On the box of E-Frontier’s Manga Studio EX 3.0 software is the line “Your all-in-one solution: You no longer need multiple software programs to create manga!” Do not doubt it. While I found I could do just about anything that Manga Studio offers in other software platforms like Corel Draw or E-Frontier’s other amazing program, Poser 6, I needed all of those programs running simultaneously to create what I can now do in one package. The availability of Manga Studio will make life a lot simpler for many artists who have limited funds where buying multiple programs are concerned for their projects. Buy the EX version of Manga Studio, and you’re pretty much set up.

As an Visual Arts educator, I was interested in Manga Studio from the time it was first advertised on E-Frontier’s website earlier this year. I wanted to see if it would have anything useful to offer students seeking to develop skills in sequential art; whether it would assist them in their creative efforts, or simply provide, as animation historian John Canemaker put it “PHD- Push Here, Dummy!” solutions to problems they may encounter.

The answer is “Yes” and “No”. This program, developed from Comic Studio, its Japanese counterpart, still requires the user to plan the story, write it and create the artwork. Where the ‘PHD’ functions work, in page templates, screen tones and speed lines, among many other wonderful things, no one can argue that these are frivolous items. They save valuable time for the user, and help create great manga.

INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Manga Studio is easy to install- on my Pentium 4 with 250 GB on the hard drive and 2GB of RAM, it took about half an hour to load the first disk with the software. It did not require the disk to stay in the machine for the program to run. With the RAM I have, it goes smoothly. I would certainly take note of the fact, though, that, like other E-Frontier programs, while it will run with Windows 98, ME, 2000 Professional or XP, will support Mac OS X on a Power G3 or later, this program will need a good amount of power to keep going. It needs a minimum of 500MHz and 256MB of RAM to run, but the manufacturers say it recommends twice of each for better performance. Give it the power. You’ll be happier for it.

Another recommendation of E-Frontier’s is that you have a 32 bit flatbed scanner, and/or a tablet for drawing. Manga Studio allows you to draw with your tablet directly onto the pages you create- a nice touch for artists who use their tablets heavily. I prefer to draw out and scan my images, and found it supported this function well, allowing me to arrange them on the page- that you can create independently, or by using one of the many templates provided. The program also allows you to import numerous image formats directly, which can then be retouched in Manga Studio. For example, you can import a photographic image for a background as a bitmap, and then convert it into a halftone image to harmonize better with your drawn foreground elements. This saves a lot of time for those creating manga set in the present day, using recognizable locations. As all of your work is created in layers, you can adjust your background and characters elements separately to maximize their visual impact.

CREATING MANGA
Manga Studio relies heavily on the effective use of inking to convey the appearance and moods of the characters, and lines- halftoned or inked- to direct the action of the story and the attention of the reader. Manga Studio is well configured to handle both. Using rough pencil work, common among my students, you can create a layer and ink the images onto it, deleting the pencil foundation later in the creative process. I did not have much luck doing this with my tablet, but I don’t use it for that kind of work anyway. If you lack a tablet, I suspect you could, with much patience, achieve the same results with your mouse. Personally, as I clean up my work before scanning it, I don’t know how much use the inking would be in this regard. However, from reading NEWTYPE regularly, I noticed many artists carry out this function in the machine.

Where action lines, panel creation, speech bubbles and text are concerned, this program gives you creative freedom to design sensible and tidy layouts that are easy to follow, eye-catching, and visually beautiful. I used halftone screening when I was much younger, and thought it fiddly stuff to work with. Not any more, with 3000 tones in Manga Studio to choose from and taskbars to help you customize them further. Action lines are made similarly easy. I tried some sample tones and action lines and found them simple to work with. Having read how Japanese artists sweat over these details, using these computerized equivalents makes the creative process more enjoyable.

Images created with Manga Studio 3.0 EX Version

A HELPING HAND

Any issues I had understanding the interface were dealt with using the beginner’s guide that runs as an Adobe Acrobat file, and which I kept going in the background. I recommend you go through the manuals as you work with the program, because the screen can look very busy otherwise, with lots of buttons, menus, and general tools to confuse you. The program allows you to customize the interface, remember your favorite settings, and undo changes. It is set up to allow you to create a complete manga if you wish, add the dialogue in any font you want that is supported on your machine, and output the final product in a personal or professional format that will make your work competitive as either a large press or independently published work.

