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Manga Studio Debut 4 (Win/Mac)

Platform : Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X Intel, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 255 ratings


About this item

  • Manga Studio Debut 4 is an all-in-one solution for stunning, ready-to-publish manga and comics
  • Sketch original art with a mouse or tablet, scan in existing art, or import artwork or graphics to get started
  • Invigorate your artwork using color, express motion using speed lines, apply dimension with screen tones and add dialog through built-in word balloons
  • Export professional quality manga from Manga Studio Debut 4 to various Mac and Windows file formats such as JPG, BMP, PSD, TGA, PNG, TIFF and PICT
  • Dynamic help offers instant access to information about tool palettes and menu options--getting started has never been easier
Now Available for Download - Manga Studio Debut 4
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Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.2 x 5.2 x 7.5 inches; 2.4 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ MSDC40BX2
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 11, 2008
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Smith Micro Software Inc.
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001NK395Y
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 255 ratings

Product Description

Product description

MANGA STUDIO DEBUT 4.0 HYBRID - WIN XP OR VISTA MAC OS X

Amazon.com

Manga Studio Debut 4.0 is your all-in-one solution for stunning, ready-to-publish manga and comics. Invigorate your artwork using color, express motion using speed lines, apply dimension with screen tones and add dialog through built-in word balloons. Manga Studio helps you create professional manga and comics from start to finish!

Fun, easy to use interface. Click to enlarge.

The Beginner's Assistant groups together commonly used tool palettes. Click to enlarge.

Draw using a suite of familiar tools including pencils, pens, brushes and selection tools. Click to enlarge.

Choose from thousands of screen tones to add dimension and character to your art. Click to enlarge.

Invigorate your artwork using color. Click to enlarge.

Customize your projects with a large collection of special effects and features. Click to enlarge.

Complete artistic control
Sketch original art with a mouse or tablet, scan in existing art, or import artwork or graphics to get started. It's easy with Manga Studio Debut!

Design with attention to detail
Choose from over 2,300 professional-grade screen tones to add dimension, depth and character to your art.

Invigorate your drawings
Easily color and fill your manga or comic using the integrated color set, advanced shading tools, and pattern brushes.

Bring your Characters to Life
Pre-designed word balloons allow you to quickly add dialog to your creations.

Apply special effects
Add focus and speed line effects in seconds to express moods or motion.

Publish your work
Output professional quality manga for print or web in various file formats. Manga Studio Debut exports JPG, BMP, PSD, TGA*, PNG*, TIFF* and PICT* files.

*Mac-only publishing format.

Get fast results
Perform complicated tasks with a single mouse click. Double your productivity by reusing design elements in a flash!

New and Updated Features

Manga Studio Debut 4.0 provides a fun, straightforward way for you to start creating your own comics today.

New--Beginner's Assistant and dynamic help
With Manga Studio's built-in Beginner's Assistant interface, commonly used tool palettes are grouped together. Dynamic help offers instant access to information about tool palettes and menu options. Getting started has never been easier.

New--Color Palette
Color your artwork using the integrated color set. Choose from preset colors or create your own and add custom effects to your artwork.

New--Built-in Word balloons
Add word balloons with ease by dragging and dropping any of almost one hundred preset editable word balloons. Freely adjust the font, size, style and spacing of the text and add a curved or straight tail.

New--Advanced Text Input
Manga Studio Debut now allows you to enter text directly on your page using a standard text tool. You can also quickly add special characters and with support for many characters such as Katakana and Hiragana, Manga Studio Debut is better than ever!

Updated--More Screen Tones and Patterns
Choose from over 2,300 screen tones, a variety of special effects and comprehensive pen and brush tools, including over 80 customizable pattern brushes. Create and customize virtually unlimited combinations of patterns to create unique effects.

Updated--Additional preset page templates
Choose from over 160 built-in page templates for your page or story, or add your own customized pages and save them as templates.

Note: Register your product within 30 days of purchase and receive the Manga Studio Debut Content pack valued at $19.99 for free. This package includes over 100 background templates and over 100 Power templates. Information regarding registration and how to redeem your content pack are included with your purchase.

