Layer masks are used to hide parts of a layer. Next, use the Layer menu > Layer Mask > Mask Selection or Mask Outside Selection. After creating the layer mask, you can change the masked area with drawing tools. To mask more of the layer, draw on the mask layer with an Eraser tool or any drawing tool set to transparency. You can partially mask areas using gradients by going to the Layer Properties palette for the layer mask and checking that Mask Expression > Show gradients is set to Yes. When masking with gradients is turned off, using a color above a specified opacity will fully mask the area. You can adjust the threshold in the Layer Properties palette > Mask Expression > Threshold. You can use the Layer menu > Apply mask to layer to combine the layer and the layer mask, deleting any parts that were covered by the mask. Uncheck Enable Mask to disable it. When the mask and layer are linked, the mask moves with the layer when using the Move layer tool or other layer transformations. You can toggle the layer linking on and off by tapping the check mark on the Layer palette, or from the Layer menu > Layer Mask > Link Mask to Layer.
Brush strokes feel smooth and precise. Create professional-grade quality and commercial-use file formats in an accessible app. New to drawing? No problem. There are a ton of features for achieving a polished finish no matter your pace. All the brushes you need at your fingertips, from watercolors, to oil paints, crayons, colored pencils, and more. Sketch and ink right on your phone. Draw smooth and natural lines with a stylus or your finger. Color in areas easily even with gaps in your lines. Apply filters to blur and extract lines with one tap. Want the latest updates and art tips? In addition to its natural and easy-to-use pens and brushes, it offers convenient features not found in other drawing apps/paint apps. Clip Studio Paint comes with specialized features not only for illustrations but also for comics and animation. It is available on Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, and Android. You can try it free for up to 6 months. After that, you can choose from affordable monthly or annual plans, or purchase a one-time perpetual license for Windows and macOS.
With its natural pens and brushes and rich support features, beginners can create with confidence. Plenty of official tutorial articles and instructional videos are available. With the Lo-Fi Subtle Grain & Noise brush set for Clip Studio Paint, you can add as much or as little texture as you want. Can't Watch the Video? Put all the classic paper and ink textures you love in one handy library. Learn to add vintage, analog charm to your digital art with this quick and easy-to-follow tutorial using the Lo-Fi Grain & Noise Brush Set for Clip Studio Paint. You'll be bringing life to your digital art in no time. Halftones are a powerful tool in any retro artist's arsenal. But one size definitely doesn't fit all, and it doesn't have to! Learn how to get halftone brushes as unique as you are with this step-by-step how-to guide. New to Clip Studio Paint, halftone brushes, or both? No need to worry. We're here to help! Watch or read our easy step-by-step guide on using halftone brushes in Clip Studio Paint. We'll be using the ColorLab Color Comic Kit to demonstrate.
Normally in clip studio paint 2 layers have to be right on top of each other to have a clipping mask. But in Animation, it works differently. The layers are used as frames and are kept in different folders if you wanna draw on top. Is there a way to create a clipping mask between 2 layers/frames that aren't on top of each other on the layer panel? For now, I've come to a temporary solution. I click on the layer I don't wanna draw outside and create a selection. Then I go to a new animation folder and I can draw without going outside. But this is rather tedious and I would have to go back and forth and change the selection if I wanna adjust the shading. Please tell me there's another way. Hello! My name is Liz Staley and I’m a long-time user of Clip Studio Paint (I started using the program back when it was known as Manga Studio 4!). I was a beta-tester on the Manga Studio 5 program and for Clip Studio Paint, and I have written three books and several video courses about the program.
Layer masks are an extremely powerful tool for so many reasons, but so many CSP users don’t seem to know how to use them or what they do! They are powerful but also very easy to use once you have a little experience with them. A layer mask allows us to hide parts of a layer without deleting any of the data from that layer. Since it is non-destructive, it’s a great way to “erase” parts of an image but leaving that image still intact for use elsewhere. I also like to use layer masks when doing very tricky operations, such as removing the background from a piece that I’ve scanned so that it has transparency around it. I created the drawing below with several different elements, including 3D models for the weapons, and a curl brush for the hair. The hair is on two layers - one for the foreground and then one for the hair that is behind the face and body. For this example I’m going to be working with the back layer of hair. I found and selected this layer. This will add the layer mask to this layer. The layer mask shows as another icon to the right of the layer’s icon in the layer list. In the screenshot below, the layer itself is in the red rectangle and the mask is in the blue one. If you look at the layer mask below you will see that there is a small white outline around it, showing that the mask is currently active. Now we can use various tools to make changes to the layer mask to hide and show the contents of the connected layer. To create special effects, you can also use soft erasers to fade edges. We can also use brush tools set to transparent and with the opacity reduced to create an opacity fade. To bring back areas that are hidden by the layer mask, select a drawing tool and set the drawing color to black. If you need to move, scale, rotate, or otherwise transform a layer with a layer mask attached, you can do so without having to change the layer mask at all. If you don’t want to painstakingly mask out areas with the eraser tool, you can also quickly mask large areas using selection tools! Now click on Layer - Layer Mask. You will see two options for creating a mask. Even with just the basics of using Layer Masks, you can unlock powerful tools to create your art!
Infographics show practical steps and results of using layer masks and clipping masks in Clip Studio Paint, including the relationship between masks and linked layers and how gradients affect masking outcomes.
Clip Studio Paint - Fill your ENTIRE LINEART in a snap
Video tutorials provide visual demonstrations of adding masks, gradient masking, and applying masks to layers with examples from animation and illustration workflows.
| Feature | What it does | Where to access |
|---|---|---|
| Mask Selection | Masks the current selection on a layer | Layer menu > Layer Mask > Mask Selection |
| Mask Outside Selection | Masks everything outside the selection | Layer menu > Layer Mask > Mask Outside Selection |
| Show Gradients | Displays gradient-based masking | Layer Properties palette for the layer mask |
| Threshold | Adjusts masking sensitivity | Layer Properties palette > Mask Expression > Threshold |
| Apply Mask | Flattens mask with the layer | Layer menu > Apply mask to layer |
Uncheck Enable Mask to disable it. When the mask and layer are linked, the mask moves with the layer when using the Move layer tool or other layer transformations. You can toggle the layer linking on and off by tapping the check mark on the Layer palette, or from the Layer menu > Layer Mask > Link Mask to Layer.