Photoshop scripts to start coloring comics
As a comic book colorist I use scripting to automate some parts of my everyday work.
I want to share with you the two basic scripts with which I start every project.
The first one is FromScanToFlats.wsf
It takes the scan data of line art (usually TIFF bitmap files at 1200dpi) and converts them to a lower resolution (300dpi, but it's customizable), then creates all the layers needed for the flat colors.
The resulting document will be saved in the PARENT folder of the place where the line art is (so, if your line art is in the folder "C:/Documents/My Project/Lineart/", you'll find the PSDs in "C:/Documents/My Project/".
If the last character of the line art file name is a "T" it will be changed in a "C". For example, a scan file named "02LSDLT5T.tif" will become "02LSDLT5C.psd". But if the name doesn't have a final "T", then it remains unchanged (es: "02LSDLT5TL.tif" will become "02LSDLT5T.psd".
If a file with the same name already exists in the destination folder, the new file will have a "_" at the end of the name, to avoid overwriting existing documents.
The second one is FromFlatsToFinal.wsf
PAY ATTENTION: This script changes the documents on which it runs, and it OVERWRITES them.
Anyway, it's not destructive, since it justs creates new empty layers. It creates the colors for the shadows (multiply mode) and ligths (screen mode). It creates two stacks of lights and shadows: one on top of all the flats, and another under it. It creates also a layer for effects (linear dodge mode) on top of the lineart.
USAGE:
Drag and drop on the scripts the files you want to convert.
***
These scripts are provided AS THEY ARE, use them AT YOUR OWN RISK.
I don't take responsability of any damage or data loss caused by running these scripts.
I can't offer any type of help or support with this scripts. These information should be enough to run and enjoy them. Feel free to change them at your will and need, just give credit to my work. The scripts are tested and working on windows versions from Vista to 10 and Photoshop from CS2 to CS6.
If you like them and find them useful, please make me know.
You can find the main tutorial that explains my workflow here:
Includes:
- Two WSF scripts
- An explanation video
- A TXT file with this description
Software:
Photoshop CS4-CS5-CS6 (should work from CS2 up and with newer versions too, but I've not tested them) on Windows (tested on Vista, 7, 10).
About me:
I'm a comic book artist that works in France and Italy for the main publishers in the industry (Glènat, Bonelli, Delcourt, Marvel, Panini...). I've been a colorist for 10 years, working on thousand of pages and many different artists and styles.
My Website: https://www.malisan.it
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luca_malisan/
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MalisanLuca