CLIP STUDIO PAINT Color Settings for Print

Tutorial Script
Introduction to RGB and CMYK.
RGB is an additive color mode which combines Red, Green and Blue light to create various colors. This
system is typically used in digital settings, for whatever uses an electronic screen to display an image
composed of different combinations of these colored lights. When combined at their strongest, white
light is produced. RGB can produce many vibrant colors that are not as easily replicated in CMYK.

CMYK is a subtractive color mode which combines Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. It is considered
subtractive because when the colors are layered on top of one another, light is absorbed to create more
colors. There is no “white ink” when using this system because the CMYK system, used in printing, often
uses white paper for the brightest color.

In short, RGB would be used for digital work and digital viewing, whereas CMYK would be used for
printing onto something like paper or other tangible goods.

Canvas Settings on CSP

If you are planning ahead and know that you want to eventually print your artwork out, it might be
easiest to go for standard paper sizes like A3, A4, Letter, Tabloid and etc. A very important thing to
watch out for that beginners often miss is your canvas resolution. Low resolution images will result in a
low-quality printed image, so make sure you set your canvas’s resolution to at least 300-350 DPI. An
easy rule of thumb for creating a new canvas is always to go bigger. Bigger is better because you have
more options for print – you can shrink a big image down to smaller sizes, but you can’t blow up a small
image into a big print and retain the same quality.

SUMMARY POINTS:

- Bigger canvas dimensions result will ensure higher quality. (Though size depends on your
purposes)
- Having at least a 300-350 DPI will ensure higher quality.
CSP Color Profile
So, what exactly are color profiles, and how can you change them on Clip Studio Paint?

From what we’ve learned about RGB and CMYK earlier, we established that RGB is best used for digital
viewing, whereas CMYK is best to use when printing. By going to: View -> Color Profile -> Preview
Settings, you can open up CSP’s color settings window.
The “Profile for preview” dropdown menu should be the one that you’re looking for. The options in the
list can look a little bit crazy, but don’t worry about that too much. Typically, in order to save the purest
form of your artwork, you would want to save an original copy of your work in an RGB mode: two typical
RGB mode standards would be either the Adobe RGB (1998) mode, or the sRGB mode.

The CMYK list, while it does look crazy too, most of the CMYK options essentially refer to the type of
printer (by country) you would be using, and the type of paper that the image might be printed on. If
you’re using a printing service, you should communicate with them to ask the best color profile you
would use.

Because RGB might not convert to the exact colors that you want in CMYK, CSP offers options to adjust
your colors as closely to what you want. This can be toggled with the “Tonal Correction” box here, and
you can reset your corrections here.
Saving your image in a CMYK Mode
RGB works best with .jpg, .png, and .psd or .clip files. CMYK files work best with .pdf, or .tif files. I
recommend that you save and work on your original working file with an RGB color mode, and export
a .tif separately using CMYK. When you go to export a .tif file, this window will open. Under Color ->
Expression color, be sure to select CMYK from the drop down list.

And that’s it! That should cover all the basics on getting your color settings ready for print. Thanks for
watching, and I hope you found the video helpful.
Choosing Colors for CMYK Output

https://printninja.com/printing-resource-center/printninja-file-setup-checklist/offset-printing-
guidelines/offset-color-requirements/cmyk-suggested-values
Hello, Qilin here!

Today I will be going over how to prepare an image’s color settings in CLIP STUDIO PAINT

and get it ready for print using these 3 steps:

1. Preparing your Canvas

2. Editing the Color Profile
3. Exporting your image for Print

Before we begin, I’ll quickly go over what RGB and CMYK are, and their differences.

RGB is an additive color mode which combines or “adds” Red, Green and Blue light

to create various colors.

This system is typically used on electronic screen

to display an image composed of different combinations of these colored lights.

When combined at their strongest, white light is produced.

RGB can produce many vibrant colors that are not as easily replicated in CMYK.

CMYK is a subtractive color mode which combines Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

It is considered subtractive because when the colors are layered on top of one another,

light is absorbed to create more colors.

There is no “white ink” because the CMYK system, used in printing,

often uses white paper for the brightest color.

In short, RGB would be used for digital work and digital viewing,

whereas CMYK would be used for printing onto something like paper or other tangible goods.

Preparing your Canvas

If you are planning ahead and know that you want to eventually print your artwork out,

it might be easiest to go for standard paper sizes already listed.

A very important thing to watch out for is your canvas resolution –

Low resolution (e.g. 72DPI) images will result in a low-quality printed image...

Whereas higher resolutions (300-350DPI) will result in a higher quality image.

A general rule for canvas sizes is to go bigger.

Bigger is better because you have more options for print –

you can shrink a big image down to smaller sizes,

but you can’t blow up a small image into a big print and retain the same quality.

When you hit OK, your canvas should show up in CSP!

SUMMARY
- Bigger canvas dimensions result will ensure higher quality. (Though size depends on your purposes)
- Having at least a 300-350 DPI will ensure higher quality.

Editing the Color Profile

So, what exactly are color profiles, and how can you change them on Clip Studio Paint?

From what we’ve learned about RGB and CMYK earlier,

we established that RGB is best used for digital viewing, whereas CMYK is best to use when printing.

We can use Color Profiles to change our image from RGB to CMYK,

which will prepare it for print.

Here’s a drawing I already have that we will use to experiment on.

By going to View -> Color Profile -> Preview Settings, you can open up CSP’s color settings.

The options in the list can look a little bit crazy, but don’t worry about that too much.

The standard RGB profiles usually used are: Adobe RGB (1998), and sRGB.

The CMYK list looks pretty wild too, but the CMYK options essentially refer

to the type of printer (by country) you would be using,

and the type of paper that the image might be printed on.

If you’re using a printing service, you definitely need to ask them which color profile you would use.

RGB might not convert to the exact colors that you want in CMYK,

But CSP offers options to adjust your colors as closely to what you want, or to something

acceptable for print.

This can be toggled with the “Tonal Correction” box here, and you can reset your corrections anytime.

You have the option of using curves, or levels to toggle your colors, and also
More specifically going into toggling Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black.

I’ll show what changing these settings might look like.

And in case you want to reference the original RGB colors, simply look to the “navigator” window.

I’m satisfied with these changes, so hit “OK” and let’s move on to exporting for print!

Exporting your Image for Print

CLIP STUDIO PAINT already works in RGB mode by default, so I recommend that you save

your original .clip file separately from the file that you’re using to print.

RGB color modes work best with .jpg, .png, and .psd or .clip files.

CMYK files work best with .pdf, or .tif files.

Let’s export the image as a .tif file. Go to File -> Export (Single Layer) -> .tif (TIFF).

Save it in a nice and safe place, and then this window should open up that goes into .tif settings.

Under Color -> Expression color, be sure to select CMYK from the drop-down list.

Most of the default settings should be okay, you can change the output size,

but let’s just keep it at 100%.

Hit OK, and you should be finished, hopefully with the file ready for print!

Thank you for watching, and I hope it was helpful!