Comics are one of the reading elements that most manages to catch all kinds of readers, whether they are occasional or regular, young and old. Many of us may have had the idea of creating our own stories by giving free rein to our imagination, but we don’t have the right techniques for it. And that’s where various software for Windows comes into action that will help us throughout the creation process, transforming our ideas so that they are reflected on the screen in the form of comics and can be read.
The history of the comic industry dates back to the 19th century. It began to be read and carried anywhere through paper, but over time, like others, it has also evolved. Now, they are also available in digital format and can be created through different digital software tools.
Thanks to comics, comic strips or comic strips it is possible to transmit and adopt a wide reading comprehension capacity and analysis capacity, since these drawings are much more than simple vignettes with dialogues, having the capacity to attract all kinds of audiences.
Basic tips for making our own comics
When we get in front of our computer to create our stories, whether as comic strips or manga, it is important to take into account different elements. In general, the imagination and creative capacity is carried within or is developed over time, so it will surely end up appearing as we practice, since it will hardly be possible for it to come out the first time. That is why perseverance is something that we cannot miss.
We must also consider the vignettes of our comics as puzzle pieces that must fit together. That is why before launching to draw we must plan the entire process beforehand. For example, we can start by making sketches of where each vignette will go, highlighting those that are more important in a big way so that they highlight what we want to tell. This is a very common technique, especially in manga and superhero comics.
Another aspect to keep in mind is to try to use different points of view per page, so that we can give the reader a sense of space. Nor can we forget the meaning of reading . In other words, the movements made by the characters in the vignette go from left to right, so they can be read more fluidly. In addition, it is not forbidden to repeat, since, depending on each scene, especially where there is a lot of dialogue, it can be interesting.
Why use a comic software
When creating our work, we can opt for the classic paper and pencil or use a computer tool. These softwares will help us save a lot of time compared to manual drawing by providing users with a wide variety of tools that should be easier to use than the classic graphic design programs.
The idea of these programs is to provide users with the ability to create quality comic strip panels, being able to choose from a wide variety of styles in terms of color, shape and size, allowing us to print them at any time you want. we need They must also incorporate an extensive library of content and the necessary tools for its development.
In addition, the price is very important, and these tools should not be especially expensive since they may not be as complete as editing software, but they will help us obtain the desired results beyond our artistic abilities.
Beginner programs
Creating a comic can become more difficult if we don’t have the necessary tools and equipment. If we want to delve into this wonderful world, these programs are for us, since they are especially suitable for those users who do not have much knowledge on the subject.
Clip Studio Paint Pro, the most used to draw comics
We are talking about comic book software that we can consider ideal for anyone who has just started, and will make regular users of Photoshop or Illustrator feel comfortable with its use. It features a wide variety of painting tools and color options, as well as access to a free library of over 10,000 assets . It is optimized to be used with a mouse or digital pen, so any artist worth their salt will use one of these methods.
Clip Studio Paint gives us access to 36 pages of pre-designed comic panels , which can be a great help for beginners to start, while the most advanced can start designing their own from scratch. In terms of files, the software allows you to import and work with image formats such as JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PSD.
Although it is not the easiest program to learn, with a little practice and dedication to learn its tutorials it is possible to become an expert. It should also be noted that it lacks publication tools Clip Studio Paint is priced at 42 euros and from its official website we can download a free trial version.
Comic Creator Studio, ideal for children and adults
It is a program aimed at beginners as it is easy to use and provides a wide library of graphics with characters and fun scenes. It is perfect for both children and adults who want to get into creating comics.
It has a wide variety of pre-made templates, including page layouts and personas. In total there are 36 designs for comic panels and 50 people with five different poses. All of this may be enough to learn the basics of creating comic strips. It is possible to create practically any environment since it has more than 600 accessories , backgrounds and pre-designed background elements to be able to give color and beauty to our scenes.
The application also allows you to import TIFF and PNG files with your own character designs to integrate them into the vignettes. However, it should also be said that despite being a great option for beginners, its lack of illustration tools will frustrate more advanced users. Its price is 44.99 euros and we can buy it from its website , although it does not have any version to be able to test it previously.
Manga Maker ComiPo, to test comic or manga art
This software is a simple comic creator focused exclusively on manga and aimed at a young audience. It is ideal for anyone looking to try their hand at comic or manga art, regardless of their skill level or talent, as it has a wide variety of customizable features and a simple interface . It focuses heavily on customizing premade characters, so there are no brushes, pencils, or other drawing tools. Its various elements are placed in the frames and listed as layers.
The application only has five pre-designed characters. In addition, it is possible to create new characters as a result of changing from their hairstyle, accessories, poses and even specific expressions. It also allows you to add more than 1,000 sound effects to make them more attractive, as well as import photos and apply filters to turn them into cartoon backgrounds.
