Clip Studio: how it all started.
So, it’s already been 4 months since I’ve got a Cintiq Companion and installed Clip Studio on it and I barely even used it.
Of course, the minute I got it I tried to draw something. Something like this on the right.
I was particularly attracted by the tools and image database and the possibility to use vectors.
Well, it took me just a bunch of seconds to be disappointed: after a fair amount time spent researching I finally got it: Clip Studio is not a software for vectors. It pixelates a lot. And when I say A LOT I mean already at 300%. A lot.
I wasn’t disappointed at the database: there’s really everything you might need for drawing. Even the wildest and most useless feature you can image it’s there.
And this actually turned out to be another problem for me.
Coming from Photoshop, I was really hoping to get something simplified and made easy just for drawing. Well… Clip studio is not only not simple, but it’s actually a real maze. I mean, you can do so many things with it I wouldn’t be surprise that you could actually customize the room temperature and your breath’s intensity on the canva any time soon. I guess if you grew up with the tool (like you had more ancient version and followed up when they were adding ones) it’s awsome, but for someone coming from the ‘outside’ it’s really scary.
I wasn’t ready to give up my dream of using the perfect tool and improve my skills in the process so I found myself tutorials.
And there, there I have found my drawing hell.
No matter what setting I would use (Windows settings/Wacom settings or Clip Studio settings) my pro pen didn’t work.
I use a fair amount of key shortcuts, but the idea of the Cintiq Companion was basically that I could draw anywhere, which means no keyboard available. Is it asking too much to make this possible? I don’t know, maybe.
In any case my pro pen wasn’t there. My usual settings (modify brush size on a button and erase with another one) were working everywhere on my computer, even in Clip Studio itself, but on the canvas.
A Wacom pro pen bug’s life.
In the beginning I thought it was a compatibility bug.
Too much stuff on the plate: Windows’ OS, Wacom’s management software, Clip Studio, Photoshop…
So I searched and searched the web. I uninstalled and reinstalled stuff. I downloaded the latest drivers of anything.
I actually found other people with similar if not exactly the same issue and try the solutions they offered, with zero results.
I was starting to get really frustrated and my Cintiq was getting dusty in a cupboard.
Why oh why everything was working but the thing that I can’t do without?
So I tried to shape my workflow to adapt it to the new tool: learn the new shortcuts and watched a couple of other tutorials.
Even though vectors aren’t perfect and menus are a bit crazy the software is so full of possibilities and is so promising.. I don’t want to miss out a chance to step up my game!
NOTHING.
I just couldn’t.
I needed to keep on drawing and maintain my publishing schedule and at the same time learn a new software full of… bugs?
The Cintiqu stayed in the closet 2 more months.
It stayed there since 2 weeks ago, when I decided to try one last time before giving up.
Pro pen bug with Clip Studio: challenge accepted!
So it was on.
Me against dozens of developers. Actually hundreds of developers! But I had it to myself >:(
This epic clash started with the usual: checking forums, opening menus, reinstalling stuff. It went on for 2 weeks until a fellow Webtoon creator decided to help me and asked a friend of hers if he knew this bug.
He suggested a fixing that I couldn’t perform but while looking for a specific menu I was supposed to use to fix my problem I came into my salvation. Like this, by chance!
In the main ‘File menu’ I went to “Modifier Key Settings”.
Then, I selected ‘Common settings’ in order to show the other submenu (yeah, obviously ‘settings for each process of tool’ is the default option, so I first run into that and spent like 20 minutes trying to understand what was that about).
Finally I scrolled down all my options and got to ‘Right click’. Here it stroke me: the default setting was the color picker, exctly what I had (instead of the options I selected)!!!
So I changed it to “change brush size”… and not only my pro pen finally worked, but everything else (eraser and other things) was fixed too!!!!
What I learned in trying to learn.
My Wacom pro pen being fixed, I can now start learning how to make the best out to Clip Studio.
I never thought this day will finally come!
I stick to my idea that this maze of menus and submenus is useless and it’s a bad point for the software.
It’s basically saying: there are like 20 professional artists that need all of these features (on earth), so we need to have them.
No men, you don’t.
I was one step away to sell my Cintiq and to uninstall your software forever.
I really hope this post will avoid any other artist to loose even a SECOND of their precious time on the fact that a sadistic developer decided to put under “File” > “Modifier Key Settings” > “Common settings” > “Right click” a default setting that NO ONE will EVER use (but like nevereverever) and suck the life out of some unlucky idiot (me).
So be sure that I will do the best to make all these efforts worthy and see you at my upcoming new projects announcement 😉
