vision, whether for reference or final artwork.

Chapter 15, Illuminating Your Artwork with 3D Lighting and Shading Assist, uses 3D lighting tools and the Shading Assist feature to simulate realistic light and shadow directly on your characters and scenes.

Chapter 16, Creating 3D Backgrounds, will show you how to build environments using 3D primitives, objects, and panoramic materials to add depth and immersion to your illustrations.

To get the most out of this book

You will need a version of CSP installed on your computer—version 4.0 or above, if possible. All painting examples have been tested using CSP 4.0 on Windows. However, they should work with future version releases too.

Software/hardware covered in the book

Operating system requirements

Clip Studio Paint 4.0 or above

Windows, macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Android, or ChromeOS

You can see all the system requirements by going to https://www.clipstudio.net/en/dl/system/.

You will need the EX version to extract lines from images and 3D models (Chapter 8, Maximizing Efficiency and Organization with Layers) and use the All sides view palette (Chapter 13, Manipulating 3D Objects on the Canvas). All other features covered in this book are available in the PRO version.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Inside the Sub Tool Detail palette, navigate to Ink and set Blending modeto Erase.”

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

Get in touch

Feedback from our readers is always welcome.

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Part 1: Workflow Optimization

Before diving into the creative aspects of digital art, it’s essential to build a strong foundation that supports a smooth and efficient workflow. This part of the book focuses on optimizing your workspace and habits in Clip Studio Paint to help you save time, stay organized, and maintain consistency in your work. You’ll learn how to customize your workspace, set up shortcuts and actions, create useful templates and presets, and keep your projects neatly structured. With these tools and strategies in place, your creation process will become smoother and quicker, helping you get the most out of the software.

This part has the following chapters:

Chapter 1, Customizing Your Workspace for EfficiencyChapter 2, Streamlining Your Workflow with Shortcuts and ActionsChapter 3, Setting Up Materials for Consistency and SpeedChapter 4, Organizing Your Projects Effectively

1

Customizing Your Workspace for Efficiency

In the dynamic world of digital art, having a well-organized and personalized workspace is crucial for maximizing your efficiency and creativity. Clip Studio Paint (CSP) offers a highly customizable interface that allows you to tailor your workspace to suit your specific needs and workflow preferences. This chapter will guide you through the process of customizing your workspace, helping you create an environment that enhances productivity and minimizes distractions.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics:

Understanding the basics of workspace configurationConfiguring the Command BarTailoring the Tool Property paletteConfiguring my workspace

By the end of this chapter, you will know how to manipulate each panel and bar in the workspace, as well as understand how to use the Command Bar and the Tool Property palette for a smoother workflow.

CSP’s workspace is completely customizable according to your own preferences, and it’s important that you change it to fit your workflow. So, let’s get started!

Understanding the basics of workspace configuration

Workspace configuration in CSP is fundamental to creating an efficient and personalized environment for your digital art. By understanding how to customize and organize your workspace, you can enhance your productivity, streamline your workflow, and ensure that your most-used tools and panels are always within easy reach. In this section, we will cover the essential steps to set up and optimize your workspace for maximum efficiency.

When you first open CSP, this is what you see:

Figure 1.1 – CSP’s default workspace

This may seem daunting at first, but we’ll break it down so it’s easy to understand what each area represents. First, it’s important that you know what CSP’s palettes are—this is CSP’s name for each panel within your workspace. So, you have the Sub Tool palette, the Brush Size palette, the Auto Action palette, and so on. You can find all palettes in the Windowdrop-down menu.

Now that you know what a palette is, let’s explore the key components and customization options available in CSP’s interface.

Main canvas area

The main canvas area is the central workspace where your artwork is displayed. In the preceding screenshot, it’s the largest central area, surrounded by all the palettes. Its size is adjustable to fit your preferred screen size and resolution, and it offers options for zooming, panning, and rotating the canvas.

Now, let’s see the palettes on the left side of the default workspace:

Figure 1.2 – The left side of the default workspace

We will cover each of these palettes, starting with the one related to tools.