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
255 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the software user-friendly and useful for creating comics. They appreciate its drawing capabilities and layering capabilities. However, some customers are unhappy with the serial number and have differing opinions on ease of use and value for money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

30 customers mention "Software quality"24 positive6 negative

Customers like the software quality. They say it's user-friendly for beginners, a good program, and a useful tool. They also appreciate the full color palette, great brushes, and auto-update feature.

"...If you are searching for a full-color palette, great brushes, and the excellent auto-smoothing ink brush (auto-smoothing is optional!)..." Read more

"This product is an interesting product, but in some ways, you need to understand that this is not really a fully featured product, there is an..." Read more

"Great product for beginner graphic artists. Very useful tool...." Read more

"...I have spent $110 and have ZERO ability to use the software...." Read more

27 customers mention "Functionality"20 positive7 negative

Customers find the software easy to use and user-friendly. They say it works well with drawing tablets and monitors, and is a great product for those new to digital artwork.

"This software is really nice, its not all that hard to get to learn, id recommend this, i remember when it was $50 at best buys, i wanted it then..." Read more

"...I run my copy on mac and it works well!" Read more

"...very disappointing to put the disc in to install and find it did not function at all...." Read more

"...Has a rather steep learning curve... but once it's learned, performance is fairly good...." Read more

10 customers mention "Drawing ability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the drawing software useful for manga artists and beginners. They say it's a good tool for creating comics and improving their art.

"Manga Studio Debut 4 is full of ways to make professional comics just like the box says.BUT!..." Read more

"...But as far as being a very good tool for manga artists: it lives up to its billing...." Read more

"...This is an ideal choice for would be comic makers." Read more

"Just be warned that Manga Studio does not animate. It is great for drawing freehand with lots of color, background, and textures, but it is only..." Read more

10 customers mention "Layering"7 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the layering capabilities of the software. They mention it has many different features, interesting tools, and allows them to draw, paint, and color with hundreds of tones. They also say it gives them more flexibility than other art programs.

"...It's got layers, the ability to draw, paint and color, hundreds of tones and materials to give your art depth and flair, and plenty of online..." Read more

"...It has a lot of helpful tools too." Read more

"...is that while it can export files in Photoshop format... it loses all layering when doing so. This is fairly annoying...." Read more

"...than that, it seems pretty nice for the price and seems to have a lot of cool features." Read more

9 customers mention "Color quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers like the color quality of the software. They say it's easy to use and creates beautiful manga / comicbook pages with a wide variety of colors and designs. The artwork turns out better than if they did it in Adobe, with an excellent look and setup. There are hundreds of tones and materials to give your art depth and flair, including bubbles, tones, effects, even backgrounds. The pictures are very good quality and it's better at toning than Photoshop if you scan your pictures in.

"...It's got layers, the ability to draw, paint and color, hundreds of tones and materials to give your art depth and flair, and plenty of online..." Read more

"...It has different types of page layouts, bubbles, tones, effects... even backgrounds, and more you can download from Smith Micro (for free)...." Read more

"...About the software, I like it. It's better at toning than photoshop if you scan your pictures in. It has a lot of helpful tools too." Read more

"...Once I got it installed, it seems pretty nice...." Read more

45 customers mention "Ease of use"22 positive23 negative

Customers have different experiences with the software. Some find it easy to use and install, making comics creation simple. They appreciate the online support and large manual available as a PDF download. Others mention that the program is not intuitive, requires a learning curve, and needs some definition in the tutorials. The user interface is complex and difficult to navigate smoothly, and the product did not come with instructions or practice files.

"...art depth and flair, and plenty of online support, including a sizable manual you can download as a pdf...." Read more

"...Having to make new "layer types" for sketches and panels is a little daunting, in my opinion...." Read more

"This software is really nice, its not all that hard to get to learn, id recommend this, i remember when it was $50 at best buys, i wanted it then..." Read more

"...itself is limited in its functionality and is also rather complex to fluidly navigate and utilize...." Read more

30 customers mention "Value for money"17 positive13 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the value for money of the software. Some find it worth the price and cheap, while others consider it a waste of money and confusing to use.

"...online that led me to Manga Studio Debut 4, and it was a great price for the features...." Read more

"Manga Studio (Debut) really is not worth the price...." Read more

"...This software, and the graphics tablet, was a good, low-cost on-ramp for her to practice skills she's been learning at school...." Read more

"...helpful, but what I noticed was that it was confusing and it really didn't give a lot...." Read more

9 customers mention "Serial number"0 positive9 negative

Customers are unhappy with the serial number. They mention it doesn't work, keeps asking for a serial number, and is not accepted.