Among its drawbacks, it should be noted that it is only aimed at manga fans, and it lacks drawing editing tools, so given its lack of depth, it is not indicated for users with more advanced knowledge. Manga Maker ComiPo has a free trial version that we can download from its website. Its price is 45.99 euros.
Paintstorm Studio, economical and efficient
It is a multiplatform software and is characterized by having a user interface capable of making the entire creation process easy and simple. It offers an extensive brush pack with over 50 settings to tweak and customize for more precise results, so we can recreate the classic painting experience in a digital environment. It is capable of adapting to any style whether it be traditional painting, concept art or creating comics and manga.
Paintstorm Studio has custom panels, works with multiple layers at once, and custom hotkeys for any brush or slider. In addition, it also has a Mixer palette that will allow us to mix colors. But the best of all is its price, since it is quite cheap, since it only costs 19 dollars and allows you to download a trial version from the developer’s website .
Comic Life, create comics from images and fonts
This software is a bit different, standing out a bit from other market items we’ve seen so far. It has been specially developed to allow us to take different types of images and sources to give an animated effect to our story. To do this, it incorporates all the necessary elements to make our comics such as fonts, templates, panels, balloons, subtitles, letters, and even a spell checker, something that we probably won’t find in other programs of this type. Likewise, it also allows us to create our own page from scratch.
Its main characteristic is the possibility of creating our own comics from photos or drawings . In them we can not only insert dialogues and texts in the speech bubbles, but also allows us to change the type and size of the font, the color of the background, modify the style of the lettering and define the elements that compose it so that we obtain a result end as we have raised in our mind. In order to get the most out of it, it should be mentioned that it requires hours of practice and experience to be able to master it, and tools with which to modify the images are also lacking.
If we want to try Comic Life we can download a free 30-day trial version . Once finished, it will be necessary to buy your license that has a price of 30 euros.
Software for experts
These softwares are aimed at both professionals or advanced users who have knowledge of graphic design to create their works. They are not exactly cheap, but in return we will not miss any necessary tool for our creation.
Clip Studio Paint EX, improving the Pro version
We are talking about the updated and improved version of Clip Studio Paint Pro. What differentiates this EX version from the Pro version is above all its range of comic publishing tools , as well as its integrated manager, which will allow us to order pages of comics, number them and import hundreds of pages of text.
It also has built-in animation functions and a library full of 3D human figures that we can drag and drop into our scenes and customize them by adjusting their body positions. In addition, we can use it to import and export files of all major image types. In addition, we can use Illustrator and Photoshop files, as well as formats such as JPEG, PNG, BMP, MOV and MP4.
Clip Studio Pain EX has all the features of the PRO version + comics, webtoon and animation and is priced at 186 euros. We can also download a trial version from the author’s website .
Poser, especially aimed at professionals
It is one of the best programs for carrying out comics work since it can be used to create all kinds of comic strips and images, being especially aimed at professionals in the sector and becoming a benchmark within the industry. It can also be used by less experienced users since it has a fast and easy-to-use editing process.
It has more than a hundred categories and tools to choose from and even allows us to create all our images at once. This software offers us the possibility to quickly configure an approximate model of the drawing, place some figures and rotate the scene, move characters to the foreground or background, adjust their position in relation to the others, etc.
Poser Pro has a free trial version of 21 days that will allow us to check if this program fits what we are looking for. Once finished, we must acquire your license that has a cost of 249 dollars.
Corel Painter, make your comic a work of art
If what we are looking for is that our comics are authentic works of art, Corel Painter is one of the standards within the programs aimed at drawing and painting. It offers the possibility of creating high quality digital illustrations through its wide variety of brushes and canvas textures with which to obtain completely professional results.
It has more than 900 brush models with which to create artistic covers. It also allows us to import brushes or create our own, as well as create our comics by using photographs so that they look like they were made by hand.
However, we must bear in mind that it does not include tools to write our scripts nor does it include pre-designed templates for our comics, so everything we do will be done by hand and under our knowledge and artistic abilities. We can download a 15-day trial version from its official website . In order to continue using it later, we must pay for its license, which has a cost of 339 dollars.
Which is the best option?
As we have been able to verify, we have a wide range of options when deciding on a program that helps us with the task of being able to create and design our own comics, manga or comic strips depending on our degree of experience, since there are options that They can be used by beginners like others that are more focused on professionals or advanced users.
Most of these software have a trial version, which means that we can use it for a while for free and check first-hand if it suits what we are looking for without having to pay a euro. That is why, in case of doubts between several applications, trying it before will help us decide.
In the event that we have little knowledge of editing, but we want to give free rein to our imagination and be able to do digital work with vignettes, it is possible that the best option may be Clip Studio Paint Pro , which has 36 pages of panels of pre-designed comics that will be of great help to us and, in addition, their price is not too high.
In the same way, for more expert users, they can jump to the EX version of Clip Studio Paint and take advantage of the greater number of tools that it includes, although in this case, the price rises considerably.
