Photoshop Comic Book Coloring: The Basics v2.0 - great for beginners (how to color comic books)

Hey folks, I re-purposed a webinar I recorded into "The Basics" version 2.0! The original video was a bit dated, and it's time for an upgrade. :) This should be a good place to start for beginners or immediate-level colorists. I'll talk about my course a bit at the end as well.
This video has been updated for Clip Studio Paint in 2021 here: • [Tutorial] How I Color...
Check out my coloring courses (40 hours of lessons!) at www.coloringcomics.com (includes presets for my brushes, tools, actions, and color swatches).
Exclusive discount on MagicPicker here: goo.gl/q5MULY
►OFFICIAL WEBSITE & PORTFOLIO: www.comiccolor.com
►TWITTER: / kmichaelrussell
If you interested in learning how to color line-art in Photoshop, want to learn comic book coloring 101, or just want more Photoshop comic book coloring techniques, tips and tricks, subscribe for more!
how to color comic books

[@cartoonblock]

Great stuff. I've found myself watching 4 of your videos in on sitting.

[@HannahEnglandCreates]

Your tutorials have made my coloring so much faster and easier. Thanks so much!

[@russorox654]

Just want to let you know, i got my first coloring comission and it was really helpful all of your tips! Thank you sir.

[@keithprovost9812]

Great video! Thank you very much! 2 months ago I found out about flatting and coloring and we have decided to try it out and live a dream of mine. I look forward to taking your courses soon.

[@meanandobscene2678]

I watch this everytime I color something, thank you so much for this tutorial

[@greenajoy4001]

You are so generous to share all that knowledge. Thank you so much for this incredible video. Now I can finally start doing what I love

[@GabbyGoodArts]

Thank you so much for all your videos! I've been working really hard on my comic portfolio and was lost with colors until I found your videos. Your tips and tricks have been super useful, especially with flatting and the lasso tools. Thanks again :D

[@istaytooned7891]

this video maybe dated BUT when I need to go back and just refresh my self I hit this vid and away we go! Thanks Michael

[@hammockmonk]

I so appreciate the generosity with which you share your knowledge. This is the most professional channel in its field that I have found. 🤙🏽

[@prutser]

This was exactly what I was looking for, thanks for making this video Kurt!

[@morganrae8685]

I absolutely adored this video, it's honestly helped me out a lot!!

[@arf127]

This video was so helpful on so many topics!!! Thank you and keep up the great work!

[@cdnichols51]

great tutorial, really helpful! can't wait to watch your other videos now

[@kenta428]

Great tutorial, Michael. You really helped me out.

[@BlueGuitarMusic]

I'm so glad I found your channel today! Very excited to check out your other videos and your course :)

[@howardmccrary5589]

There's so many jewels near the end of this video! This pretty much taught me most of what I needed to know. Thanks!

[@nil_blank]

Thanks so much for putting this out here. Super helpful.

[@genemagora7700]

Thanks Michael! Your videos are very helpful!

[@comicguru656]

I'm an aspiring comic artist and mostly self taught. You have no idea how much these videos have helped me!!!!!!! Thank you

[@jamesmolloy5350]

what an incredible video, thank you so much for this

[@VaracolacidVesci]

Thank you very very much. It is an amazing and very detailed tutorial.

[@bathorybill9423]

Awesome as always dude!

[@DanteMaddox]

It's been a while since school, and I've felt really rusty in terms of understanding what PS can do. For a while I've known what I've wanted to do, but couldn't remember how to do it. This video not only helped me remember some of the techniques I learned in class, but it got me excited for the color aspect of making my comics. Thanks!!!!!!

[@nurulashari815]

Thank You Mike, finally i got this.

[@fikrifahmie]

Lotsa great tips here. Thanks man!!!

[@666ahkhan]

Thanks for the great tutorial on coloring and the tricks :D

[@AyumiBushido]

What I liked about this, is that it will help me get back to my photoshop once in awhile, or atleast bounce back and forth from paint tool sai and photoshop. I like the fact you didn't speed threw this and I got to see how long it takes to do your flats and I can have some kind of baseline for myself in how fast I should be. Thank you

[@QuickFam2.0]

Thanks for making this.

