Enhance your finished image

Tan Hui Tian demonstrates simple post-processing techniques in Clip Studio Paint that will bring out the best in your artwork

Tan Hui Tian shares Clip Studio Paint techniques.

Much like in photography, an artwork may not feel complete until it’s been postprocessed. Post-processing enhances the art and may be used to ramp up the image contrast, change hues, create a blur or bokeh effect and so on.

The features on Clip Studio Paint may not be as comprehensive as those in photo-editing software, but it should be sufficient for most purposes. However, you can also supplement Clip Studio Paint with free editing tools such as Pixlr or Google’s Nik Collection. Assuming your screen is wellcalibrated, printed images are duller in colour than when shown on a monitor screen. In this regard, I find that most images work well with ramped-up contrast unless the mood of the artwork benefits from tonal ambiguity. But whether the end results will be printed or not, layer overlays and colour adjustments make the colours more cohesive, and can help to bring out the intended atmosphere of the art.

As for how to develop a good sense of colour, beyond the usual study of colour theory, I find the subject of colour grading in films both fascinating and helpful. For instance, many Hollywood movies employ an orange and blue palette because the orange hues of the actors contrast vibrantly against a blue backdrop.

There seems to be certain stocks of colour grading by genre in the film industry as well: cold blue for horror movies, grimy grey for the apocalyptic ones, pinkish tones for romance. The rules aren’t hard and fast, but can be useful in manipulating humans’ psychological associations with colours.