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Participant
July 30, 2025
Answered

.Want to draw comic strips but need the right software

  • July 30, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 474 views

 I am looking for the right software to draw comic strips. I want to make up a few templates of standard frames. Does photoshop do this and is it the right software for this endeavor? Thanks in advance for your help. 

Correct answer Conrad_C

Photoshop should be able to do this, but it depends on what kind of template you want, and how you want to work. I’m not a comic book artist, but here are some things you could do.

 

When you create a new document in Photoshop, you can save different named presets for the exact page sizes and document properties you want.

 

 

You can use the command View > Guides > New Guide Layout to quickly set up non-printing snap-to guides for your layout of comic panels.

 

 

You can draw shape layers to lay out your panels (they don’t have to be rectangles; for example you could use the Ellipse tool), and re-use the document later as a template. 

 

 

If you set up a rectangle shape layer as a set of paths with holes, and then draw in a lower layer, you can draw without coloring over the lines. This involves some advanced path drawing features, but it might be worth learning how to do. I’m drawing with a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet stylus. Notice in the demo below that you can use different brushes, and in Brush Settings you can set up and save your own brushes. 

 

 

davescm has a good point though, consider whether your comic book style lends itself more to pixel-based drawing/painting where Photoshop is the better software, or vector-based drawing where Illustrator is the better software. Illustrator can do all of the above too: Create document presets, set up a non-printing grid, draw rectangles with borders and mask them off, and let you customize brushes.

3 replies

Conrad_C
Community Expert
Conrad_CCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
July 31, 2025

Photoshop should be able to do this, but it depends on what kind of template you want, and how you want to work. I’m not a comic book artist, but here are some things you could do.

 

When you create a new document in Photoshop, you can save different named presets for the exact page sizes and document properties you want.

 

 

You can use the command View > Guides > New Guide Layout to quickly set up non-printing snap-to guides for your layout of comic panels.

 

 

You can draw shape layers to lay out your panels (they don’t have to be rectangles; for example you could use the Ellipse tool), and re-use the document later as a template. 

 

 

If you set up a rectangle shape layer as a set of paths with holes, and then draw in a lower layer, you can draw without coloring over the lines. This involves some advanced path drawing features, but it might be worth learning how to do. I’m drawing with a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet stylus. Notice in the demo below that you can use different brushes, and in Brush Settings you can set up and save your own brushes. 

 

 

davescm has a good point though, consider whether your comic book style lends itself more to pixel-based drawing/painting where Photoshop is the better software, or vector-based drawing where Illustrator is the better software. Illustrator can do all of the above too: Create document presets, set up a non-printing grid, draw rectangles with borders and mask them off, and let you customize brushes.

jim_1414Author
Participant
August 26, 2025

Thanks for this. It gives me some great direction. I guess it's up to me from here. Thanks!

davescm
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 31, 2025

You can do this in Adobe Photoshop but Adobe Illustrator, being vector based, is better suited to such illustration. Finally, for page layout Adobe InDesign was made for that job. You can place linked illustrations from both Photoshop and Illustrator on the page(s) as well as adding shapes and text. Because the illustrations are linked, if they are updated using the application that produced them, they will update on the page. InDesign will also handle the export to printable PDF well, including bleed, slug etc as required.

Dave

Peru Bob
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 31, 2025
Kevin Stohlmeyer
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 31, 2025

@Peru Bob this tutorial is from 2015 and should be noted for removal - the Photoshop Sketch app is no longer available. @jim_1414 You can try using Adobe Fresco on the iPad if you prefer a mobile environment. https://helpx.adobe.com/lv/fresco/how-to/comic-book-portrait.html