[@slepycitron]

Thank you. Extremely helpful.

[@OluwadamilolaAkinayo]

I have shared this video so many times i have lost count.😉 I stopped creating works with saturated colors thanks to this video and the previous one. KMR's technique is the best in my view because how of it helped me become much more confident as a colorist and applicable on other apps. I replicated this technique in SketchBook Pro 2016 from Photoshop and worked like a charm. Just need to save to take your premium courses. Keep being awesome and thanks a lot.

[@bueasink7650]

Thank u sir. im always caught up by time due to this coloring issue. i do all the work myself so u can imagine what i go through sometimes.

[@vijethpoojary9815]

thank you very much to share this sir

[@nichols4520]

Dude! Your page rocks! I've been through dozens of pages and they gloss over details or talk to fast. Some say one thing and explain another. Can't wait to put your tutorials to work. Thank you for explaining the several methods and taking your time doing it. Thank you.

[@yertargynanuarbek5819]

MAAAAN. you are a magician. Thank you so much!

[@kohk79]

I love your videos, thank you!

[@pompkinkingplays1461]

this is really helpful! cheers

[@groovekiller84]

Great one, thank you Michael!

[@seeto44]

+K Michael Russell Will be buying your course Monday you are the Man

[@familiasantosguiana4673]

awesome video for biginners thanks kurt

[@williamduren215]

Great teaching.

[@nunezinkgaming]

very good tutorial man subbed

[@CooperTony13]

Very useful video! Thank you very much!

[@svinkammstein]

i love it! thx you very much

[@samjaneczek9570]

This really is a good tutorial, very helpful and the final image looks great. I'm considering getting your course when I have the money to do so. :)

[@beatrizamaral9354]

To make the first selection, I just click on the blank background with the magic wand and invert the selection. If I need to adjust it, I expand or contract that selection. I make flats really fast in that way.

[@beatrizamaral9354]

To fill the selections I just use the alt+del or ctrl+del shortkeys, so it fills the selection with the foreground color or background color that I chose.

[@Abc-qs8ir]

fantastic video about shading in a comic page, I know how to do this on paper, but am learning how to do this digitally,

[@vagabondNS]

Fantastic tutorial. Thanks man. :)

[@opikroy1021]

thank you so much for a great lesson, this help full to me, so i share to my friends on my facebook.

[@tatortatot8165]

Very good!!

[@TacticalSquirrel]

I use the pen tool in lieu of the lasso tool to put in flats. You can also use the pen tool and convert it to a selection

[@colorwithkurt]

Many ways to skin this cat as they say. :)

[@Kall_Mii_Kemo]

thank you I think I can use this in sketchbook

[@michaelarby]

great video- my colouring technique was completely wrong and this helps immensely. cheers!

[@michaelarby]

+K Michael Russell nah mine was unquestionably wrong lol. making selections from the ink layers, expanding them a pixel or two then filling a flats layer underneath. but it left those white 'channels' you warned about between blocks of colour! glad to see your way though which is vleaner and faster!

[@ankitpattanaik7704]

Awesome Videos Sir. Really helpful :)

[@Smertokot]

Great!!!! Thanks!

[@pandaben7890]

Good tutorial, love you ^^

[@philmendez4771]

You are so awesome! Thank you! Phil Mendez

[@hiltonacetuvilla7299]

Thanks for this! big help :)

[@jonathanbisher]

Really great tutorial. Excellent job of breaking things down into understandable steps and methods for coloring. Any suggestions for tutorials or courses that do a good job of teaching how to get to the first part, i.e how to sketch a concept and then ink it, like what you started with?

[@thalleslc6969]

excelente trabalho

[@gordygor666]

Amazing video! Thank you! =)

[@antonyart2768]

I don`t know How? BUT IT WORKS!!!!! Thank you so much!! I dont have graphic tablet and that is not so fast as i want BUT i can do that with my mouse!

[@northernwindcomicspaul2531]

Awesome

[@ronniethezombie]

I still suck at coloring but this helped me so much thank you. At-least I've been flatting right.

[@tomtrees763]

you are great !!!

[@BrkGncyHD]

Video için teşekkürler.

