Before installing Clip Studio Paint, we need to ensure that our computer hardware is capable of running the program. Graphics software can be taxing on system resources, so it is important to ensure that your computer is up to the task!

Clip Studio Paint is made for both Windows PCs as well as Mac operating systems; you pay by one-time purchase for a perpetual license. As well as Macs and PCs, it is also available on iPad, iPhone, Galaxy, Android, and Chromebook in monthly and annual usage plans. You can use the free trial version for all hardware mentioned. Once we have ensured that we can run the program on our computer, we can then download and install the software and run it for the first time.

System requirements

To run Clip Studio Paint effectively, our computer must meet certain system requirements. These requirements are slightly different for PCs than for Macs, so please check the system requirements carefully...

When working with art software such as Clip Studio Paint, having a graphics tablet makes life a lot easier. So, what is a graphics tablet, and where can you obtain one?

What is a graphics tablet?

A graphics tablet is a computer peripheral that comes with a stylus. It allows you to hold a stylus and draw the way that you would with a pencil or pen on paper. The following diagram on the right illustrates a basic tablet and stylus:

Figure 2.10: A graphics tablet

There are many different types and brands of graphics tablets, all ranging in price from under $100 to over $2,500, so it is easy to find a tablet that is within your budget. I cannot express enough how much easier working in Clip Studio Paint is when you have a tablet!

There are many different factors to consider when shopping for a graphics tablet. Let’s break some of those options down so that you can make a good choice when purchasing your tablet.

What type of tablet...

Once you launch Clip Studio Paint, you will be greeted by the default interface. New users often get to the default interface and panic. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but I promise it’s not so scary! With a little bit of exploration, we can break down the default interface and understand what each section is. In the next section, we’ll even learn how to customize the interface to suit our own needs. But for now, let’s take a look at the default user interface.

The following screenshot shows what you may see when starting up your program for the first time:

Figure 2.11: Screenshot of the default interface

The numbers in the preceding screenshot correlate to the following.

1. The menu bar is where you will find many of your options, such as creating and saving files, program preferences, viewing preferences, and more.

Figure 2.12: Screenshot of the menu bar

2. The tool...

One of my favorite things about Clip Studio Paint is how customizable it is. We can customize not only our tools but also the interface of the program to make it look however we want it to look. This means that we can set up the program palettes and toolbars to give us the most efficient workflow, making our process as streamlined as possible. The process of moving, closing, and rearranging palettes is very easy, so let’s get right to it.

Moving a palette

Let’s start off by moving a palette to a new location in the Clip Studio Paint interface. I’ll be working with the Tool property palette in this example, but this can be done with any palette you choose. Follow these steps to move a palette:

1. Locate the palette to be moved.
2. Put the mouse cursor over the name on the tab of the palette. The tab will be highlighted in blue when the mouse cursor is in the correct position.
3. Hold down the left mouse...

Now that we’ve explored how to move palettes around, let’s discuss the tool palette and command bar in more detail. Both of these parts of the Clip Studio Paint interface are very important, and you’ll use them often, so let’s get to know them before we start drawing.

The tool palette

The tool palette is found in the default interface down the left-hand side of the program. This is shown in the following screenshot:

The tool palette gives us access to the various drawing and editing tools in Clip Studio Paint. The tools are separated into categories, designated by the horizontal lines going across the tool palette, and are divided into thirds.

In the top third of the tool palette are the selection and editing tools. From top to bottom, they are listed in the following order with the corresponding shortcut keys in brackets:

The very bottom of the tool palette shows the current foreground and background...

In this chapter, you learned how to obtain Clip Studio Paint and install it. You are now familiar with the default interface, can move, close, and temporarily collapse menus and palettes, and know how to reorder tools in the tool palette. We also took a closer look at the command bar in the main menu and the selection launcher.

In the next chapter, we are going to take a look at the program’s preferences before we get into our actual drawings. They are very helpful for creating a comfortable art studio for you to work in, by decluttering and placing frequently used tools closer to you. Let’s build a unique environment for your creation! Read on to learn more.

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