Manga Studio 4 Review

Yeesh, two months already? Well, that’s what I get for worrying about how to properly review Manga Studio 4, and not actually review it. You’d think that after writing a book, that writing a simple essay on if I like the program or not would be easy. Guess not.

So why should you upgrade to Version 4 of Manga Studio? Well, like all (okay, most) programs, the next version brings enhancements and additions — some slight, and some significant. I think what’s most important about this upgrade to Manga Studio is the streamlining that was done to help the productivity flow. These are functions and tools that I never thought of having in an art program, and now that they’re there, couldn’t imaging living without them.

A quick note before I get into the nuts and bolts of this review — this is going to be based on the Windows version of MS4. The Mac version just recently came out, but since I don’t own a Mac, I never tested it out. (you Linux users out there should be able to run MS4 through Wine).

Performance:
Manga Studio 4 is a very solid program. In the few months that I’ve had to beta test the program, it has only crashed on me once or twice. And I tried pretty hard to make the program crash. That’s a pretty good improvement over the previous version (as stable as MS3 had been for me, it crashed on me more times than MS4 has). I doubt that I’ll be any less paranoid about saving my work frequently, but it has been aa load off my mind that MS4 won’t crash on me if I look at it funny (unlike the experiences I’ve had with Corel Painter).

I tend to work in very high resolutions (10″ x 15″ @ 1200 dpi), so I’m working with pretty large canvases. Manga Studio 4 has been able to handle these pages with minimal problems, and that’s with working on both my desktop at home (dual core 64-bit processor, dedicated video card, 4GB of RAM), and my Tablet PC on the road (1.8 gHz single core processor, integrated graphics, 2 GB of RAM). Additionally, the program uses fairly low resources, and doesn’t bog down the rest of the system. So, whether you have the latest and greatest powerhouse, or a machine that’s more than a few years old, Manga Studio should work just fine for you.

That said, I haven’t tried using the program on the Netbooks that are out on the market, so if you have one and have installed Manga Studio on it, I’d love to hear how it works for you!

Windows 7 – I haven’t had the ability to test out MS4 on a Mac (since I don’t own one), but I did install it on the recently released beta of Windows 7. So far, so good — installation went easily, and there’s been no hiccups so far as far as performance. It looks like those that migrate from Vista/XP to Windows 7 should not have the issues that some had with MS3 when upgrading to Vista.

New Features:
So, I’m sure you’re happy to hear that the program should work on your machine. But you really want to know about all the new features that have been added to Manga Studio 4. The good news is that there are plenty of new features and functions to play around with. Even better, those that use Manga Studio Debut and are worried that EX users are going to get all the cool new toys can relax — the majority of the new features have been added to both versions!
These are a few of the features that I really enjoyed, and I’m sure you will too.

Improved Drawing Algorithm – This is a change to the program that you can’t see so much as feel. That’s probably an unusual thing to say about a digital program, but it’s definitely something that you’ll notice when you start laying down some inks. Celsys (the Japanese company behind the program) must have gone back and re-worked the drawing algorithm, because it feels more responsive (and frankly, more natural) when I first started drawing with MS4.

Color Layer -  A big limitation that Manga Studio 3 had compared to other art programs on the market is its lack of working in color. Sure, you could cheat your way around that limitation by assigning a specific color to an individual layer, but if you were going to work with many colors, that trick might not be the best solution for you. With Manga Studio 4, the problem is alleviated: In addition to the 1-bit (Black only), 2-Bit (Black and White), and 8-bit (Grays) layers, you now have a 32-bit Color layer. This new layer allows you to place all the colors you want onto one layer. So, no more tricks needed!

Beginner’s Assistant – Those that are new to Manga Studio, or those that might be put off by the number of palettes that clutter up your workspace will probably like the Beginner’s Assistant. This “sliding drawer” (ie: click along the side of the frame, and it slides in and out of view) takes many of the basic tools, options, and palettes, and combines them into a convenient area. It’s great for those that are starting out with the program, as is distills down what you need to create your work to your essential tools.

