In my never-ending quest to find ways to make producing comics faster and easier, I have come across many different methods and programs. Some I have embraced more readily than others. Every artist has his or her particular likes and dislikes, and luckily we work in an industry that allows for a certain level of flexibility in our methods. Me? I’m all about the magic thinking box (computer) and what it can do. This tutorial will give you a smattering of TokyoPop & eFrontier’s Manga Studio. As a manga artist and toner it has become essential to my work. So here is it. Take it all in, and maybe you’ll find you can make a little magic of your own!

1. One of the more useful functions of Manga Studio is the Story function. It provides the ability to collect all your line art, be it drawing it in the program or importing it from an outside source (like a psd file). Simply go to File—New—Story and you get to New Story options. You can also make single pages if you choose the option Page instead of Story.

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2. Once in the New Story window, you can manipulate the options to whatever specifications you want. You’re going to want to tone at print size to prevent the dreaded moray patterns. So keep that in mind. TokyoPop’s dimensions are as follows in inches: Resolution: 1200dpi, Page Size: 5.25x6.9375, Inside Dimensions: 5x7.4375, Basic Frame: 4.25x6.9375.

3. Lastly choose how many pages you want to start off with the drop down window in the upper right corner in Page Settings. Voila! Now you can jump around from page to page with ease without having to open new pages and do the process over and over again.

1. What once would take you hours of painstaking ruling and measuring is as easy as pie with Manga Studio. With your fresh page ready and waiting for you, simply go up to Layer—New Layer. In the New Layer window click on Panel Ruler Layer in the drop down Layer Type menu.

2. Now you have a blue outline following the contours of your Inside Dimension frame making one large panel. How do I cut this up you ask? Simply select from the Tools window the Panel Ruler Cutter.

3. Use it like a Poly Lasso tool across the screen and you get insta-panel! Cut up the page until you have all the panels you need.

4. To adjust the width of the panel gutters horizontally or vertically, simply type in the number values in the Tool Options window. It’s as easy as that.

1. Toning is as simple as dragging and dropping. Manga Studio comes with a vast collection of ready-made tones. From basic dot grain, to elaborate backgrounds and effects, it’s all a matter of searching though the library to find what you desire! Just take a look and find all those wonderful and unique tones you see in print.

2. Should you not be able to find a suitable tone through all the selection, have no fear! You can make your own. In your Tones windows select the User—My Tone folder. Once selected a new icon should light up, the checkered New Tone icon. 

3. The Layer Properties window will change. Select BG in the Tone Mode drop menu. A little open folder icon should appear. Simply click on the icon and find the image you wish to convert into a tone. Like pulling rabbits out of a hat, you have a perfectly viable tone that will function like those archived.

4. Once you have selected or made a tone and dropped it into your selection, you have the option to manipulate the tone in the Layer Properties window. Click on the Tones tab and all your options for the tone will appear. You can turn the image to any angle you wish. You can decide if the tone is made up of dots or crosses. You can even adjust the brightness and contrast as well! You can even turn the black tone white for those black panels.

1. Tired of all the anchor points and merging paths when making word balloons? So am I. Manga Studio makes it easier. Just select the Text tool from the Tools window. Once you click where you want the text, the Layer Properties window should change. Just write or paste your desired text. Use the options above to change the font, the text size, text color, alignment, etc.

2. Once you have completed your text it is time to give it a balloon. Once you finish writing the text, a new tab should appear in the Layer Properties window. Once you click on it, a new litany of options appears with a balloon. Check the Fit Text box and the balloon will fit like a glove.

3. The Add Tail button does what it says it does. A little box will appear in the center of you balloon. Drag the box out to make the tail in whichever direction you want. To curve the tail, drag on the new box between points. And you are done! There will also be a selection of different balloons for those special folks that get the EX version of Manga Studio.

1. For anyone who has ever tried to do speed and focus lines, you know the headache it can be. Here, simply make a new layer and select Filter—Render—Focus Lines or Speed Lines. Speed lines are the lines that move (mostly) parallel to each other, while focus lines come to a point. 

2. A new set of options should appear in the Layer Properties window. All the sliders and numbers will effect how your lines will look and move, so have fun and mess around.

3. The icons in the upper left corner will become your friends as you get more comfortable with the program. Both Speed and Focus Lines have the Hand tool, which moves the canvas and the Move tool, which moves the Focus point and baseline.

4. Here are examples of Setup Slider Fun! Give you a taste of what you can do in a matter of moments.

5. The also share the Draw Position Move tool, which will manipulate the shape of the focus point or baseline like a pencil or an eraser tool. The Focus lines option has the circular Draw Position Transform oval icon, which can change the focus point not only in size but shape. This is one of those tools that you can have a lot of fun with. Enjoy!

Makes you want to run out and get it doesn’t it? You should! One can never accumulate enough tools as a comics and manga artist. Make it your mission to find a better, faster and more efficient way to get all those stories out! It might just be the thing you need to see yourself in print. And with that, good luck and happy drawing!