Manga Studio EX 4 (Win/Mac) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is really terrific stuff. I was impressed by EX3 but this new release blows that out of the water. EX4 is exceptionally feature-rish and powerful.
My only one complaint - that cost it from getting 5-stars (for me anyway) - was the situation with the Manual. Using this software is bordering on taking a University course and to expect us to traverse the package via a PDF manual is ludicrous.
I shot off the PDF Manual to Kinkos and had a double-sided, laser color copy made made within a few hours. And yes, of course that then cost me MORE than I paid for the software itself (the manual is hundreds of pages long) but I have no regrets whatsoever. No books on Manga Studio that I could see - unlike Smith Micro's other packages such as POSER and Anime Studio, which I also own.
Classy, solid software that performs.

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Manga Studio EX 4.0 delivers powerful, cutting edge features for Manga and Comic artists alike. Manga Studio EX 4.0 offers thousands of screen tones, professional coloring tools, built in 2DLT and 3DLT rendering capabilities, advanced vector tools and image filters. Manga Studio EX is the leading comic software worldwide, making it the ideal tool for professional Comic and Manga artists.


The leading comic and manga creation software worldwide.
Choose from over 3,000 screen tones or create your own.
Resize with no loss in quality by converting your bitmap drawings to resolution-independent vector images.
Export to a wide variety of formats such as BMP, JPEG, PNG, PSD, TGA, EPS (monochrome only), TIFF, PDF and PICT (Mac only).
Draw naturally with a pen tablet and recreate the sensation of drawing on paper offering an incredibly natural drawing experience.
Simplify your layout and design process with easy to use features such as a variety of built-in rulers that save you time.
Color artwork using the integrated tool set enabling you to mix and blend for custom color work.
Convert 2D images to line and tone data by using the 2DLT Rendering function.
Import 3D objects and easily transform them into tone and line drawings by using the 3DLT Rendering function.
Add speed line and focus line effects in seconds to express motion or moods.
Work with precision using unlimited layers.
Select from a suite of advanced filters to quickly apply distortions and special effects to your artwork.

New and Updated features Manga Studio EX 4.0 allows you to create professional, ready to publish manga and comics.
NEW! Professional Color Set Choose from literally millions of colors and create your own color sets. Includes dodge, burn and color blend tools.

UPDATED! Additional Word Balloons Add word balloons with ease by dragging and dropping any of almost one hundred preset editable word balloons. Freely adjust the font, size, style and spacing of the text and add a curved or straight tail.

NEW! Vector Toolkit Speed up production using the built-in vector tools such as "Show Center Line" which makes spotting trouble areas in need of smoothing, a breeze.

UPDATED! Additional 3D Objects Manga Studio EX comes with over 550 built-in 3D Objects. Quickly, position, rotate and adjust them on your page. Convert them to line and tone data and use them as backgrounds and props for your drawings.

NEW! Professional Filter Set Manga Studio EX now offers a suite of advanced creative filters. Quickly distort images, adjust hue and saturation, or add rain and sparkle effects to your artwork.

UPDATED! More export formats In addition to the existing BMP, JPEG, PNG, PSD and TGA formats, Manga Studio EX 4.0 now offers the ability to export your artwork as TIFF, EPS (monochrome only), PDF and PICT (Mac only) formats.

NEW! Story Editor Enter and edit the text for your entire story and distribute across pages using the Story Editor in Manga Studio EX.

NEW! Advanced Text Input Manga Studio EX now allows you to enter text directly on your page using a standard text tool. You can also quickly add special characters and with support for many characters such as Katakana and Hiragana, Manga Studio EX is better than ever!

NEW! Mesh Transformation Use the Mesh Transform tool to modify screen tones to better showcase clothing textures by giving them a wrapping appearance.

NEW! Special Rulers Choose from a variety of rulers, including symmetry rulers, radial line rulers and concentric circle rulers that speed up production.

UPDATED! Extra Pattern Brushes Choose from 80+ customizable pattern brushes. Adjust the size, color and angle quickly using the sliders to create an almost unlimited number of unique effects.

Note: Register your product within 30 days of purchase and receive the Manga Studio EX Content pack valued at $39.99 for free. This package includes 20 3D models, over 100 background templates and over 100 Power templates. Information regarding registration and how to redeem your content pack are included with your purchase.

