I got a demo of Smith Micro's Manga Studio 5 earlier this week, and came away impressed -- rarely does one application pack in so many advanced features for professionals while still remaining accessible to hobbyists. No wonder it's the industry standard software for creating not just manga (traditional black-and-white Japanese comics) but also graphic novels, web comics, and comic books. I just wish I could draw.
More screenshots in the gallery below!
Manga Studio 5 gets an all-new interface, which reminded me of Photoshop or Illustrator: tools on the left, layer palettes on the right, art in the middle. It's more powerful than previous versions thanks to 64-bit architecture and multi-core CPU support. Naturally, Smith Micro works closely with Wacom, makers of the best graphics tablets, to support all the features of the latest multi-touch Bamboo and Intuos models. (Smith Micro is even giving away a Wacom Cintiq display tablet, and limited edition Axe Cop posters created with Manga Studio 5, in the Launch Sweepstakes. Click for more details.)
Traditional manga is black-and-white, but Manga Studio also lets you use color, and the color tools are improved in this version, so you don't need to export to an app like Painter to color your work. You can even blend colors together. It's got air brushes, vector tools, easy dialog balloons, speed lines, help to draw concentric circles, patterns, you name it. Both the interface and the tools can be customized to your exact workflow, and for the first time Manga Studio 5 lets you share those custom brushes and tools with other users.
But most impressive, especially to someone like me who can't draw, are the 3D tools. Say you want your character to be in a certain pose; you can see it in your head, sort of, but it's tricky to draw. Manga Studio 5 has 3D dummies you can pose to your heart's content, then drop into your art and draw over, for a realistic pose every time. It's even got fully baked manga-style characters, with dozens of facial expressions, hair styles, body types, and clothing styles, ready to go. They even let me play with Quma, a 3D input device that's basically a posable doll connected to the Mac by USB: as you pose the fully articulated limbs and head, your 3D character in Manga Studio 5 matches the pose. Quma is so far only available in Japan, where it retails for around $500, but don't be surprised to see it here soon.
There's a lot of power here, but at $79.99 Manga Studio 5 is accessible to amateur artists as well. It's available now (existing users can upgrade for $49.99), and we should have a full review coming when I can find someone who can draw better than I can. Or, you'll see my stick-figure, uglier-than-XKCD-and-not-half-as-clever comics in a future issue of Mac|Life.