Tool-related palettes

There are three palettes applicable to all tools. They are as follows:

The Tool palette (the vertical bar with tool icons on the extreme left of Figure 1.2) contains all essential drawing and editing tools. On this palette, you’ll find your tools, such as Brush, Eraser, and Auto Select. Each icon represents one tool, and you can see the tool’s name in the Sub Tool palette, which we’ll cover in the next topic. The Tool palette is fully customizable and you can add, remove, and rearrange tools based on your needs—just drag and drop them. It also supports the creation of custom tool sets for quick access to frequently used tools. To create a custom tool set, click on a sub tool and drag it to your desired position within the Tool palette. A new tool will be created. Any sub tools you drag and drop into this new tool will become part of its sub tools.The Sub Tool palette is where you’ll find the name of your currently selected tool and all the sub tools that belong to it. A tool is a category, and the sub tools are specific instruments you can use in each category. For example, within the Pencil tool, it’ll show all pencil groups and individual pencils you have, and within the Selection area tool, it’ll show different options for selection:

Figure 1.3 – Different options in the Sub Tool palette, according to the selected tool

To use a tool, first select it in the Tool palette. A list of sub tools will appear in the Sub Tool palette for you to pick.

In Figure 1.4, you can see some examples. On the left, the tool is Brush and the sub tool is Round watercolor brush, and on the right, the tool is Blend and the sub tool is Blend.

Figure 1.4 – Options of sub tools to choose according to the tool selected

The Tool Property palette shows more detailed settings for each tool. This is highly customizable, and we’ll see how to use it for each tool in the next few chapters.

Figure 1.5 – The Tool Property palette

Besides these, there are specific palettes for some tools. One of these is the Brush Size palette, which is below Tool Property on the default workspace. It displays different brush sizes you can quickly pick. Now that you’ve optimized the palettes that control how you use your tools, let’s move on to the ones that control how you color with them—your color-related palettes.

Color-related palettes

There are seven color-related palettes. The one visible in the default workspace is Color Wheel. On top of it, you can see five tabs with different icons: each one of them represents a different color-related palette.

Figure 1.6 – Different color palettes

Each of them has its own role:

Color Wheel (Figure 1.6, top left): Shows a hue ring and value-saturation area, so you can pick whichever color you want. This is my preferred color palette since it lets me pick any colors intuitively.Color set (Figure 1.6, top center): You can create color sets, which are useful for frequently used colors and for when you have a specific color palette to follow.Color slider (Figure 1.6, top right): This lets you pick a specific color using the RGB, HSV, or CMYK slider. This is great for picking specific colors and making very small changes to it or changing only one of its elements—for example, desaturating it a little bit by moving the saturation slider in the HSV mode.Color mixing (Figure 1.6, bottom left): Like a real-life palette, you can add colors and mix them.Color history (Figure 1.6, bottom, second from left to right): This shows your history of colors, so you can go back to a previous one if you want.Intermediate color (Figure 1.6, bottom, third from left to right): This lets you pick intermediate colors considering the reference colors configured in each of the four corners.Approximate color (Figure 1.6, bottom right): Displays a grid of colors that closely resemble your current selection, arranged along two adjustable axes such as Hue/Saturation/Value or Red/Green/Blue.

Now that we have seen what’s on the left side of the default workspace, let’s see the top part, which is the Command Bar.

Command Bar

The Command Bar is a customizable toolbar that provides quick access to your most frequently used commands and functions. By organizing essential tools in one convenient location, the Command Bar enhances your workflow efficiency and helps streamline your creative process:

Figure 1.7 – The Command Bar

Located at the top of the interface, it provides quick access to commonly used commands. You can add or delete command icons as you wish. We’ll see more about it later in this chapter.

Navigator and other reference palettes

Let’s see next what’s on the right side of the default workspace:

Figure 1.8 – The right side of the default workspace

The first group, on top, is made of some palettes related to your current artwork or reference images.

Figure 1.9 – The Navigator, Sub View, Item bank, and Information palettes

The first one is Navigator (Figure 1.9, top left), which shows a miniature of your artwork. This is great for quickly seeing whether your image looks good from afar. If you zoom in too much, you might lose sight of your overall composition, and the Navigator palette is wonderful in that scenario.

