Rulers in Clip Studio Paint: A Comprehensive Guide
Clip Studio Paint is a powerful digital painting and comic illustration tool that offers a wide range of features to help artists create stunning artwork. One of the most useful features in Clip Studio Paint is the ruler tool, which can be used to guide drawing and aid in creating precise lines and shapes. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive introduction to rulers in Clip Studio Paint, covering what they are, how to create them, and how to use them with various drawing tools.
What is a Ruler?
A ruler is an object that can be placed on the canvas to help guide drawing. It can be used to create straight lines, curves, and other shapes, and can be customized to suit the artist's needs.
Creating a Ruler
To create a ruler in Clip Studio Paint, select the Ruler tool and click and drag on the canvas to form a line. The color of the ruler can be changed, but this will be covered in a future video.
Ruler Properties
A ruler is attached to a layer, and layers with rulers attached display a triangular ruler icon. If the "Create Editing Layer" option is checked, the ruler will be created on the currently selected layer. If not, a new layer will be created.
Using a Ruler with Drawing Tools
When using a drawing tool, such as the Pen tool, near a ruler, the tool will snap to the ruler and follow it exactly. If the tool is not near the ruler, it can be used to draw as normal. If the drawing tool is not snapping to the ruler, check the tool's settings to ensure that the snapping option is enabled.
Enabling Snapping
To enable snapping, click the wrench icon in the bTool Detail Palette, go to Correction, and tick the Enable Snapping box. This option is available for various tools, including drawing tools, erasers, selection tools, and rulers.
Ruler Types
There are several types of rulers in Clip Studio Paint, including Linear, Curve, Figure, and Ruler Pen. Each type works similarly, allowing the drawing tool to snap to the ruler and create precise lines and shapes. Each ruler type will be covered in more detail in future videos.
Guides
Guides are similar to rulers but can only be horizontal or vertical. They cover the entire length or width of the canvas automatically, and tools will still snap to them even if they are not visible.
Hiding and Showing Rulers
To hide all rulers on the current layer, right-click directly on the ruler icon and uncheck Show Ruler. Hidden rulers will not affect snapping. To toggle rulers back on, repeat the process. Rulers are only visible when their layer is selected. To make rulers visible and active across all layers, right-click on the ruler icon and select Show in All Layers.
Working with Rulers in a Layer
To select a ruler, go to the Operation Tool and make sure the Object Subtool is selected. Click directly on a ruler to select it. Once selected, you can move, rotate, and resize the ruler, as well as move its control points. To disable snapping, uncheck the Snap option to change the color of the ruler. Although the ruler will still be visible, drawing tools will no longer snap to it.
Moving Rulers with Layers
When the Move Layer Tool is selected, rulers will move as well. To prevent this, right-click on the ruler icon and deselect "Link Ruler to Layer". Guides have a separate option called "Link Guide to Ruler", which is off by default. Both options must be enabled for guides to move with the layer.
Deleting a Ruler
To delete a single ruler, select it with the Object Subtool and click the Delete button on your keyboard. To delete all rulers on a layer, right-click on the ruler icon and select "Delete Ruler".
Specialty Rulers
Clip Studio Paint also offers specialty rulers, including the Special Ruler Subtool, which can drop parallel lines, concentric circles, and more. Perspective Rulers allow you to set up guides for one, two, and three-point perspectives, including the new fisheye feature. The Symmetrical Ruler is another favorite feature that will be covered in a dedicated video.
Conclusion
Rulers are a powerful tool in Clip Studio Paint that can help artists create precise lines and shapes. With their various types and features, rulers can be customized to suit the artist's needs. By following the tips and tricks outlined in this article, artists can get the most out of the ruler tool and take their artwork to the next level. Be sure to check out future videos for more in-depth tutorials on the different ruler types and features.