[@fahmisa4790]

nice videos thanks for sharing

[@JeremyWilliamson]

MAN, this is THE BEST COLORING method I HAVE EVER seen and/or used!!! WOW!! Now, if I could use Photoshop on my iPad Pro 12.9" with my Mac to do it too, that'd be awesome! LOL

[@JeremyWilliamson]

Thanks so much man! I will!! I've been using the CONCEPTS APP for my Ipad Pro... it's WONDERFUL for drawing... I've always been more talented with the computer than free-hand, so it helps me a LOT! I can draw the image, export the vector outlines, then import into photoshop, and if Procreate has that option, then I could do that too??

[@JeremyWilliamson]

Can Procreate import vector files or even transparent .png files to color? Does that make sense?

[@JeremyWilliamson]

PERFECT!!! Now, I can work with that... I'll check it out later, but OMG... after learning how to do this with Photoshop, Procreate is gonna HAVE to be much better than this!!! haha Thanks again man!!

[@jenakin_skywalker6275]

very helpful

[@ebrahimg8346]

great video kurt! the basics is one of my favorite tutorial videos! nice to see it updated! also this is more of cell shading right?

[@ebrahimg8346]

also this is more of cell shading right?

[@ebrahimg8346]

***** yeah true

[@lukecarrdraws]

Absolutely fantastic video! Informative and easy to take in. Subscribed! One question. Who did the line art of the character? It's got a fantastic style. Respect from the UK

[@diwakarbro3682]

Thank you so much for putting up "real" tutorials....I mean you don't speak too fast nor are your vdo's sped up, so that we can actually learn something. You're my Guru!

[@ravcaol2104]

I prefer clipping masks, but still a lot of good tips!

[@acem73]

Like y Suscrito, Muchas Gracias Michael

[@hendrix5757]

A faster and more convenient way to select the entire figure that I discovered instead of having to manually lasso around the outline of the silhouette, is to simply draw a circle around the element with the lasso tool, alt select (subtract) inside the circle with the magic wand tool, so now you're left with a perfect selection around the element, and lastly contract the selection 2 or 3 pixels so color will not exceed your line art when you proceed to fill it. At the very least, you could do the first few steps to get the selection outlined your subject, and zoom in and go in and fine tune or tweak the selection to your liking prior to contracting it. Either way, it'll get you closer to a ballpark selection and will saves you a ton of time manually tracing the figure by hand! Love your channel btw!

[@hendrix5757]

+K Michael Russell I did consider the fact the line art wouldn't always be closed, but as I mentioned by using the first couple of steps, you would end up with the majority or bulk of the selection already outlined. So I'd imagine shift+ lassoing the remaining sections would most likely take you a fraction of the time it would otherwise. Try it sometime on a drawing you already have colored/flattened in the past, just to find out for sure if it would indeed prove to be a faster or slower path up the same mountain. I understand that you have established your way of doing things that have proven to be most efficient for you, but I would be interested in hearing how this approach worked for you (you know, just for kicks!) lol I don't expect you to come out with a v.2.5 or 3.0 revision of this coloring tutorial again. After all, your videos are some of the primary tuts I've used to learn about flattening, so I figured it'd be worth a try!

[@hendrix5757]

+K Michael Russell But shouldn't the background be on it's own layer, though?

[@hendrix5757]

+hendrix5757 I just figured you would disable all the layers except a plain white bg, line art, and flat layers allowing you to precisely select only the line art. i dunno... if anything, I hope others will give it a go for curiosity's sake...

[@ThembiLewis]

This is so useful! As someone trying to write independent comics, this is a really helpful way to upskill myself so I can cut down on hiring a big full-time team. I'll definitely be giving your course a go. Do you know of any worthwhile courses for digitally inking a pencil scan?

[@condebenitez655]

Muy bueno! te ganaste una suscripcion! : D Muchas gracias!

[@leandrocomic3297]

una obra de arte like

[@MrSkyblu1]

One thing I think would help is to explain the various things you're doing, how you do them, and why. While you did that in certain areas, I got up to the point where you were highlighting the hair and you used that wheel to alter the color a bit. I think most people, myself included, have no idea how to make that appear. Otherwise, your videos are very helpful and I thank you for posting them.