Then, on that same palette group, the other tabs are the following:

Sub View (Figure 1.9, top right): You can add reference images to it. In Figure 1.9, I added a photo of a road as an example. It’s convenient to have your reference next to your canvas since it makes it easier to compare your art and the reference.Item bank (Figure 1.9, bottom left): This displays selected items for use in an artwork, such as 3D models and .clip files. This is great for comics, which can frequently use repeated items.Information (Figure 1.9, bottom right): This displays information related to coordinates, time spent, and the workload of the system memory.

Layer-related palettes

There are three layer palettes. On the default workspace, they are on the middle-right side (Layer Property and Search Layer) and bottom-right side (Layer):

Figure 1.10 – Layer Property and Search Layer palettes

Layer Property allows you to choose and change effects and colors on a specific layer. The Search Layer palette, on the other hand, is useful for finding layers with shared qualities, such as type.

Figure 1.11 – The Layer palette

The Layer palette is one of the most useful palettes while operating on CSP. It displays all layers in your document, including their hierarchy and properties. It’s customizable for managing layer visibility, opacity, blending modes, and grouping, and it includes options for creating, deleting, and organizing layers. You can make it as large or as small as you need.

We’ll see these palettes in detail in Chapter 8, Maximizing Efficiency and Organization with Layers.

Other palettes

There are many other palettes, including some specific for animation and auto-actions. What matters the most is that each of them can be opened and closed at any time and moved within the workspace to whichever position you prefer. To choose which palettes are visible and which are not, navigate to the Window menu and see the list of palettes. The ones with a checkmark next to them are visible, while the ones with an empty space are invisible. You can leave palettes as floating windows, like the Color Wheel here:

Figure 1.12 – An example of a floating palette

Floating palettes can be docked and undocked as you wish with a simple drag and drop. You can experiment with their positions and analyze which ones you use the most and what placement will make you spend the least time to reach them.

Once your workspace is set up to support your process, drawing becomes much more fun—and far less frustrating. Now, let’s take it a step further by customizing the Command Bar so your most-used tools are always just a click away.

Configuring the Command Bar

The Command Bar is one of the most useful and underrated parts of CSP. If you learn to use it to your advantage, it’ll make your workflow much smoother.

You can have single functions or groups of functions on the Command Bar. With a single function, once you click it, it’ll select that function. When in a group, when you click the group, it’ll open a menu so you can click the function. Here’s an example of a group:

Figure 1.13 – Example of a group within the Command Bar

You can add and remove commands easily. First, open Command Bar Settings. You can do so by clicking on File | Command Bar Settings, or right-clicking on the Command Bar and selecting Command Bar Settings. The following panel will open:

Figure 1.14 – Command Bar Settings

On the first menu on the left side, you can choose a category, such as Menu commands or Pop-up palettes, as you can see in Figure 1.14 (right side). Once you pick it, there will be a list of functions related to that category. To add or delete any of them, use the buttons on the right. Besides adding and deleting, there are buttons for the following:

Close: Closes Command Bar Settings. Click this once you’ve finished configuring, and it’ll save all changes.Settings: Modifies settings related to the Command Bar, such as the icon or name of the function.Add Separator: Can be used to create sections of similar functions.Insert into group(C): Used for grouping icons.

To group icons, follow these instructions step by step:

Open Command Bar Settings.Click on the desired icon that is already on the Command Bar.Click on the function you want to group with it. The Insert into group option will become available.Click on Insert intro group and press Close.Now, the first icon you selected and the new function will be grouped together.

Once you have modified which functions show up on the Command Bar, you can always drag and drop them to reorganize them as you wish, as long as you press Ctrl or command as you do it or have Command Bar Settings opened. If none of these apply, you will not be able to drag and drop.

Dragging and dropping icons on the Command Bar can have different effects on separators. If you drop an icon on a separator, it will create a new category. If you drop it on the side of a separator, the icon will become part of that section.

Some functions can be dragged and dropped into the Command Bar without opening the Command Bar Settings menu: Selection Launcher icons, tools, sub tools, and sub tool groups.