"this product blows man. i have no idea why my serial number is not working.i really should have read thru the entire list of reviews to have noticed..." Read more

"...My serial Number didn't work. Then why am I giving this a 4/5?..." Read more

"The serial number included does NOT work, and after researching on this issue with this product, it's a very common issue...." Read more

"Gave this as a Christmas present and it absolutely will not take the serial number. Tried uninstalling & reinstalling - nothing...." Read more

Useful, very useful
5 out of 5 stars
Useful, very useful
Manga Studio Debut 4 is the closest thing to a perfect sketchbook replacement on the market. A 70 dollar bamboo pen tablet and a 50 dollar Manga Studio Debut 4 program, and you have enough(assuming you have a sufficient computer) to stop buying sketchbooks for as long as you want to.Manga Studio Debut 4 is fast enough at pencil, pen, and paintbrush/airbrush(airbrush is hidden in the paintbrush options) tools. This makes it perfectly reasonable to replace a sketchbook. Add the storybook files of 32 pages, with the option of seeing your pages to your left while working on your picture to the right and you've got a tight sketchbook.Does it do panels? yes. Custom panels? yes. Tones? yes. Custom Tones? yes. Layers? yes. Ruler layers, Grid Layer, Selection Layer? yes. Layer Opacity? yes. Layer color? yes. Advanced curve settings for pen/pencil tools? yes. Does the brush have materials that are fun to play with in B&W and color? yes. Speed lines? yes. Does it have print settings? yes, a host of them. Could you make your own comic? As easy as a comic is to make. Can the program draw for you? Actually it kind of can... you can make selections, then paste tones inside the selections, and you can subtract selections from within a selection and add selections outside of the selection... and have the program tone or material all your selections. First... this is where it's a bit slow... and two, that's kind of overusing the feature.Weak tool points of the tools present.Text - for whatever reason... text rotation seems only present in the EX version. text rotation?? oh, come on... you'll probably work a page at 90 degrees for comfort. Just sketch your own text, or work a page vertically. Balloons? yes. Sizing? yes. Multiple language input? yes. Vertical text? yes. So everything that made sense with text except rotation was included in the text tool.Line tools - there is no such thing as a decent pen tool in this program, nor in the EX version. However, you can use the polygon line tool to create custom panels. And the Curve line tool makes tracing possible for Ruler work on the Ruler layer(a custom layer of saved paths for line work that is unique to Manga Studio)Conclusion: Amazing digital sketchbook... better in page organization with 32 page story files than any program on the market. With it seemingly overpowered, the lacking rotation on the text tool is a hair puller.Update1: IllustStudio by Celsys and Manga Studio by Celsys appear to have merged(partially or fully) in what is now known in America as Manga Studio 5 Debut and Manga Studio 5 EX.Update2: The book 101 Top Tips from Professional Manga Artists will help you know how to use this Manga Studio 3 or 4 more effectively. Jack Hamm books, like Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes, may help make you a better artist.Update3: OpenCanvas by portalgraphics offers a lot in the way of watching how other professionals create digital work and mimicking other professionals creating digital work(using event files from the portalgraphics forum). OpenCanvas 5.5x combines well with Manga Studio 4 Debut or Manga Studio 4 EX.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010
    I'd been looking for software to give my webcomic a professional look, particularly my word balloons and lettering. I came across a blog online that led me to Manga Studio Debut 4, and it was a great price for the features. It's got layers, the ability to draw, paint and color, hundreds of tones and materials to give your art depth and flair, and plenty of online support, including a sizable manual you can download as a pdf. It has dozens of word balloon styles and a good number of fonts and a panel cutter to breakdown your page just how you want it. If you want to check out what I did with the program, just stop [...], by webcomic! Rated Web 14 (NSFW)!
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2013
    This software is really nice, its not all that hard to get to learn, id recommend this, i remember when it was $50 at best buys, i wanted it then but not for that price tag, but now i got it for cheap and really love it!!!
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2009
    Manga Studio Debut 4 is full of ways to make professional comics just like the box says.