[@MrSkyblu1]

Cool. Thanks!

[@hutchewah]

man thats great. now how do i print it on my home printer? thanks.

[@artoffredrophobia5380]

Hi! Is the technique you did with the lasso tool selection applicable to Clipstudio Paint? Been trying to adjust the settings but to no avail. Thank you for your videos!

[@robertdoan4243]

Hey Michael, great videos. You are my go to guy. Quick question on your SFX layer, when i fill a layer with black and screen, it drowns out my colours a bit, but on yours it's showing up the same. What am i doing wrong?

[@ryangunwitch-black]

This is cool, but I'm interested in your CMYK profile set up. Where can I find the best info on setting those?

[@leatherandpoemscharmyman5774]

hi is it necessary to make the selection beyond the lines ? (a little half between lines and flat color) how much thicker the line will be for make fast selections?

[@dumplingking494]

How do you select the lasso selections after you have deselected them when trying to do highlights/color?

[@samarartblog]

How you add the back shadow tone?

[@billy30001000]

Thank you God Bless

[@Eddluvsya]

do you have any videos/tutoris that show how to ink and do shadowing?

[@zadrhion]

What are your brush settings when doing the first part of the rendering/highlighting? (Before you got into the Color Dodge mode.)

[@henrickcostales9273]

Cool Coloring !!!! May i ask what version you use in your PHOTOSOP? Thanks

your tutorial is great, I have a question how do you set up that action that creates a new layer with your selection and then blocks the transparency?

[@simonavdlb]

I want to know that too!! I'm using CSP but I can't find the way to do the same

[@TheMattybake]

Thanks for the excellent tutorial. If you don't mind me asking, how do you actually find color flatters to do the flatting stage?

[@TheMattybake]

Thanks!

[@sunjester8254]

I think it's great you're doing these videos, but I'm wondering about your procedures. Why use the lasso tool instead of the magic wand/quick selection tool? If you need to extend into the ink lines, can't you just expand the border? Also, why color the whole image one color and then add colors to specific areas instead of doing each separately from the start? Do you also know the process for getting a comic print ready in other areas too? Do you save your photoshop artwork as a pdf and then place into indesign? I created the word balloons using illustrator. Should I put them into photoshop and then place into indesign, or put them into indesign and then type out the text there, then save as pdf? Thanks for any input you can offer.

[@blondetapperware8289]

how do you access the color wheel in photoshop? I only have a section with squares of colors where the wheel should be.

[@blondetapperware8289]

Okay thanks. Great tutorial htw!

[@himynameiscade]

Great video. Very helpful. If you are doing a night scene, would you make your highlights more blue, rather than yellow, since the light is coming from the moon?

[@himynameiscade]

Okay, thanks! I'm literally doing this for the first time, and just colouring over some Daredevil inks.

[@oliver265]

On Photoshop CC they have a bunch of plans. Can I just get the 10 dollar basic photography one or do I have to get the 20 dollar single app one?

[@vivajest5812]

Is it possible to color in comics drawn traditionally, inked with a ball point pen and scanned all using your mouse. (no digital tablet)

[@nothingbutfootprints6240]

Tip: this tutorial is correct but for some reason the artist is choosing to destructivly edit the image rather than to preserve it. Basically, when you have a section selected you should really copy it as a new layer so that it can be re-edited quickly. For example if the creator decided to change the Cape colour then it can be done easily without needing to reselect.

[@colorwithkurt]

There are a lot of ways to color line art. Some people work this way. Some don't. I do more on layers above these days instead of on the base colors myself.

[@Pal97]

Woo hoo. got tht

[@gregfilipino3701]

I noticed you used to color using screen blending brush mode right? is it faster to work with normal mode to render the colors?

[@CosyPigeon]

Thank you for creating this, I'm not much into comic coloring personally, but these techniques are usefull for any type of digital art style. The way you explain what you're actually doing with the software is really helpful. Was wondering, have you discoevered a way to make the Lasso Tool fill with a colour automatically as soon as you make the selection? I've been experimenting with drawing directly using the Lasso but am struggling to find a way to speed it up.

[@colorwithkurt]

Clip Studio has that function but PS doesn't. Thanks a lot!