To delete an icon without opening Command Bar Settings, right-click the icon to display its context menu and tap Delete.

Figure 1.15 – How to delete an icon without opening Command Bar Settings

A cool feature you should experiment with is changing the color of icons on the Command Bar. That makes it very quick and easy for you to pick your desired function while painting. To change its color, follow these instructions step by step:

Go to Command Bar Settings.Click on the icon you want to change on the Command Bar.The Settings button will become available. Click on it.Icon settings will open up. Click on the Background color of icon box and choose your desired color.

Figure 1.16 – How to add color to an icon on the Command Bar

You can also add a personalized image icon if you click on Specify Image File…. This way, you can fully customize any icons inside the Command Bar.

In the next section, we’ll dive into tailoring the Tool Property palette, ensuring that your tools are precisely configured to suit your unique artistic needs and preferences.

Tailoring the Tool Property palette

The Tool Property palette is a powerful feature that allows artists to fine-tune their tools and brushes for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Customizing this palette can significantly enhance your workflow, making it easier to access and adjust the settings you use most frequently with each tool.

Each tool will show different settings on the Tool Property palette. Below are some examples:

Figure 1.17 – Different configurations of the Tool Property palette

In Figure 1.17, you can see examples of how the Tool Property palette changes depending on the tool. On the left side, we have a Brush; in the middle, we have a Fill tool; and on the right, we have a Selection tool.

Sometimes, there are more settings that are not visible within the Tool Property. You can see all possible settings inside the Sub Tool Detail palette, which can be opened by clicking on the wrench icon at the bottom right of the Tool Property palette. Below you can see the Sub Tool Detail palette (right):

Figure 1.18 – How to open the Sub Tool Detail palette

Inside Sub Tool Detail, there are several other settings. You can choose which settings will be visible on the Tool Property palette by clicking on the square box by the side of each setting. If there’s an eye icon within it, this setting is visible in the Tool Property palette, and if it’s just an empty box, this setting is invisible. For instance, in the following figure, Brush Size is visible, while Specify by size on screen and At least 1 pixelare not:

Figure 1.19 – The eye on the left side shows visibility

It is possible to lock the settings of a tool—just click on the padlock icon located near the stroke preview inside the Tool Property palette. Another option is going to Tool Property | Lock:

Figure 1.20 – Different ways to lock settings of a sub tool

When the settings are locked, you can still change the settings of the sub tool. However, the next time you select that tool, it’ll return to its locked settings.

Lastly, let’s talk about adjusting the palette layout for optimal workflow. The layout of the Tool Property palette can be customized to fit your needs—you can resize the panel and hide properties you don’t use frequently.

Additionally, you can dock the Tool Property palette in a convenient location within your workspace, ensuring that it is always within easy reach—it’s what I usually do. This level of customization helps create a more intuitive and efficient working environment.

Next, we’ll explore how to configure your entire workspace for maximum productivity, sharing practical tips and examples to help you create an optimal environment for your creative process.

Configuring my workspace

Now that you know all about CSP’s workspace, I suggest you experiment with different workspace configurations until you find one you feel comfortable with. I’ll share with you my workspace and the reasons behind it, so you understand my thought process and try to apply it to your own workflow.

In the next screenshot, you can see my workspace:

Figure 1.21 – My workspace. There’s a reason behind everything here!

I like having a dark workspace because my eyes are extremely sensitive to light, but I’ll keep it light in the screenshots for the sake of readability.

Important note

Although I prefer the dark theme, I don’t leave it at the darkest tone possible; having a workspace that is too dark or too light will change your perception of values and colors. I suggest you experiment with different tones until you find one that you’re comfortable with and that will not affect your value perception too much.

