How to Change Grayscale Layer to Color in Manga Studio

Manga Studio software allows hobbyists and amateur artists to create Manga style comics from their sketches and stories. It works on Windows and Mac and is relatively inexpensive. You can scan your sketches in grayscale and convert them to color. Unfortunately Manga Studio only allows one color per layer, so you need to plan ahead.

Instructions

1. Draw your sketch on overlays. You can draw in pencil on tracing paper or ink on transparency. Plan carefully as to what details you want on which color layer. Begin with your ink (outline) layer then sketch the overlay for each fill color.

2. Scan your drawings into Photoshop. Overlay them to make sure the sketches were scanned at the same size and resolution (they should align exactly if you didn't change the scan settings). Save ach layer as a single Photoshop file.

3. Import your image files into Manga Studio. Place them onto the page panel and make sure they overlay properly.

4. Select the layer you want to convert. Open the "Layers Properties" dialogue and set the Display Color to "Color." A color swatch will appear in the properties window.

5. Double click the color swatch to open the Color Settings window. Choose a swatch from the default color set or mix a new color. To mix a new color drag the slider in the hues panel to the specific hue you want then click on the shade in the preview window (you can also type a specific RGB or HSB number value if you want to import a color from another program's palette).

6. Close the "Color Settings" dialogue to see the changes in the layer. Because the changes aren't permanent pixel alterations, you can change or adjust the layer's color at any time in the future.

Tips & Warnings

• There is no trial version of Manga Studio. You need to pay before your can download.