Now…what if you have trouble creating figures and poses from out of your head? What if you need to have a model in front of you, posed the way you want? My students have that problem in spades. When some of them do try to create poses from their imagination, the results tend to be stiff and unnatural pieces that detract from their story telling. Manga Studio offers a range of 3D models in the program- figures, machine props like a car, plane and tank, furniture, and other items that artists might need to compose scenes or actions. Now…that doesn’t mean those models can be used to supplant the drawing process. The figures are anime style mannequins. They can be posed, but you should dress and draw them yourself to make your manga creations more your own.

3D MODEL SUPPORT
If you are like me, and use Poser 6, you may be pleased to know Manga Studio will support imported 3D content from Poser or Shade, (which in turn supports some imported figures created in DAZ, Maya, Lightwave, and 3D Studio). I used Terai Yuki, a virtual idol from Japan I adopted from E-Frontier’s on-line store, located on the web at www.contentparadise.com, and found if I set her up in Poser and exported the model as an OBJ file, she loaded beautifully into Manga Studio. I could not adjust the pose further in Manga Studio, but I could rotate, scale and zoom in on the model in the page frame. When I completed the import process, the model was converted immediately into a half toned image. See the accompanying illustration of the warrior angel to study for yourself. Personally, I loved being able to do that, because now I can create manga using my other characters in the same way, and finally silence some of my tiny legion of fans who’ve been crying out for something other than novellas and calendars in the last few years.

TECH SUPPORT AND FINAL DETAILS
With any software, support for technical problems is always an issue. I’ve found E-Frontier to be great in that area. The manuals that come with their programs are easier to understand than some of the rubbish I’ve had to deal with. They assume less about the user’s background and try to break things down into manageable portions. However, there are still times when the cyber waters get a little deep, and I’ve had to e-mail them for help. They respond quickly, and thoroughly, and offer on the company website many useful on-line tutorials to help you maximize the program. For example, I just read one tutorial that showed how to create manga in colour, to satisfy the needs of artists who are not comfortable with the more traditional Japanese black and white format. If you register with the company, you are entitled to receive a useful weekly bulletin from Content Paradise that will offer these tutorials and invitations to participate in ongoing sales on the website. You will likely want to do this, because I find once you get into these programs, you will want to add on to them.

This is just a quick overview of Manga Studio. Screen shots and other technical information can be viewed at www.e-frontier.com, along with links to their other products- much of which is supported in Manga Studio. Included with this review, in addition to the Terai Yuki sample, are sample manga created using Manga Studio, included as bonus items on one of the software’s three disks.

There are two versions of Manga Studio available, each in Windows or Mac format. The Debut version markets at $49.99 USD and the EX version I tried retails at $299.99 USD. Believe me, if manga creation appeals to you, this is all money well spent.

SOFTWARE REQUIRMENTS
Windows
Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows ME, 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP Home/Professional/Tablet PC Edition
500 MHz Intel Pentium or equivalent processor minimum (1 GHz or above recommended)
256 MB RAM minimum (512 MB or above recommended)
2.1 GB free hard disk space minimum (2.6 GB or above recommended). Installation of application requires 80 MB. Installation of data requires 1.5 GB. Working space requires 500 MB or more
16 bit color (65,536 colors) display or above 1024x768 resolution
Pen Tablet (optional): WACOM Graphire/Intuos/Intuos2/Cintiq/PL series recommended
Printer (optional): 600 or 1200 dpi laser printer recommended
Scanner (optional): TWAIN 32 compatible

Macintosh

Mac OS X v10.2+
PowerPC G5/G4/G3 Processor 500MHz or above (1.0GHz or above recommended)
512 MB RAM minimum (1.0GB or above recommended)
2.6 GB free hard disk space minimum (3.1 GB or above recommended). Installation of application requires 80 MB. Installation of data requires 1.5 GB. Working space requires 500 MB or more
16 bit color (65,536 colors) display or above, XGA 1024x768.
Pen Tablet (optional): WACOM Graphire/Intuos/Cintiq/PL series recommended
Printer (optional): 600 or 1200 dpi laser printer recommended
Scanner (optional): TWAIN 32 compatible flatbed scanner