You can adjust how light or dark your workspace is by going to File | Preferences | Interface. Under Color, go to Interface Color and choose whether you want dark or light, and how dense it is:

Figure 1.22 – How to change the tone of the workspace

On the left side of my workspace, I only leave the Tool palette open. If you look closely, you can see that on its left side, there’s a very thin strip, which is closed because of the double arrow at the top of it. In Figure 1.23, I zoomed in so you can see it more clearly:

Figure 1.23 – This arrow shows there are hidden palettes here

When I click on this double arrow, it opens the Sub Tool palette and the Tool Property palette:

Figure 1.24 – How the workspace looks when those hidden palettes are visible

I leave it closed because I like having a large drawing area available, and these are palettes I don’t use very frequently. If I need it opened for a moment, I just click on the arrows, do whatever needs to be done, and then close it again. This way, I have more space for the canvas.

As for my Command Bar, this is what I have:

Figure 1.25 – My Command Bar

It may seem crowded, but it’s easy to navigate because they’re color-coded and separated by function:

File-related icons: I’ve added Create new from clipboard and Open for quick file management.Tonal Correction layers: I’ve placed the Tonal Correction layers I use the most, which are Tone curve, Level correction, Color balance, and Hue/saturation/luminosity.Snap: These icons are for snapping properties, so we have Snap to Ruler, Snap to Special Ruler, and Snap to Grid.Sub Tool and Tool Property palettes: I like keeping these palettes here so if I need anything quick from them, such as changing brush stabilization, I just click on the icon, change it, and it closes again, keeping my space clean. I only use those fixed palettes on the far left when it’s something that will take me a while to figure out and I want more space in the process, such as when I’m searching for a brush on the Sub Tool palette.Hard brushes: I keep my sketch pencil and cel shading brush here.Soft paint brushes: Here I keep my favorite brushes that have soft edges.Ink brushes: My favorite brushes with an ink-like nature, such as G-Pen, are kept here.Textured paint brushes: Here I keep my favorite brushes with texture.Decorative brushes for natural elements: These decorative brushes can be used to draw elements such as grass, bushes, clouds, and rocks.Particle brush: I use this brush a lot for finishing touches.Liquify: I use this for quick fixes in the proportion and structure. We’ll dive deeper into it in Chapter 12, Enhancing Your Art with Post-Processing Adjustments.Blending sub tools: This is used for smoother rendering.

Almost all my brushes are color-coded because this way, I know where each one is at a glance. I don’t have to look closely at the icon to know which is which.

For me, configuring it in this way was very instinctive, and I suggest you do the same. Just start adding your most-used tools and functions for which you don’t have a keyboard shortcut. Then, group them by similarities.

Now, on the right side of my workspace, I have Color Wheel and the Layer palette:

Figure 1.26 – The right side of my workspace has Color Wheel and the Layer palette

I like having the Color Wheel quite large so I can pick colors more precisely, and I also like having a lot of space for my layers, so the Layer palette is very tall. On the same panel as the Color Wheel, in different tabs, I leave the Layer Property panel and the color slider panel, which I don’t use very frequently.

Notice there’s a thin strip with double arrows near Color Wheel as well. These arrows open the Material palette, which you can use to find materials like 3D models, brushes, and patterns. We’ll cover the Material palette in detail in Chapter 3, Setting Up Materials for Consistency and Speed. You can see how it looks when I open it below:

Figure 1.27 – This is how the workspace looks when I open the Materials palette

When I’m working on a painting and I know I’ll frequently choose different colors, I remove the Color Wheel from the right side and leave it close to where my hand is while painting, as shown in the screenshot with the floating Color Wheel (Figure 1.12). This way, I make minimal movement to choose colors quickly.

Once you’ve configured a workspace you like, don’t forget to save it. Go to Window | Workspace | Register Workspace.

Important note

Whatever changes you make will be applicable to the saved workspace as well, so save different versions of it if you want to experiment.

And that’s it! These are the most important things you need to know about your workspace. Experiment a little bit, see how other artists organize theirs, and try to rationalize how you work and how you could reduce time spent choosing tools, picking actions, and so on. This way, you’ll be able to work more smoothly and naturally, without as much friction.

Summary

In this chapter, we explored the importance of a well-organized and personalized workspace in CSP to enhance productivity and creativity.

We began by learning how to customize the layout of the workspace, as well as what the palettes are and how they work. We’ve covered how to personalize the Command Bar and the Tool Property palette, ensuring frequently used tools and commands are easily accessible. Additionally, we looked at how I configured my own workspace and how you can apply this type of thinking to your own.