    BUT! you would think that software with a simple premise like this would be a little more user friendly and streamlined. Having to make new "layer types" for sketches and panels is a little daunting, in my opinion. I guess I was hoping for "Comic Life" with drawing tools and panel cutters, and simple layers. Again this is a good product, just research the interface thoroughly before you buy it. If you like your software simple and straight forward this is not it. If you don't mind learning to be real technical and artistic at the same time, then you might like it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2012
    Manga Studio Debut's not bad. It definitely does what it sets out to do: to allow you to draw comics and it's dirt-cheap compared to anything else out there trying to claim the same. The problem is that I know the differences between Manga Studio Debut and EX 4, and I feel that this is just a nerfed version of EX 4. Everytime I read about a feature in EX 4 I get a bit of buyer's remorse. My friend has EX 4 and if I ask her a question, she answers that her software can do it as if it were obvious that all versions of Manga Studio can do it, and I get a bit of buyer's remorse. I'm missing out. If you feel like you're missing out, then buy the EX 4 version. It's supposed to be $300 but it's on Amazon for $90 bucks.

    So what's Debut missing? Vector drawing. At least with Debut the vector drawing isn't exposed to the user, but EX 4 has the ability to do vector layers and I feel that Debut should actually have vector support available but it doesn't. Debut doesn't have the perspective rulers or advanced kind of manga effects that EX 4 does. I don't care too much for the effects, but the perspective ruler -- being able to layout 2- and 3-point perspective and then draw within that space -- is really useful. If you've ever tried to do perspective drawing, and you might for backgrounds, you'll know that it's time consuming. This difference is just silly: You can only change keyboard shortcuts in Manga Studio EX 4.

    So, I do realize it's not the tool that makes the art, it's the artist, and it shouldn't matter what tool I use. I could draw a comic in MS-Paint, GIMP, or Paint.NET, I'm sure it would all just work fine. A lot of the differences I mention between Debut and EX 4 are "nice to haves." At it's core, Debut allows you to do everything you'll need to draw a comic/manga. You can layout an entire comic, pencil it, ink it, and even publish from the software, but I still get a bit of buyer's remorse when I see Debut and EX 4 compared side by side. If you're going for Debut, you may want to think a bit, and spend the extra money and get a fully featured version of Manga Studio. At least you'll know that you have all the software's features available to you.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2013
    I bought this software for my teenage daughter as a Christmas gift. She installed it and used it until her computer died. Once repaired, she had to reinstall MS and was unable to locate the CD sleeve with the registration code.She contacted support and the saga was on. We had to provide, one at a time: Order number. Check. Receipt,Check. Photos of the original box. Check. Photos of the CDs. Check. Photos of manual. Check. Photos of computer used to run software. Check. Photos of camera that takes the great HiRes photos. Check (we used a mirror) ;-) CD Sleeves with registration code. Huh?
    After spending an entire weekend emailing back and forth every 15 minutes the geniuses are only willing to provide the registration code if we give them the registration code. Since that is what we are asking for, we have reached a stalemate. I have spent $110 and have ZERO ability to use the software. Having lost the the ability to use the software and the entire weekend I am frustrated enough to do my homework next time. I will never do business with Smith Micro Software, or any related companies. I suppose the software doesn't suck as much as some other software, but the service sure makes up for it.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • D. Coty
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great product - bad documentation
    Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2009
    Manga Studio is all that it says it is and is great for the novice artist. It brings in the concepts of layers, sketch and finished work as well as tone and dialogue. It is a great product to work with and can be used with either a tablet or mouse. The downside is that the complexity that makes it a great cartooning product is not every well documented. The help available is limited and the tutorials that are available are out of date. I would recommend buying Manga Studio for Dummies, even though it is a version behind as well, to help the novice with the concepts and get drawing.
  • Unamed
    4.0 out of 5 stars ... your first time usin this type of software but easy to get into
    Reviewed in Canada on December 19, 2014
    A little hard when it's your first time usin this type of software but easy to get into it
  • Joshua
    2.0 out of 5 stars Skip Debut 4 Go MS5
    Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2015
    I have upgrade to Mange Studio 5.
    The interface & process flow is way better the Debut 4.
  • lucie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on May 2, 2018
    daughter loved it Thanks
  • Jennifer doucette
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on July 25, 2015
    Awesome I love it