Those that are a bit more advanced might find the Beginner’s Asistant a bit lacking. Moreso, there’s no way to add or remove tools, so, you’re stuck with what they give you. All the regular tool palettes are still available, however — just open them up through the Window menu, and you’re good to go.

On-the-fly Frame Creation -  One unique feature of Manga Studio is the ability to section off the panels of your page into individual frames — each frame its own mini drawing area, with it’s own layers, rulers, and so on. Anything drawn outside of this frame is clipped off, which allows you to be as messy in your work as you want, and it won’t ruin other areas of the page.

In MS3, to create your panels, you would need to create a frame border ruler layer, map out your panels, and then convert them into frames. With MS4, the process gets a bit simpler. Using the Create Frame Tool, you use it much like the Rectangular Marquee: just click your starting point with your mouse/stylus, drag until the frame is at the size and shape you want, and release.

Ruler Handles – This is a function that I was quite happy to see added to Manga Studio 4. Previously in order to manipulate a ruler in the program, you would either use the Ruler Manipulation Tool, which could be a bit unwieldy at times, or use the Select Ruler Tool, and click & drag the line or point you want to adjust. Functional, yes, but it did mean you needed to switch tools, adjust your ruler, and switch back. If you had to make several adjustments at a time, it could get annoying.
MS4 introduces the very useful Ruler Hander (on the Main Menu, View –> Show Ruler Handles). Now, in order to adjust the ruler you’re working with, simply click on the Ruler Handle to move, rotate, and/or resize as needed. It probably doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re in a good groove while drawing, you want to minimize anything that could throw you off, and constantly having to switch tools to adjust a ruler can do that. Additionally, this gives you a more…organic feel to working with the rulers and guides. If you were drawing in paper with a ruler and needed to readjust it, you’d simply pick it up and do that. This Ruler Handle gives you as close to that feeling as a digital program can give you, and I think that’s one of the biggest improvements that could have been made to Manga Studio.

EX Only Features:
Those that have purchased the EX version of Manga Studio 3 enjoyed a few extras that Debut didn’t have. The biggest extra would be the selection of special rulers that would help you quickly draw your own parallel, radial, or perspective lines to give your linework more of a personal touch. You’ll be happy to know that Manga Studio 4 brings back all of these specialized rulers, along with a few new ones that I never even thought of having in my digital arsenal (but man am I glad I have now!)

Radial Curve Ruler – Much like the Radial Lines Ruler, the Radial Curve Ruler helps you draw your own starburst-style action lines. What the Curve Ruler does differently is give you the ability to curve the lines to your liking (hence its name).

Concentric Circle Ruler – This technical-sounding title is just another way of saying drawing circles and ellipses just became a lot easier. When created, you’re given a basic circle guide that you can resize/reshape with the Select Ruler Tool. From there, draw away! All lines will snap to the shape of the circle/ellipse.

Symmetry Ruler – I haven’t used this for anything in particular in my work, but I think that this could be useful for designers as a time-saving means of creating vehicles, spaceships, creature profiles, and so on. The gist of this new ruler is that what you draw will instantly be reflected by whatever number of points (or axes) you’ve selected. So, if you select the 4-point symmetry ruler, whatever is drawn in one point on the canvas repeated exactly in the other three.

Conclusion:
Manga Studio 3 is a great program. A solid program. A program that I think digital comic and manga artists really needed in the U.S. (let’s face it, not everyone can afford Photoshop or Painter). What Manga Studio 4 does is build upon that foundation that MS3 created. The result is an impressive program in its own right with many improvements, additions and enhancements. Should you upgrade? If you have the chance (or more importantly the money — the economy IS kinda rough right now), you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t purchased Manga Studio before, you’ll never find a better pure comic/manga art program at such a low price (even the EX version at $300 is cheaper than most of the high-end art programs, and the Debut version at $50 is a downright steal).

Purchase either version from Smith Micro’s website.