Now that you have finished this chapter, you have the skills to create an efficient and intuitive workspace that supports your unique workflow, ultimately enhancing your overall CSP experience.

In the next chapter, we’ll delve into streamlining your workflow with shortcuts and auto actions. These powerful features will help you further increase your efficiency by enabling quick access to essential functions and automating repetitive tasks, allowing you to maintain your creative momentum seamlessly.

2

Streamlining Your Workflow with Shortcuts and Actions

In the realm of digital art, efficiency and speed are crucial to maintaining a productive and creative workflow. Clip Studio Paint (CSP) offers powerful tools to help you achieve this by using shortcuts, modifier keys, and auto actions. This chapter is dedicated to teaching you how to set up and use these features to their full potential, making your artistic process smoother and more intuitive.

In this chapter, we’ll cover the following topics:

Creating personalized shortcutsChanging a tool temporarily with modifier keysGetting the most out of auto actions

These lessons are invaluable for any digital artist looking to optimize their work process. By mastering shortcuts and actions, you’ll be able to work more quickly and efficiently, allowing you to dedicate more time and energy to your creative vision.

Important note

In this chapter, any reference to the Ctrl key is equivalent to the command key on a Mac.

Creating personalized shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are customized key combinations that allow you to quickly access tools, commands, and functions without having to navigate through menus or toolbars. These shortcuts are designed to streamline your workflow, making it faster and more efficient to perform common tasks and actions.

Shortcuts can be used for a wide range of functions, such as selecting a specific tool (such as the Brush or Eraser tools), performing actions (such as undoing a mistake or saving your work), and navigating the canvas (such as zooming in or out).

CSP comes with a variety of predefined shortcuts. Here’s a list of some of the most useful predefined shortcuts:

Tool/Operation

Predefined Shortcut

Move (Hand)

H

Move (Rotate)

R

Selection

M

Auto select

W

Brush

B

Eraser

E

Blend

J

Fill

G

Switch main color and sub color

X

Switch main color and transparent color

C

Tonal correction – Hue/Saturation/Luminosity

Ctrl + U

Free transform

Ctrl + Shift + T

New Raster Layer

Ctrl + Shift + N

Create folder and insert layer

Ctrl + G

Clip to layer below

Ctrl + Alt + G

Merge with layer below

Ctrl + E

Select all

Ctrl + A

Deselect

Ctrl + D

Show/Hide all palettes

Tab

Increase brush size

[

Reduce brush size

]

Create selection from layer

Ctrl + left-click layer thumbnail

Table 2.1 – Some of the most useful predefined shortcuts

There are many other shortcuts. These are the ones I find most useful in my workflow. You can find all the predefined shortcuts under File | Shortcut Settings.

I suggest you try to learn two to three at a time. Don’t try to memorize all of them at once—it's a lot. Once a few of those shortcuts become completely automatic for you, try to incorporate new ones. The more shortcuts you use, the quicker your workflow.

Now, there may be tools and functions you want to use that don’t come with a predefined shortcut, or maybe you’ve been using a different software before and want to keep using the shortcuts you’re already used to. For that, you can easily change any shortcut to your liking.

To create personalized shortcuts, navigate to the File menu and select Shortcut Settings. Here, you can assign custom key combinations to virtually any function within the software. For example, if you frequently use the Advanced Fill setting, you can set a specific key combination to activate it instantly, reducing the time spent navigating through menus.

Here’s how to set up your shortcuts:

Open Shortcut Settings.Select the category of the function you want to customize (for example, Tools, Commands, and so on).Find the specific command or tool.Click on the Current shortcut field and press the desired key combination.Press OK to save your changes.

By thoughtfully setting up shortcuts, you can streamline your workflow and make your creative process more fluid and responsive.

