Fuck it.

[modernwizard]

I am this close to giving up on specialized comic creation software and making my own templates and such in PhotoShop Elements or equivalent. It seems impossible to find a piece of comic creation software that is user-friendly, robust, easily customizable, up-to-date and backed with actual tech support.

Comments

[modernwizard]

Yeah, I've spent a few years with Manga Studio EX, actually. It's poorly laid out and cluttered with options I don't use. Plus there's no customizability of interface or tech support. And it doesn't have thought bubbles with little dots connecting them to the person's head; the thought bubbles have stems. >:(

Do shapes and actions work in Elements?

[modernwizard]

You know, I know that brushes work in both regular and Elements, so shapes probably do too. I don't know about actions. I know you can't create them in Elements, much to my frustration. >:'(

[seventhbard]

WAIT there is software that does that FOR you?!

Dude. I just do mine in GIMP. Shit I feel like a sucker now. XD I bet having premade panel templates saves a lot of time...

[modernwizard]

I used to do very basic layout in PhotoShop Elements, but then tried a variety of comic layout programs. All of them have saved me some time by automating panel creation, balloon formatting, sound effect creation, etc., but none of them have been exactly to my liking.

I've tried Planetwide Games' Comic Book Creator, plasq's ComicLife, SmithMicro's Manga Studio EX and currently SummitSoft's Comic Creator. All of them fill me with inordinate rage for one reason or another. Comic Book Creator offered limited resizing of imported photos and no customizable speech balloons. Plasq's customer service was nonexistent, and they didn't give a shit about Windows users. Manga Studio EX was a huge, bloated Japanese import with no tech support, no customizability and a cluttered UI. Comic Creator apparently has no way to save custom page templates or avoid the stupid startup screen. RAGE!

And that's why I'm thinking of doing my own stuff in Elements. I can't use GIMP any more because, every time I look at the name, I can't forget that someone thought it was a clever idea to name a piece of image editing freeware after a derogatory term for a disabled person. HAH HAH, how witty.

[seventhbard]

I needed a free solution, which is how I got started with GIMP. I like it well enough, but it has some frustrating limitations. If I am ever able to get something to replace it I gladly would because I am not dotty about the brushes and want to be able to customize the colors in the various gradients and other similar kinds of niggling complaints. It's really the best free software of its kind that there is though. I didn't realize they purposefully assembled the acronym to be insulting. That's pretty childish and crummy if that's how it came about. :P If I could get something like Photoshop or Fireworks again that'd rock but that's a long way off financially.

[modernwizard]

Yeah, PhotoShop is so damn expensive! I've found that Elements suits my needs for a fraction of the price, especially if you're willing to buy edition x-1 or x-2, where x is the current edition number. Elements does almost everything that PhotoShop does, and brushes made for PhotoShop work in Elements.