Tips and trick to edit manga, manga editing

Yeah but even though you told me that, I never figured out how to get to it when you just click on the text tool, lol

Yeah, sorry. I thought you already know that.
By the way, because of your problem, I can give suggestion to cherry who is doing editing too. Since she also had same problem which is point type.

Anyway, I changed the tutorial. I hope it's more informative and easier to follow now.
http://crazyivy.cabspace.com/editing.html
Feel free to ask me later.

7. Actions

Next tips is actions, it’s a very useful functions. Chinaberry told me about this function and ever since then I can clean image 2x faster.
I copied/pasted from Photoshop help, info about actions.
You use the Actions palette to record, play, edit, and delete individual actions. This palette also lets you save and load action files. In Photoshop, actions are grouped into sets--you can create new sets to better organize your actions.
For further explanation, please see your Photoshop help.

This is Actions palette, tips_7a
Here, I will make an action to image resizing to 690 x 1040.
-Make a new actions by pressing the button that looks like two papers.
-Name the actions, for example “image size 690x1040”. Then click Record.
-Then resize the image like you normally do, and make sure after that you do save (Ctrl+S). All that actions are automatically recorded.
-Then press button stop (rectangle button).

Now if you want to run the actions, open the image that you want to resize. Choose the image size actions that you previously recorded, then press button play (triangle button). Your image will be automatically resize and save. See how convenient it is, only need 2 clicks ^__^v with no need to input the size.
You can also make other actions that you always use like rotating 0.2 CW, rotating 0.2 CCW.
As for me, I made separate actions for image sizing, rotating 0.2 CW, rotating 0.2 CCW, grayscaling, paint brush white, leveling 0-2.

--edit: I upload some of my actions for Photoshop. I'm not sure all of them will work on your Photoshop, but give it a try.
You can download my actions in this site: http://crazyivy.cabspace.com/text_setting.html (see the bottom for the link).
The setting is for my Photoshop so it may be not work for your photoshop.
After saving the actions, you only need to "Load actions", then feel free to experience with it.

I love actions :P The only problem is saving though. Using the same action that contains a save as one of the steps will save the file sometimes as another name. So beware! But it's not much of a problem because actions are so easy to make :P I think I'm gonna use actions to do all the image resizing...lovely.

i tried to access the links for the editing tips and everytime i got the same answer: file not found, or you are not authorized to view this page.

can you please recommend me some good tutorials for editing? i would be very grateful.
thnx in advance

Yes, the previous host was gone. I'm not sure why. I don't think I abuse the free service. But I reupload to other hosting, here:
http://crazyivy.cabspace.com/
There's link to other good tutorial there.

thank you very very much for the useful link :rolleyes:

Some simple text style tips.

8. Transparent text

This time I'll show how to make text transparent. Something like this image
Here, I use font Yikes.
- Type anything you want, here I typed "TEXT".
- Set the color to white.
- Right-click on text layer, anad choose "Blending Options". Choose "Stroke", set color stroke to black and size 1. Then OK.
- Then in the layer tab, set "Fill" to below 100%. Here I use 30%. 0% will show you full transparency. Layer tab
- Finished. ^^b


9. Transparent text and blending options stroke

Another text style, I combine transparent text with blending. Something like this image
- I use the finished result from above tips.
- Right-click on the text layer, choose "Duplicate Layer".
- In the Layer tab, choose the lower text layer, Right-click and choose "Blending Options", choose "Stroke", set color to white with size bigger than 2.
- Finished ^^b

I usually use both tips above for SFX in the pattern background.


10. Transparent text and pattern shadow

I like this text style, image
How to make it:
- The result as in tips 8.
- Duplicate the layer. Right-click and choose "Blending options", choose "Pattern Overlay", select the pattern that you want.
- Move the lower text layer slighly from the upper text layer.
- Finished. The result will not be the same, since it'll be depend on the pattern that you choose.

Here're some nice patterns you can use:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
To be able to use those patterns, you must put them into folder patterns in your installation Adobe photoshop folder.
In my computer: Program Files->Adobe->Photoshop 7->Presets->Patterns

Credit to the pattern: not me ^^ I don't make the pattern, download it somewhere but forgot where.

11. Save to smaller PNG format

I noticed there's a scanlation release that tried to use PNG but didn't know how to make it smaller. And they ended up with double bigger size than if they use JPEG format.
I learnt how to reduce the PNG size from Storm in heaven's editing guide:
http://www.unblessed.net/guide/post/png.html
Just follow that steps ^^
As for the software, I use PNGcrush plus, since it has simple Windows user interface, rather than PNGcrush that can be only run from DOS.
Here's the software: PNGcrush+

12. How to make slanted text

The slanted text that I mean is something like this image.
-The original image: ori
-Type text. Here I use font Arial, color white and set it to bold. Like this.
-Activate the Rectangular marquee tool. Right-click in the text image then choose Free Transform. sample
After that Right-click and choose Skew. sample
Then place the mouse in the vertical arrow. Then drag to top until the Marquee line is in line with the image. sample
-Move the text to center. text before moving. text after moving.