As an example, here are some of my customized shortcuts:

Tool/Operation

My customized shortcuts

Zoom

Z

Blend

K

Liquify

J

Airbrush

V

Decoration

D

Reset rotation

Shift + R

Flip horizontal (canvas)

Ctrl + H

Flip horizontal (selection)

Ctrl + Shift + H

Change layer name

F2

Duplicate layer

Ctrl + J

Hide/show selection border

Ctrl + Q

Outline selection

Shift + G

Save duplicate (.jpg)

Ctrl + Alt + S

Close file

Ctrl + Alt + W

Table 2.2 – Some of my customized shortcuts

Some predefined shortcuts include more than one tool, such as B for Brush, Airbrush, and Decoration, so I also changed them. When it comes to defining shortcuts, I have two rules:

I only assign shortcuts to operations and tools I use frequently.Each shortcut is assigned to a single function.

Because of the rules I created, and also because I was already used to my previous software’s shortcuts, I have changed many of the original shortcuts to fit my workflow, as you can see in the preceding table.

Important note

When painting, pay attention to which functions and tools you use the most. Find out their shortcuts or create new ones for them. That’ll speed up your process a considerable amount!

Now that you’ve learned how to create personalized shortcuts to access your most-used tools and commands quickly, let’s explore another powerful technique: changing tools temporarily with modifier keys. This method allows you to switch between tools seamlessly, maintaining your workflow efficiency and enhancing your creative process.

Changing a tool temporarily with modifier keys

Modifier keys allow you to switch between tools on the fly without permanently changing your current settings, enabling quick adjustments and seamless transitions between tasks. This feature is invaluable for tasks that require frequent toggling between tools, such as refining details or making quick corrections.

You can assign operations to the Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Space keys, as well as the mouse wheel, right-click, tail switch, and touch gestures. With these, you can temporarily switch tools and change brush sizes.

For example: for the Eyedropper tool, I don’t use the original keyboard shortcut, which is the letter I on your keyboard. I prefer a modifier key, which is Alt. If I have a tool that uses color (Brush, Fill, and so on) and press Alt, it’ll automatically temporarily switch to the Eyedropper tool. Once I stop pressing Alt, it goes back to the coloring tool.

CSP comes with Alt as a predefined modifier key for all color-related tools, so don’t worry about having to make this change manually.

Here’s how to customize which keys serve as modifiers:

Navigate to File | Modifier Key Settings. The following dialog will appear:

Figure 2.1 – Modifier Key Settings

On the top-left side, you can decide whether to change modifier keys for general settings or specific tools. General settings applies to your workflow no matter what tool you have selected.If Tool-specific settings is chosen, new options will appear on the top right side. Click on the box next to Sub Tool – which shows Zoom In in Figure 2.1 – to choose which sub tool will be affected.Use Refine to specify which modifier keys are shown.Select a modifier key and what action it will take: Show Menu, Change brush size, or Change tool temporarily.

Here’s an example. Let’s say I want the middle click of the mouse to change the size of Soft Airbrush. This is how I would proceed:

Select Tool-specific settings.On Sub Tool, select Airbrush | Soft.Select Refine | Mouse.Go to Middle click | select Change brush size. This is how the Modifier Key Settings screen looks now:

Figure 2.2 – This is how you assign Change brush size to the middle click of the mouse

And it’s done! You can apply this step by step to whichever modifier key you want to assign a function.

After mastering the technique of temporarily changing tools with modifier keys for seamless transitions, it’s time to optimize your workflow further by taking advantage of auto actions. This powerful feature will help you automate repetitive tasks, enhancing your efficiency and consistency.

Getting the most out of auto actions

Auto actions are recorded sets of processes within the software that you can repeat any time you need those specific functions in that specific order. They are extremely useful for saving time. Figure 2.3 shows examples of how auto actions can affect your image:

Figure 2.3 – Examples of auto actions

At the top of Figure 2.4, the auto-action added a soft red overlay on the image. On the bottom, the auto-action added a golden glitter pattern on top of the stars, which had been previously selected.

Let’s say you’d like to add a certain pink tone to all your images. You do so by using Color balance layer, adding a New Raster Layer instance in Soft Light mode with a specific color, and then using a Level Correction layer to make the image brighter. You could do this long process every single time.

