Free program to draw Manga (Atelier)

[Ren]

Didn't try it yet, but I thought someone might be interested: http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA029904/atelier.htm
I wonder if there's an English patch floating around...

[Herb_Montes]

I'm always wanting to try out new graphics programs, especially free ones.  I downloaded and installed this one.  It seems to be a black and white comic drawing program like Manga Studio or Comic Works.  It's easy to use once I figured out some of the features.  But being in Japanese somethings I can't figure to like how to turn on the pen tool.  There is a pencil sketch tool that you can adjust the thickness, density and smoothing with.  Though in the finished page view these lines don't show up.  Just the panel lines which can be skewed to unsual panel shapes.  It has a nice ruler feature for drawing straight lines, a compass for circles, and a pushpin for drawing radiating lines.  It also has a text tool though it won't recognize the fonts in my system.  It saves to DIB files it seems.  Once I figure out how to turn on the pen tool it looks like it would be great for inking comics.  My guess is it needs a vector layer for inking and another for tones.

Update - Figured out how to turn on the pen tool.  Create a panel box which has an associated label appear on the right.  Double click on that label and the pen tool becomes active.

[restorer]

Hi 
I think it is very interesting program. Finally (today) I was able to decompile it.

What that mean? That mean, that we can translate this programm!

For me compiling, decompiling, coding and etc. is interesting, but translate process is boring, so I search for anybody, who can (and want) to translate this prog from japanese to english.

If you think that translating process is interesting, please send me mail ( restorer.fct@gmail.com ) or PM on this forum.

Tomorrow I will try to make some test translation, and ensure that translated program work without errors.

[Ren]

Wow!I'll admit, I was secretly hoping for that, thanks so much Restorer!
I don't know Japanese myself, but I noticed lately on 4chan there are quite of number of people willing to translate stuff, maybe we should try there?

[Herb_Montes]

There are a few Japanese users of SAI over at deviantART.  They were some of the early ones who translated the Beta of SAI.  There is also the guy at Animation Forum who went to the trouble of decompling the Frame Toon program to create English menus.  Though I think he mostly used the online translation tools.  Frame Toon is an animation program put out by the same folks who made OpenCanvas.

This program is pretty good for doing black and white manga.  It can even output pages as PNG files which can be brought into SAI for coloring.  Still can't get it to specify a font for lettering.  It seems to be stuck in Arial and the lettering doesn't show up in the final page view.  Maybe it only works with Japanese specific fonts.

[restorer]

First attempt (google translate only, no manual translating):

[Neko-Nii]

XD seems like a nice program! Does it have a 31 day trial like Sai or its free?
P.s - ill be waiting for the translation  !

[Ren]

It's free :3
Thanks for the hard work you always do, restorer!

[blurymind]

restorer> i would like to download this google translation version. Do you have it uploaded somewhere? If you do,i can help out with webhits drawings...or even make a short strip

[restorer]

restorer> i would like to download this google translation version. Do you have it uploaded somewhere? If you do,i can help out with webhits drawings...or even make a short strip

Here it is: http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/files/atelier-tr-very-alpha.zip
I just removed toon folder from archive (40MB  ), so you can copy this folder from original prog.

[blurymind]

Here it is: http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/files/atelier-tr-very-alpha.zip
I just removed toon folder from archive (40MB  ), so you can copy this folder from original prog.

thank you! The translation is pretty clean,but its kind of ackward that the user must click on a *.bat file to start it..Its fully useable. 

You know what other awesome application i would love to see translated?

http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA029904/otoshimizuex/index.htm
this watercolor drawing app =)

stuff made by it:
http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA029904/otoshimizuex/index.htm

download link:
http://www.vector.co.jp/download/file/win95/art/fh372978.html

[blurymind]

however,i encountered problems with it.

i get all grey color in ink
pressure sensitivity does not work and it makes a line before drawing- i am with a graphire 4 tablet

[Herb_Montes]

thank you! The translation is pretty clean,but its kind of ackward that the user must click on a *.bat file to start it..Its fully useable. 

I remember the DOS days when a lot of apps had to be started with a BAT file and from a DOS prompt.

The program works pretty well for me.  Although from what I hear version 4 of Manga Studio will be announced at the San Diego Con this month.  But this makes a nice free alternative for making simple black and white comics.  The tones are pretty good.

[blurymind]

I remember the DOS days when a lot of apps had to be started with a BAT file and from a DOS prompt.

The program works pretty well for me.  Although from what I hear version 4 of Manga Studio will be announced at the San Diego Con this month.  But this makes a nice free alternative for making simple black and white comics.  The tones are pretty good.

this application is sweet,brcause it is waaaay smalled than manga studio,and simpler too.

[figue]

Neko Paint is pretty awesome too, it has some menus in english:

http://www2.tbb.t-com.ne.jp/neko_paint/

If there was an english version I would buy it without hesitation.