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eFrontier Anime Studio Pro (Win/Mac) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When it comes to 2D animation software, your choices are 1) Anime Studio for Windows and Mac OS X, 2) Toon Boom, for Win & Mac, and 3) KToon for Linux. Both of the other two are cell based animation where you draw the same character over and over in a new cell moving body parts as you go. I personally find this tedious and redundant. Anime uses the bone concept found in 3D programs that bends the vector shaped
drawing with the bones as you move them. You only need to set key frames. So this means all the frames between the key frames you set are calulated by the computer and you do not have to re-draw them. It lets the computer work for you, not just be a painting tool. While cell animation seems to bring traditional paper/pen artwork concepts to ther computer, the computer is not working for you as much as it is with the bone concept.
If you buy from Amazon you get the MAC & WIN version on the same CDROM, if you download from the manufacturer you get only one version.
The hardest part of character animation is lip-sync'ing, Magie Pro alone is as much as this software, this comes with Papagayo which is open source. I had to find an old Papagayo for my older Mac OS X version 10.3.9. I also use the built in amplitude lip syncing because is 'good enough' with out worring too much about the exact sounds. Less mouth flapping is sometimes better.
This is a wonderful program, a bit ahead of its time, and very stable.

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Create professional animations from start to finish with Anime Studio Pro, the all-in-one solution for creating anime, cartoon and cut out animations.Anime Studio Pro’s unique point-and-click rigging with bones quickly animates 2D imagery into dramatic life! Start from megabytes of included content, work in vector-based layers, choose from professional special effects and scripting to help create animations of any length, fine-tune your animations with timeline controls. Photoshop integration to import 2D art or use draw/coloring tools, import 3D imagery (OBJ), AVI and QuickTime, add WAV and AIFF soundtracks, export stills in 2D or layered PSD files, and animations as QuickTime, AVI or SWF.

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Manga Studio Debut 4 (Win/Mac) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you want a toy, then get this version, but if you'd like a really great tool for drawing manga, then get the EX version. The EX version may be much more expensive, but if you're a serious artist, then you might as well throw away your money if you're going to buy this version. To give you an example of how many features that this version is missing: it doesn't have vectoring, an eyedropper tool, or even a gradiation tool! Check the website's manual for a list of features it doesn't have.
Skip this version, buy the EX version.

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Manga Studio Debut 4.0 is your all-in-one solution for stunning, ready-to-publish manga and comics. Invigorate your artwork using color, express motion using speed lines, apply dimension with screen tones and add dialog through built-in word balloons. Manga Studio helps you create professional manga and comics from start to finish!

Complete artistic control Sketch original art with a mouse or tablet, scan in existing art, or import artwork or graphics to get started. It's easy with Manga Studio Debut!
Design with attention to detail Choose from over 2,300 professional-grade screen tones to add dimension, depth and character to your art.
Invigorate your drawings Easily color and fill your manga or comic using the integrated color set, advanced shading tools, and pattern brushes.
Bring your Characters to Life Pre-designed word balloons allow you to quickly add dialog to your creations.
Apply special effects Add focus and speed line effects in seconds to express moods or motion.
Publish your work Output professional quality manga for print or web in various file formats. Manga Studio Debut exports JPG, BMP, PSD, TGA*, PNG*, TIFF* and PICT* files.
*Mac-only publishing format.
Get fast results Perform complicated tasks with a single mouse click. Double your productivity by reusing design elements in a flash!
New and Updated Features Manga Studio Debut 4.0 provides a fun, straightforward way for you to start creating your own comics today.
New--Beginner's Assistant and dynamic help With Manga Studio's built-in Beginner's Assistant interface, commonly used tool palettes are grouped together. Dynamic help offers instant access to information about tool palettes and menu options. Getting started has never been easier.
New--Color Palette Color your artwork using the integrated color set. Choose from preset colors or create your own and add custom effects to your artwork.
New--Built-in Word balloons Add word balloons with ease by dragging and dropping any of almost one hundred preset editable word balloons. Freely adjust the font, size, style and spacing of the text and add a curved or straight tail.
New--Advanced Text Input Manga Studio Debut now allows you to enter text directly on your page using a standard text tool. You can also quickly add special characters and with support for many characters such as Katakana and Hiragana, Manga Studio Debut is better than ever!
Updated--More Screen Tones and Patterns Choose from over 2,300 screen tones, a variety of special effects and comprehensive pen and brush tools, including over 80 customizable pattern brushes. Create and customize virtually unlimited combinations of patterns to create unique effects.
Updated--Additional preset page templates Choose from over 160 built-in page templates for your page or story, or add your own customized pages and save them as templates.
Note: Register your product within 30 days of purchase and receive the Manga Studio Debut Content pack valued at $19.99 for free. This package includes over 100 background templates and over 100 Power templates. Information regarding registration and how to redeem your content pack are included with your purchase.

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