Free transform can also be used to rotate image/text arbitrary. Well it's a very useful tool.

That's so awesome! I've been browsing alot lately to give my opinion to on the threads. But seeing how I've seen this. It's really great how you could edit this mangas really well. :D

I looks as if they were pulled from the book itself. I think you should apply as a Manga Editor for english. You have great talents there :lol:

Whoot is this a praise ^_^

Oh well, here I come with more tips.
13. Clone stamp tool vs Healing brush tool

I copy/paste from Photoshop help (too lazy to make my own):
The clone stamp tool takes a sample of an image, which you can then apply over another image or part of the same image. Each stroke of the tool paints on more of the sample.

To use the clone stamp tool:
Select the clone stamp tool , and do the following:
-Choose a brush and set brush options.
-Specify a blending mode, opacity, and flow.
-Determine how you want to align the sampled pixels. If you select Aligned, you can release the mouse button without losing the current sampling point. As a result, the sampled pixels are applied continuously, no matter how many times you stop and resume painting. If you deselect Aligned, the sampled pixels are applied from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.

The healing brush tool lets you correct imperfections, causing them to disappear into the surrounding image. Like the cloning tools, you use the healing brush tool to paint with sampled pixels from an image or pattern. However, the healing brush tool also matches the texture, lighting, and shading of the sampled pixels to the source pixels. As a result, the repaired pixels blend seamlessly into the rest of the image.

To use the Healing brush tool:
-Select the healing brush tool.
-Click the brush sample in the options bar and set brush options in the pop-up palette:
-Choose a blending mode from the Mode pop-up menu in the options bar:
Choose Replace to preserve noise, film grain, and texture at the edges of the brush stroke.
-Choose a source to use for repairing pixels in the options bar: Sampled to use pixels from the current image, or Pattern to use pixels from a pattern. If you chose Pattern, select a pattern from the Pattern pop-up palette.
-Determine how you want to align the sampled pixels:
If you select Aligned in the options bar, you can release the mouse button without losing the current sampling point. As a result, the sampled pixels are applied continuously, no matter how many times you stop and resume painting.
If you deselect Aligned in the options bar, the sampled pixels are applied from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.
-For the healing brush tool in sampling mode, set the sampling point by positioning the pointer in any open image and Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac OS).
Note: If you are sampling from one image and applying to another, both images must be in the same color mode unless one of the images is in Grayscale mode.
-Drag in the image.
The sampled pixels are melded with the existing pixels each time you release the mouse button. Look in the status bar to view the status of the melding process.

Clone and healing have their own specific pupose. So to know how to use both tools will be great.

CLONE vs HEALING

14. Cleaning manga scans from magazine

Let's clean this page : sample
-First clean it as overall by setting level (Ctrl+L) input options to 110-1.00-220.
This input combination will vary on manga. But as I tried this input levels is good for this page.
-Activate Magic want tool (W), set Tolerance to 30, untick other options. Then click anywhere in the white area.
-Then in the menu, choose Select->Modify->Contract... Set it to 1 pixels.
If you want the selection will be farther than the border of non-white area, you can set it to 2 or 3 pixels.
-Then in the menu, choose Select->Modify->Smooth... Set radius to 2 pixels.
-Now Clear (Edit->Clear). Here's the result.
-After that I clean additional obvious dirt in top-left, top-right and bottom-right. My last result. Then you only need to remove the text.

Cleaning manga scans from magazine is actually such a pain. I was so stressed doing it as well. But after I found out this steps, cleaning manga scans takes less time. Moreover I can record the steps in actions. I suggest you do it as well.
I <3 Actions.

15. Clean black SFX text faster

Let's clean this image: sample.
-Activate Magic wand tool (W), set Tolerance to 30, tick Contiguous.
-Click inside the black SFX text. sample
-Now from menu, choose Select->Modify->Expand... set Expand by 2 pixels. You can also set it to 1 pixels. But here I use 2 pixels. sample
-Clear (Edit->Clear). sample
Finished cleaning image.

After that you only need to use Polygonal lasso tool (L), select area that has similar pattern to the deleted area, copy/paste. Move the layer to the deleted area.

I learnt this tips from chinaberry, thanks :)
As always you can record into actions. As for this steps, I record "expand 2 pixels" and "clear" step.