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What our customer's say!

"Good getting Started Book", Not all features (I am EX user) are explained in depth, and some of them are only noticed. But this book is for beginners. Complete deep reference would be 1500 pages, not 400.
So I just hope someday Doug will write "Manga Studio for Advanced Dummies" and would fill those gaps. I will buy it.

"Good book, but pace felt rushed.", Background:

I have just recently acquired Manga Studio Debut, since I'm running Leopard on my Mac, I can't use Manga Studio EX. In attempting to learn the software more quickly, I picked up a copy of Manga Studio for Dummies. I've had really good luck with Dummies books in the past, so this book got my first try.

First Impressions:

My first impression of the book was that it felt rushed. It tries to cover a good number of topics about the software package, but doesn't really go into depth about any particular feature. In several cases, there is one paragraph that goes over several features, without a good demonstration of the features being covered. Given the fact that this book was a dummies book, I had expected a more grounds up approach. I didn't find that. The approach of the book is really more along the lines of: if you've worked with another graphics editing package, like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. then use what you already know and here are some of the characteristics of this software that differs.

It's not a bad book, it just did not fulfill the task that I had thought it would.

Issues With The Book:

The legends. Or more specifically, the differentiation between EX features and Debut features. The book is in black and white. The legend indicates that EX features are in grey. I went through the book and only with some effort, was I able to see where the feature sets and coverage for one package and another one began and end. For someone using Manga Studio EX, this isn't a problem. For someone who is using Debut... it downright sucks.

Suggestions:

If you are looking for a Manga Studio book for the copy of Manga Studio you just got, this is, at this time, the only English offering out there. If you can read Japanese, you can look for Comic Studio (debut / EX / Pro ) books, which are in Japanese, and of which there are many many such books out there.

If you are the author, I would strongly suggest putting out a second revision with better division and/or visual isolation of what is a Debut feature and what is an EX feature. I would also suggest adding a start-to-finish on using Manga Studio (debut or Ex/pro) to sketch/draw and finish a whole page.

The flow of the book really didn't feel smooth. I felt like I was switching from reading a list of features with quick summaries to a two page write up of how some of those features, but not all, could be used on a sketch... except the sketch was just a bunch of circles and lines. One single picture of circles and lines. This didn't really help with illustrating what a particular feature did and how it would impact the drawing/sketch.

I'm a big fan of supporting authors and good books, but I'm sorry to say, I had to return this book. Instead, I picked up two other books on general manga sketch technique since this book, which I went to the stores to specifically find, just didn't provide the information I needed.


"Project Had to Go Into Print First", What the Boss wants the Boss gets. "Animation project has to go into print first," He says. Already had Moho/Anime Studio so went to Manga Studio EX. Debut wasn't going to handle it. Need to learn the software fast? This is the book. Not a lot of hokey gags throughout the book. Instead lots of good useful information about the software. How to try different ways for tasks so that you find the way the best works for you. So you can keep on drawing your Manag or ANY style with Manga Studio.

"Go digital with Manga Studio", If you are new to the Manga comic craze or an experienced Manga artist, this book by Doug Hills will show you how easy it is to go digital with Manga Studio. Hills started creating comics by traditional methods and converted to digital over the span of several years. After experimenting with different graphics programs, he finally decided that Manga Studio met his needs the most. He now shares his knowledge of the software as well as some hard-earned experiences gained along the way. He not only has written Manga Studio for Dummies as a training guide for Manga Studio Debut and EX but he also teaches more general information such as comic terminology and storytelling techniques.

For the beginners, Hills starts with the basics of Manga Studio such as the workspace, toolbars and palettes and points out how they differ from their counterparts in other graphics programs. Next, he covers scanning methods for getting your hand-drawn roughs into Manga Studio and how a pen and tablet can be your best friend. The third chapter is a quick-start guide that covers just enough information for you to create your first page in Manga Studio. You learn the basics of the Pencil tool for digitally drawing your roughs and then move on to the Pen, Marker and Fill tools for inking your art. Finally, you learn the Airbrush and Pattern Brush tools and techniques for adding screentones.

Once you are familiar with the basic techniques, Hills dedicates the next chapters to covering each major feature of the software in more detail. If you have used any graphics software, you will probably be familiar with most of the tools and their names. But Hills discusses how each digital tool takes on different characteristics specific to Manga Studio. For example, you have the usual raster, vector and masking layers in Manga Studio but Hills shows how to use layers for comic-specific tasks such as managing your individual comic-style panels. Also familiar are the digital selection tools such as the Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand, Quick Selection and Quick Mask. But, Hills discusses why these selection tools are so important for tasks such as adding screentones to selected areas of your comics.

I have mentioned screentones a few times. For those unfamiliar with these little gems, Hills covers this topic well with a discussion of just what they are and how screentones are used to add texture, color and detail to comics. The Text tool is next and Hills discusses the basics for this tool such as choosing fonts and formating, but he also covers comic-specific tasks such as word balloons. For those who have Manga Studio EX, Hills covers custom word balloon templates. Finally, he discusses more advanced techniques such as coloring your comics, special effects filters, and creating your own custom brushes and tone patterns.

Once your artwork is finished, it's time to publish your work. Hills discusses the many flexible publishing features in Manga Studio, the best output settings for home and commercial printers, and exporting your artwork in digital formats.

If I had one suggestion, it would be to include more visual examples in the book, for those just starting out in the Manga world. The CD does contain example images from the book and bonus chapters that cover using vectors, importing 2D and 3D objects and some general Manga background.

Doug Hills is the author and artist of two webcomics, Place Name Here and Chibi Cheerleaders From Outer Space. He is also a member of Ten Ton Studios.

"Thanks Doug, I needed that!", Whether you have the intro version of Manga Studio or the Pro version (EX), you will enjoy having this book handy. The cheat sheet alone is worth it..! ~8) As with all the Dummies volumes I possess the editorial staff has done a good job of helping the author outline and bring to clear focus the elements most needed to provide you with the answers to 'those mind numbing puzzles' we who enjoy such things as beating our heads into our keyboard at times, come across in our search to produce the 'COMIC of all comics'... I learned of this book on the Content Paradise Forum, having purchased a couple of e-frontiers products and desiring more input from fellow users of the Manga Studio software. It is only from those that have been working with the software for a bit that you get the nuances that are not normally shown face up,.. and thankfully, Doug had help from others like 'pencilkiller' as well with the main info. Get this book if you have Manga Studio (the debut version or the pro) or even if you are thinking of getting MS! Get this book, it will give you a HUGE head start. Good Job Doug!
One P.S. This software is NOT just for comix! It can be used for book illustration, architectural illustration, and commercial graphics (even logo design!) in combination with other graphics softwares such as PhotoShop or the GIMP, etc., so this book is invaluable in unlocking the 'keys to the kingdom' (so-to-speak)!