Or, instead of having to perform these actions and select individual settings every time, you could create an auto action of it and just press the Start to play auto action button:

Figure 2.4 – The Start to play auto action button

And CSP would perform all these operations automatically for you. Pretty neat, right? Let’s dive into how this works!

To open the Auto Action palette, go to Window | Auto action. Below you can see how it looks:

Figure 2.5 – The Auto Action palette

Each of these buttons on the palette has a purpose within the auto actions:

Switch action set to use: You can separate auto actions into sets, and this drop-down menu allows you to switch which auto action set is currently visible.Create new auto action set: You can create as many sets as you wish.Add auto action set: This allows you to import sets downloaded from the CLIP STUDIO ASSETS website, which we’ll talk more about later in this chapter.List of auto actions: You can choose which auto action you want to use.Start to record auto action: Use this to record operations into auto actions. This button appears after you have tapped the Add new auto action to current auto action button.Start to play auto action: Runs all the operations within an auto action.Add new auto action to current auto action: Creates a new auto action. After pressing this button, the Start to record auto action button will become available..Delete selected auto action: Select an auto action and press this button to delete it.

This is the basic structure of the Auto Action palette. Next, let’s see how to use and modify auto actions.

Using and modifying auto actions

Whenever you want to use an auto action, select it on the list and press the Start to play auto action button or double-tap the auto action. The operations of the auto action will run, and that’s it! No need for any extra work.

You don’t always need to run the entire auto action, though. On the list of auto actions, each auto action has an arrow on its left side. If you press this arrow, it’ll show or hide all operations of that auto action:

Figure 2.6 – Tap the arrow on the left side of an auto action name to see its operations

When the arrow is pointing to the right side, it means the operations are collapsed, as seen next to New Raster Layer (advanced). When it’s pointing down, it shows all operations, as seen next to Change use of layer color and Set draft layer.

If you click on any of these operations and then press the Start to play auto action, it’ll run the auto action only from that step onward and ignore all previous steps. Not only that: if you uncheck the checkmark on the left side of an operation, it’ll play all the other operations and ignore the unchecked ones. That way, they become even more customizable!

It’s also possible to change the order of operations within an auto action and even move one operation to another auto action. You just need to drag and drop them within the Auto Action palette. If you press Ctrl or Shift, more than one operation can be moved; however, multiple operations can only be moved within the same auto action.

If you right-click on an auto action, a menu shows up:

Figure 2.7 – The Auto Action menu

Notice this menu allows you to duplicate auto actions, move auto actions to another set, and more! Most of these are intuitive, but I want to explain Button mode. When you select it, the Auto Action palette changes and looks like this:

Figure 2.8 – Auto Action palette in Button mode

Each of these auto actions has now become a button, and when you click its name, it will run automatically.

To go back to the previous layout, navigate to the top-left icon on the Auto Action palette and click it. A drop-down menu will show, then you click on Button mode and it will return to normal.

Now that you know how to use auto actions, let’s see how to create your own!

Creating your own auto actions

When you have processes you frequently repeat, creating auto actions will surely save you a lot of time. It’s very easy to create an auto action:

On the Auto Action palette, press the Add new auto action to current auto action button.Press the Start to record auto action button (red circle).Make the operations you wish to record.Press the Stop to record auto action button (red square).

This is how it looks before and after recording:

Figure 2.9 – Before and after recording an auto action

And voilà! Your auto action is ready to go. All the operations you performed are now under the new auto action’s name, as you can see at the bottom of Figure 2.9. Whenever you want to perform these same operations again, just press the Start to play auto action button.

Now you know how to create any auto actions to fit your process. However, you might prefer finding auto actions created by other artists instead of making your own—or better yet, combining both! So, what should you do? That’s easy as well; let’s learn about it next!

Downloading pre-made auto actions

Downloading pre-made actions can save you a lot of time and help you explore creative alternatives to your processes.

To download them, you can go to CLIP STUDIO ASSETS and find thousands of auto actions. CLIP STUDIO ASSETS is an invaluable catalog for all sorts of CSP assets, including brushes, templates, 3D models, and much more!

To visit it, go to https://assets.clip-studio.com/