How do you add contrast in Clip Studio Paint?

To add contrast in Clip Studio Paint, you primarily use the Brightness/Contrast adjustment. Here's how:

1. Select the Layer: Choose the layer you want to adjust. This could be a raster layer, vector layer, or even a folder containing multiple layers.

2. Access the Brightness/Contrast Adjustment: Go to the Edit menu, then navigate to Tonal Correction, and finally select Brightness/Contrast. This will open the Brightness/Contrast dialog box.

3. Adjust the Settings: In the Brightness/Contrast dialog box, you'll find two sliders:

   • Brightness: Controls the overall lightness or darkness of the image. Moving the slider to the right increases brightness, while moving it to the left decreases it.
   • Contrast: Controls the difference between the light and dark areas. Moving the slider to the right increases contrast (making light areas lighter and dark areas darker), while moving it to the left decreases contrast (reducing the difference between light and dark areas).

4. Preview and Apply: Adjust the sliders until you achieve the desired contrast. You can preview the changes in real-time on your canvas. Once you're satisfied, click OK to apply the adjustment.

Beyond Basic Brightness/Contrast:

While the Brightness/Contrast tool is straightforward, Clip Studio Paint offers more advanced methods for adjusting contrast:

• Tone Curve: Located under Edit > Tonal Correction > Tone Curve. This allows for more precise control over the tonal range by adjusting points along a curve. You can create S-curves for increased contrast or reverse S-curves for decreased contrast.
• Level Correction: Found under Edit > Tonal Correction > Level Correction. This lets you adjust the black point, white point, and midtones of your image, giving you fine-grained control over contrast.
• Layer Blend Modes: Experiment with different layer blend modes, such as Overlay, Soft Light, or Hard Light, on a duplicate of your layer. Adjust the opacity of the blended layer to control the intensity of the contrast effect.
• Using Masks: Employ layer masks to apply contrast adjustments selectively to specific areas of your image. This is especially useful for localized contrast enhancements.

By using the Brightness/Contrast adjustment, along with the advanced tools mentioned above, you can effectively manipulate the contrast in your artwork using Clip Studio Paint.